Intellectual Property Theft on eBay

Unfortunately, there are people on eBay who think that stealing photos and text from other sellers to use in their own auctions is an acceptable practice. Such a practice is pure & simple, theft and plagiarism - the stealing of someone else's work. Usually, stealing of text and pictures from other sellers is done to con unsuspecting buyers out of their money, as usually, the seller doing the stealing does not posses the item that is up for sale. By the time the buyer is aware that the thieving seller does not have the item being auctioned, it's too late - the con-artist seller has made off w/the victim's money.

eBay is aware of this problem and has set up a reporting system to try and combat this type of stealing. However, is still happens today.

I have been a victim of this several times, the most recent was on Sept. 5th, 2009 by eBay user k-zoogirl (who has now, as of Sept. 7th, changed her user name to bitter-cranberry). This thief, whether she was just too lazy to do her own work, or she was trying to scam buyers on eBay out of their money, stole both my pictures and my text from this auction, eBay #360187440907 and portrayed them as her own in this auction, eBay #230374541475. Thankfully, eBay responded swiftly to my reports of the theft by k-zoogirl/bitter-cranberry by promptly shutting down the auction and removing the images from the system.

Below are screen shots of the fraudulent auction by k-zoogirl/bitter-cranberry in which she stole my images and text - click on the thumbnails for a larger version.

shows top of eBay page and seller ID

clear shot of my watermarked images

clear shot of my stolen copy - taken word for word from my auction

Below is a screen shot of her "My World" page before she changed her user ID. She also removed her profile image - why is she hiding? Is she ashamed that she stole from another eBay seller? Is she hiding the fact that she's a con artist and trying to run fraudulent auctions on eBay? I will let you draw your own conclusions as to the new user ID she chose. Her ID information, history, and image are all below.

My World Page before user changed her ID

User ID history page

If the property theft didn't tell you enough about this person's lack of character, honor, and integrity, the hiding behind a new user ID and the removal of her profile image should. I would be highly cautious if you purchase from her.

Sellers - How to Protect Yourselves from Such Thieves

• watermark your images - I can't stress how important this is (although k-zoogirl/bitter-cranberry was too stupid not to use watermarked images)
  
• run searches on items that you currently have listed - do listings by other sellers look the same?
  
• use specific wording in your text - when other sellers steal your copy, it's easier to pick out
  

Buyers - How to Protect Yourselves from Such Con-Artist Sellers

• be aware of what your buying - do your own research
  
• run a search on the item that you're interested in buying - do you find more than one listing that has the same pictures and wording
  
• if you find an item that has the same pictures and text, but is being sold by 2 different sellers, contact those sellers and ask question
• if you see an image in an auction that is watermarked, and that watermark does not match the user ID of the seller, there's a good chance that image was stolen - be careful if you decide to purchase
  

eBay has worked hard to reduce this type of theft - unfortunately, con-artists are con-artists, and this battle is very difficult to fight.

A Gallery of Sarah Coventry

Coming Soon

Grades & Definitions of Silver

950 Silver Filigree Bracelet

I've decided to compile a list of the grades of silver and their common names in one place as a handy reference. Because silver is soft, it needs to be joined w/another metal, typically copper, to make it workable. The percentage of silver to the percentage of copper is what gives the silver its grade, as follows: Fine .999 99.9% silver to .1 % copper Mexican .950 95% silver to 5% copper Sterling .925 92.5% silver to 7.5% copper Coin .900 90% silver to 10% copper German .800 80% silver to 20% copper Nickel and/or Alpaca Silver not silver at all but an alloy of copper and nickel

Eilat & Sterling Pendant/Brooch from Israel

Sterling Floral Brooch by David Andersen

Guide to Marcasite Jewelry

Marcasite, chemically known as iron disulfide or FeS2, is a form of fool's gold, or pyrite, but has a different internal structure than pyrite, making is more brittle and less stable. Also known as white iron pyrite, marcasite is actually too unstable to be used in jewelry. The marcasite that you see in jewelry is actually pyrite.

