FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Ancient means that it is at least 1,000 years old. Anything less than that is considered merely an antique.

Okay, then...what exactly is an antique?

An antique is at least 100 years old, up to 1,000 years old. Some modern antique dealers do not distinguish between antique and vintage; we do. Vintage means less than 100 years old, antique means more than 100 years old.

How are ancient beads found?

Ancient beads are generally excavated from ancient tombs. Anyone who tells you differently has never been there. It is wise to expose ancient beads to sunlight for about two to three weeks before wearing them, and to wash hands thoroughly after touching them.

How do I know they're authentic?

Well, unless you've actually handled tens of thousands of ancient beads, you probably can't tell. We have waded through almost half a million ancient beads, and "ringers" -- modern beads made to look ancient -- are easy to spot with experience... The counterfeits go in our collection of counterfeits for comparison. We'll be posting a few counterfeits to show how easy it is to tell the real from the fake.

Who makes these and where?

All our ancient-style jewelry products are handmade by artisans and craftspeople in Northern California, in the Foothills of the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. Most of our jewelers are experts in the field of museum -level restorations. Most of our jewelry is in the realm of lookalikes, but we do also incorporate ancient materials in those items specified as containing ancient materials.

Are these museum pieces?

No, emphatically not. They are wearable pieces. Museum grade items are never sold to the public. In some major cases, items are returned to the country of origin. We also donate museum-grade pieces to museums around the world.

Are these from restricted countries?

No. The items we sell have been in the USA for over 25 years, long before the present war. Most are from friendly countries. We emphatically do not deal with or import from restricted countries. Our modern materials all come from long-established sources.

Our gemstone beads all come from reliable gemstone producers and are guaranteed to be A to AAAA in grade as specified in the certificate which accompanies each piece.

All silver is .925 fine. All gold is 18k. All copper and brass is high-grade metallurgical material. We use only the best, and only what is legal to own, period.