We are purveyors of jewelry that is primarily Estate Jewelry or 'second hand.' Much like my passion for the historical context and adaptation of Antiques in design, we repurpose and give new life to select brooches, beads and rings and thus are directly involved in the creation.
I have been drawn to jewelry since childhood and was schooled by my father and Grand Mother about varying gemstones at a young age. Opening The Golden Rabbit, most of our jewelry above $2,000 comes with an appraisal done by Mary Anderson, the former Jewelry buyer for The Greenbrier Resort. Personally, I am pursuing a GIA certification but will not appraise the jewelry we sell.
What are you looking at? Most of our Jewelry is either 14 or 18 karat white or yellow gold or Platinum. We stand behind every piece that we sell and offer a 10 day return policy on all jewelry. You are welcome to have the validity of our assertion verified by a jeweler you trust but we request documentation of disputes and that the piece in question returned in like condition. Otherwise, all sales are final. Your satisfaction and happiness is of paramount importance.
Estate Jewelry: Jewelry is considered “Estate” if the piece of jewelry in question has a previous owner. However, contrary to common belief—the previous owner of a piece of estate jewelry may very well still be alive. While the previous owners of a considerable percentage of estate jewelry have indeed passed away, the vitality of the previous owner has nothing to do with a piece of jewelry’s status as estate jewelry. Another common misconception in the world of estate jewelry—age has nothing to do with whether or not a piece of jewelry is classified as “Estate”. Although many estate pieces on the market today may be 50, 100, even 150+ years old, age is not a determining factor when it comes to classifying estate jewelry.
Antique Jewelry: A piece of jewelry is considered “Antique” if it is over 100 years old. In general, antique jewelry is crafted with a superior level of craftsmanship from higher-quality materials, compared to modern pieces found on the market today. However, due to the relative scarcity and sheer age of jewelry by the time it can be classified as “antique”, the majority of antique jewelry is too valuable to be worn or at times even displayed.
Vintage Jewelry: On the other hand, a piece of jewelry is considered “vintage” if it is between 50 years old and 100 years old. Unlike antique jewelry, vintage pieces are often worn and displayed, as they are less likely to break. Vintage jewelry designs are also easier to incorporate into fashion-forward outfits to create unique statements—as vintage jewelry designs are relatively current, easily paring with today’s hottest trends while adding an extra flair to any outfit!
