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Looks like Sterling to me, so WHAT is Alpaca??

 Many Bracelets, brooches and pretty things from Mexico and South America look a lot like Sterling, and some are even actually marked Sterling, but they are not.  They are made from a metal called "Alpaca".  So what IS Alpaca?   Alpaca is an alternative silver metal made from approx 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% Zinc.  There is no silver in Alpaca at all!  Keep that in mind as people will try to sell it to you as a lower grade of silver, when it's not silver at all.  We've had some pretty amazing brooches and bracelets cross our desk at "The Discerning Blonde VCJ on Etsy" and one would never know that these weren't a grade of silver except that there isn't the standard Sterling Silver tarnish that usually accompanies such pieces.  Alpaca is also used in table and flatware.   So remember, some things from Mexico and South America are not as they seem.  Test your South American and Mexican Silver and be sure that it's real....
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Dating My Weiss Jewelry

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 Today I put up a beautiful set on "The Discerning Blonde" that was gifted to me by a benefactor of my "Blondmyk's Rescue Kitties" cat rescue.  The set is a three-piece parure, with each piece marked "Weiss" on the back.  They are all in brand new condition, to the point of even having their original "Weiss" hangtags.  I figured that the set was from the 1960's, considering I've had a whole lot of years handling and studying vintage costume jewelry and that was just the "feel" I got from my experiences with Weiss items in the past.  But, did I actually know  that to be the fact?  No...I did not.  Before I listed, it was time to study Weiss history. Probably the most important thing that I've learned about researching anything, is that Google is your friend.  Got a question?  Type the whole question out into the address line and hit the enter key.  You'll get amazing results.   Since these pieces were so new, I figure...
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Welcome to the World of The Discerning Blonde!

 Welcome Everyone! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Michael and I have many nicknames, including Mykey, Blondmyk, and Blondmykey.  I own and operate a store on Etsy called "The Discerning Blonde VCJ Shoppe", with VCJ standing for "Vintage Costume Jewelry".   The Discerning Blonde VCJ is a labor of love for me.  I began collecting, researching, and selling vintage jewelry back in 2006 when a friend of mine put out some jewelry sets at a garage sale in Des Moines, Iowa that I was helping her set up.  They were beautiful sets and I couldn't believe that she was selling them for $12.50 each.  They were all signed pieces, with names like Napier, Christian Dior, Hattie Carnegie, Vendome, etc-- maybe five or six sets total.  I asked her about them and she allowed me to take them home to research them.  That following week, an addiction was born.  One page of research led to another and took me on a journey that I still enjoy to th...
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