FAQs

Do you offer free shipping?

As an incentive for our current and future clients, we gladly offer free shipping on all orders!

Where do you find your pieces?

Venues of all types. Our favorite activity is to go treasure hunting on road trips. We seek out hidden shops, estate sales, private party sales, vintage events and other opportunities that we hear of, or sometimes, stumble upon. On rare occasions, we will look online if we are seeking to find a specific piece.

What eras do you focus on?

We have quite a few collectors involved and that really depends on who you talk to. That said, as it is reflected in our collection, the 1950's do hold a special appeal. Another personal favorite, but more difficult to find, is the century-old 1920's era. Art Deco and the dimensional use of gold, black and crystals is hard to match.

How do you care for your pieces?

When we find a piece that passes an initial look it goes through an intake process. This evaluation includes looking for missing stones, broken or bent parts, unacceptable past repairs, overt wear and tear and other criteria. Each piece is carefully hand cleaned with a soft bristle brush and solution. Allowing for time to dry, we then place each piece into its own bag for storage while it awaits its new owner.

Do you accept returns?

Although rare, they do happen. We will happily work with you on the reason for the return and complete that process with you if necessary. For more detailed information, please consult our policies page on returns through the link at the bottom of the page.

Where are you located?

We are located in the Seattle, Washington area with family roots in the Northwest going back over 100 years. For contact information, click on the main menu.

Do you do evaluations on vintage jewelry collections?

We do evaluations of collections for our purchase only. If you're interested in selling your pieces please contact us at sales@keepsakevintage.com. Among other things, our criteria includes larger selections of pieces that are physically complete and with wear and tear that is appropriate with their age. 

Do you buy heirlooms?

We encourage anyone selling an heirloom to reconsider. Just calling it that means there is still an emotional attachment that makes it hard to get the price you may have in mind. Like other collectors and resellers, we can't afford to pay for emotions that are still attached to the piece. The memories attached basically makes your amazing heirloom priceless.

How long have you been collecting?

The matriarch of the family began collecting in the early 1960's. The most recent began learning what to look for just a few years ago. In between are an enthusiastic group of treasure hunters with a collective experience of over 150 years.

What if a piece breaks after I receive it?

For the most part you are purchasing items that range from 50 to 100 years old. Some will eventually break or lose an important part of the piece.  Although we do not replace or refund purchases after a set limit of time, we appreciate your business and will try to advise you on how to either bring that piece back to life or even repurpose it. For our return/refund policies please click the link on the bottom of the page.

Are you on social media?

We sure are! Please join us at Instagram.com/keepsake.vintage/ for our most up to date photos, pieces coming soon, and short videos. Don't forget to like and follow!!

What can I expect to receive if I place an order?

Our sincere gratitude to start and a welcome to the awesome part of history that is vintage items! After your purchase you will receive some update emails confirming your order as well shipping. We try to ship out within two business days and, depending on your shipping choice, you'll receive your order soon after. Your pieces will each be in their own nice silver jewelry gift box with a stretch cord bow to secure the top. Those are placed inside either a padded envelope or a shipping box, depending on the size of the order.

Do you keep my information private?

Absolutely! We believe you're here to buy vintage items and that's what we are focused on. Personal information collected is for the sole purpose of the transaction, unless agreed upon otherwise (such as signing up for our update emails in the future). For more details on how your information is treated, please click on the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of each page.

Do you sell jewelry that has precious metals or gems?

At this time we do not. All the items on the site are costume jewelry. This means that the metals are gold and silver tone and not actual gold and silver precious metals. The stones are non-precious, unless other wise stated. The pearls are pearl reproductions unless otherwise stated.

How can you tell if a piece is authentic to the era?

This is probably one of the most common questions we get. The short answer is there is no absolute, sure fire way. Basically, 99.99% of everything we find does not come with its original, dated receipt. So, we use our experience and go through a series of checks to try and determine where the bell curve of probability is centered in time. For a more detailed description of some of the parameters we look at when evaluating a piece, click on the Cool Information link in the main menu to check out our article on the subject.

What is the difference between estate and costume jewelry?

Although sometimes used interchangeably, the biggest difference is that costume jewelry is made of non-precious materials. Estate jewelry usually refers to accessories that are made to a higher standard and that contain precious or semi-precious metals, minerals and gems.

Can I pay in installments?

We are sorry, but at this time we do not do any installment plans.

Do you consign jewelry?

Not at this time. We may in the future but right now we are all tapped out putting our own collection on line. However, check back with us in the future as times are always changing.

Do you purchase other pieces or collections?

We do, but not throughout the year. We cycle with busy seasons and budgets. Please contact us with any questions at sales@keepsakevintage.com. We would be happy to either take a look if we can or point you in the right direction.

Do you do gift wrapping?

Basically, every piece we send out is in its own nice silver gift box with a gold cord ribbon tie. The packaging we put your gift boxes in is non-descript padded envelopes or boxes, with the exception of Keepsake Vintage listed above our address on the mailing label.

What do I do if the piece I receive has a missing stone or other defect?

Although we put each piece through a rigorous intake and pre-shipping evaluation, there are rare times we either miss a missing piece or defect or something pops loose during shipping. We will happily work with you to make it right. Please check out how to go about documenting and returning a piece on our Return Policy policy page. You will find that link at the bottom left of each page on the site.