Wood Even experienced wood experts say that identifying the type of wood is difficult and involves guessing. There are a number of reasons for this difficulty. One is trees are generally categorized by external qualities such as shape, flowers and leaves, rather by the inner wood. This means different woods can be similar in grain … Continue reading Identifying wood in antiques Part I: an introduction for beginning collectors

Purchase a copy of Identifying Common Materials in Antiques Identifying Non-Precious Metals Metals are identified by examining numerals qualities, including appearance (color, shine, signs of aging), weight, magnification (drawn to magnet or not), use (your bicycle spokes won't be made out of sterling silver) and hardness. Metal is often easy to identify. It can be … Continue reading Identifying Non-Precious Metals : a quick look

download Return Trip: aesthetics and epistemology "Looking at visual illusions and how they work show us that reality and human perception of reality are different things." Return Trip by David Cycleback is a shortened, chopped-up and transformed version of prominent art historian Cycleback's earlier published works on aesthetics, psychology and epistemology. It examines aesthetic perception … Continue reading Aesthetics and Epistemology * Free ebook

Terra cotta is a type of earthenware (as opposed to porcelain and stoneware) that is common but looks distinctly different from most other earthenware.   Terra cotta is usually a distinct orangish, but sometimes is brown/gray.  As with all earentheware it is not water tight and must be glazed to hold water.  Only unglazed stoneware … Continue reading Terra Cotta

Purchase a copy of Identifying Common Materials in Antiques: A Pocket Guide * * * * * It goes without saying that diamonds are expensive and always in high demand.  There are numerous kinds of fake or faux diamonds, including glass, plastic, simulant and synthetic stones.  While expert diamond and gemstone requires scientific tests and … Continue reading Judging if a Diamond is Real or Fake: A Few Quick Tips

Goldstone is glass with metal shavings inside.  It can be molded into many shapes, and is sometimes mistaken for a stone or gem.   

Purchase a copy of Identifying Common Materials in Antiques * * * * * Glass is labeled and catalogued in different ways, including by its formula or chemical recipe, how the final shape is formed, its style and genre. The following are standard types of glass, defined by the formula, method and genre. Pressed glass. … Continue reading A Look at Different Types of Antique Glass

As precious metals can have high monetary value, this is an area where getting a educated second opinion can be a good idea for a beginner. A jeweler or avid collector can identify and grade the metal for you. However, the avid collector can make a fair judgment about type and quality of previous metal. … Continue reading Identifying Precious Metals: gold, silver and platinum

The following is an identification guide to several standard types of stone used in sculptures, carving, building construction and similar. The types covered are marble, granite, sandstone, limestone, alabaster and soapstone. *** Marble Marble is a  high end stone used to make everything from Michelangelo sculptures to mansion steps and walls for mansions. Marble is … Continue reading Identifying Stone in Sculpture and Construction: marble, granite, sandstone, limestone, alabaster and soapstone.