By Ben Marks — Call it beginner's luck, but a four-year-old kid found a 16th-century gold pendant the other day. It was his first time using a metal detector. The religious locket is decorated with images of the Virgin Mary and the five wounds of Christ. If it is sold, the boy will split the proceeds (its value is estimated at 2.5-million pounds) with the landowner. Not bad for a day's work!

Christie Romero on Differences Between Fine and Costume Jewelry Over the Decades

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of things. Gradually jewelry became my focus. In the mid-1980s I started getting serious, and in 1988 I started teaching small classes, workshops, and seminars, primarily on costume jewelry but also some fine jewelry. Vintage costume jewelry was just beginning to take off as a collectible. Up until that time, most people thought it was junk. They didn’t understand what it was...