This woman's 'rare' $2 op-shop discovery may be valued at a whopping $1,000: ‘What a score’
- Replies 11
Op-shopping, or thrift shopping as it's known in some parts, has long been a favourite pastime for bargain hunters and vintage lovers alike.
It's a place where one person's discarded items become another's treasure, and for one lucky woman in Queensland, this couldn't be truer.
Amidst concerns about the rising costs at op-shops, this thrifty shopper's experience is a shining example of the gems still waiting to be unearthed.
During a routine visit to a Vinnies store, the woman came across what she described as her 'best ever find'—a pair of gold earrings with opals, priced at a mere $2.
To the untrained eye, these earrings might have seemed like just another piece of pre-loved jewellery, but to those with a keen sense of value, they were an absolute steal.
The earrings, which boasted a beautiful design, caught the attention of not just the buyer but also experts who weighed in on their potential worth.
After the woman shared a photo of her find online, the opal earrings became the subject of much admiration and speculation.
Described as 'pretty’, ‘amazing’, and 'beautiful’, these earrings sparked a conversation about their authenticity and value.
'Holy moly,' one commenter exclaimed.
‘I can’t breathe,’ another said.
‘What a score, a third added.
Others also agreed they were ‘such a rare find’ because of the low price.
However, scepticism was inevitable, with some doubting the legitimacy of the opals, which are known to be quite valuable, especially those sourced from Australia.
However, one user quickly pointed out, 'There's no way someone would set that many beautiful opals into costume jewellery, so I'd say you have found a unicorn there.'
‘They most certainly look genuine opal and diamond,’ another said.
Experts Sebastian Heffernan from Lightning Ridge Opal Mines and Wayne Sedawie, an opal reseller from the Gold Coast, were intrigued by the find.
Heffernan noted that while it's challenging to make a definitive assessment from photos, the opals 'don't appear to be fake’.
‘They would look a little bit too perfect a lot of the time. Whereas these ones, you can see that some of them have little dots of colour, some have medium flashes,’ he said.
Sedawie, on the other hand, speculated that the earrings might contain crystal opals, which have a blue hue and are more transparent than the ‘milky’ white opals.
Regardless of the type, both experts agreed that opals could fetch a handsome sum.
The value of the earrings could vary significantly depending on several factors. If the opals are real but the diamonds are fake, and the gold is plated, the earrings might sell for a couple of hundred dollars.
However, if the earrings are made of solid gold and genuine diamonds, their value could skyrocket. Heffernan suggested looking for a jeweller's stamp or hallmark, which would indicate the quality of the materials.
Sedawie believed that the thrifter could potentially sell the earrings for close to $1000 if they were resold or cashed in to a reseller.
‘It's definitely good to maybe get them looked at by someone in person because they do look quite nice from the photo, and the metal itself could be worth a little bit if it is actual gold,’ Heffernan added.
‘But either way, two bucks is an absolute steal.’
‘That's such a great find. They're beautiful," Sedawie agreed.
‘Just clean them up, and they'll last a thousand years.’
‘It's difficult to get stones like that. It's just extremely awkward to do,’ Sedawie said of the size and shape of the stones.
‘That's why the value's there—there's more value in those earrings there.’
‘To get them all matching, it's very difficult because some are more dark and some are light, but they were all uniform.’
Have you ever found a hidden treasure at an op-shop? Share your stories with us in the comments below!
It's a place where one person's discarded items become another's treasure, and for one lucky woman in Queensland, this couldn't be truer.
Amidst concerns about the rising costs at op-shops, this thrifty shopper's experience is a shining example of the gems still waiting to be unearthed.
During a routine visit to a Vinnies store, the woman came across what she described as her 'best ever find'—a pair of gold earrings with opals, priced at a mere $2.
To the untrained eye, these earrings might have seemed like just another piece of pre-loved jewellery, but to those with a keen sense of value, they were an absolute steal.
A woman found her ‘best ever find’, which was a pair of gold earrings with opals for $2. Credit: Facebook
The earrings, which boasted a beautiful design, caught the attention of not just the buyer but also experts who weighed in on their potential worth.
After the woman shared a photo of her find online, the opal earrings became the subject of much admiration and speculation.
Described as 'pretty’, ‘amazing’, and 'beautiful’, these earrings sparked a conversation about their authenticity and value.
'Holy moly,' one commenter exclaimed.
‘I can’t breathe,’ another said.
‘What a score, a third added.
Others also agreed they were ‘such a rare find’ because of the low price.
However, scepticism was inevitable, with some doubting the legitimacy of the opals, which are known to be quite valuable, especially those sourced from Australia.
However, one user quickly pointed out, 'There's no way someone would set that many beautiful opals into costume jewellery, so I'd say you have found a unicorn there.'
‘They most certainly look genuine opal and diamond,’ another said.
Experts Sebastian Heffernan from Lightning Ridge Opal Mines and Wayne Sedawie, an opal reseller from the Gold Coast, were intrigued by the find.
Heffernan noted that while it's challenging to make a definitive assessment from photos, the opals 'don't appear to be fake’.
‘They would look a little bit too perfect a lot of the time. Whereas these ones, you can see that some of them have little dots of colour, some have medium flashes,’ he said.
Sedawie, on the other hand, speculated that the earrings might contain crystal opals, which have a blue hue and are more transparent than the ‘milky’ white opals.
Regardless of the type, both experts agreed that opals could fetch a handsome sum.
The value of the earrings could vary significantly depending on several factors. If the opals are real but the diamonds are fake, and the gold is plated, the earrings might sell for a couple of hundred dollars.
However, if the earrings are made of solid gold and genuine diamonds, their value could skyrocket. Heffernan suggested looking for a jeweller's stamp or hallmark, which would indicate the quality of the materials.
Sedawie believed that the thrifter could potentially sell the earrings for close to $1000 if they were resold or cashed in to a reseller.
‘It's definitely good to maybe get them looked at by someone in person because they do look quite nice from the photo, and the metal itself could be worth a little bit if it is actual gold,’ Heffernan added.
‘But either way, two bucks is an absolute steal.’
‘That's such a great find. They're beautiful," Sedawie agreed.
‘Just clean them up, and they'll last a thousand years.’
‘It's difficult to get stones like that. It's just extremely awkward to do,’ Sedawie said of the size and shape of the stones.
‘That's why the value's there—there's more value in those earrings there.’
‘To get them all matching, it's very difficult because some are more dark and some are light, but they were all uniform.’
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