Used for adornment since ancient times, Marcasite jewelry began to replace steel cut jewelry in the 18th century. Produced in large quantities by Germany, it became popular during war times, is most commonly placed on a sterling base, but can also be found on gold. Highly decorative, Marcasite jewelry lends to an very "vintage" look. When worn, this jewelry sparkles just like rhinestones, catching and reflecting the light in a very fashionable way.

When purchasing Marcasite jewelry, look for marks that hint at the grade of metal and/or maker, that there are no missing pieces (look at the pictures offered carefully, as missing Marcasites are often easy to miss), and that you are purchasing from a reputable seller.

Dating Marcasite jewelry can be difficult, as it's often only marked w/the grade of sterling or gold, or not marked at all. Generally speaking, if a piece is marked "Germany" its probably, c1930 +/- 10 years. If there is a copyright symbol, then the piece is most likely post-1955. If the piece is marked w/an artist's or maker's mark, you can date your piece by researching when that particular maker was working/in business.

Marcasite jewelry should be cleaned w/caution to avoid removing dark areas that are part of the design. Usually, a quick cleansing w/mild soap and water should do the trick, followed by drying the piece w/a soft cloth. Surface cleaning is the best; avoid submersing or dunking the piece.

Below are some examples of Marcasite Jewelry for your pleasure.

Courtesy of Lilly's Vintage Costume Jewelry

Courtesy of Eureka, I Found It!

Courtesy of Bitz of Glitz

Courtesy of Alison's Antiques & Vintage Jewelry

Courtesy of CranberryManor on Etsy

Country Groupings & Regions

When trying to identify a piece of jewelry, it is often helpful to know which region it came from. Below, I have compiled geographical regions and groupings for ease of research.

North American
Canada, Greenland, Mexico, United States of America

Central American
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama,

South American
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

The Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands

The Middle East
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Asia
China, Japan, Korea

East Asia
Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Greater Mekong, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

South Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Oceania
Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island Countries (Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia)

• Polynesia - American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue, Pitcairn, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa
• Melanesia - Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
• Micronesia - Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau

Europe
Andorra, Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City

Eastern Europe
Albania, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Scandinavian Countries
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland

Guide to Necklace Length, Terminology & Definition

Every wonder what name a certain length of necklace is given - below are a few definitions:

• Collar - or Dog Collar - 12-13" and sits closely around the neck
  
• Choker - approximately 14-16" and sits above the collar bones
• Princess - approximately 17-19" and sits just below the collar bones
• Matinee - approximately 20-24" and hangs above the cleavage
  
• Opera - approximately 25-36" and hangs to the cleavage
• Sautoir - (also known as Rope) approximately 40"+ and hangs to the waistline
  

and a Bib Necklace is a layered or multi-strand necklace of variable lengths ranging from choker to opera.

A Great Day for Treasuries on Etsy

Today - I was lucky enough to get a Treasury - Walk Like an Egyptian

and my sellers included greatbarbarian, judysgems2, jujubee1, boobears2, lillysvintagejewelry, blingbabe, bitzofglitz4u, vintageday, vintage55, getglam, pastsplendors, and poshadornment




I was also fortunate enough to be included in 2 treasuries:

April Showers by LillysVintageJewelry

and Pretty Girls! by JudySnow

all these treasuries will be available for 2 more days - so have fun shopping!

Etsy Treasury - Proud to be an American

I was able to create an Etsy Treasury today and dedicated it to the Holiday in rememberance of our service men and women, past and present. Without them, we would not be the great nation that we are!

The sellers I profiled include:
WhiggyTreasures, VintageTreasures4U, LoveOldStuff2, AntiqueAli, WeGotJewels, PopGoesMyVintage, GetGlam, BlingBabe, ESBeads, KissMyVintage, ChrysalisEShop, RetroVertigo

Some other great patriotic jewelry I found included an awesome 60s/70s Pendant Necklace in GoodEye's shop

Definition of Era in Vintage Jewelry

These are loose time periods for the various eras that define the style and grace of jewelry.

Georgian era - c1800-1835
Victorian - c1835-1901
Art Nouveau & Art Deco - c1890-1935
Edwardian - c1890-1910
Retro - c1940
Antique - 100 years or older (currently c1909 or before)
Vintage - 20 years or older (currently c1989 or before)