By Emma Bowen Meyer, For The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. — An “Antique Road Show” for jewelry will be hosted Saturday at the Gruenewald Historic House as residents are invited to bring items to be roughly appraised by Steve Quirk, co-owner of Standt’s Fine Jewelry in downtown Anderson.
“I can tell a lot about a piece just by looking at it,” he said, mentioning he’s been at Standt’s for 25 years. “After a while you get to know the look and feel of jewelry.”
Although customers often bring items they have inherited or found at garage sales to see if they are genuine gems or costume fare, this will be the first time Quirk has been at an event like this.
Sometimes he is forced to disappoint clients by informing them that their jewelry is not worth what they hoped, but other times he is able to surprise them with the revelation that a piece is a treasure.
“That street runs both directions,” he said. “There are all kinds of hidden treasures out there.”
While jewelry may not be flashy, Quirk only classifies one kind as “bad” jewelry.
“There are some places in China where they have figured out how to make jewelry really cheaply,” he added. “A lot of times the inside is hollow, so if you try to work with it or resize a ring, it just collapses. That’s my definition of bad jewelry – jewelry that you can’t work with.”
On Saturday he will be looking to shed light on the history and value of the jewelry brought in by the public. He will examine carat weight, the type of metal, and whether the stones are genuine.
In addition to his presence, a tea sampling will be under way and used jewelry will be sold at the event to benefit the Gruenewald Historic House.
“We have teas for bridge clubs, birthday parties, and circle meetings,” said Jean Whitsell-Sherman, house director. “We can serve from two to 25, but we didn’t know if the public knows about our teas. We wanted to invite everyone out to look around and sample the tea.”
An eclectic selection of jewelry had been donated to sell on Saturday, including antique pieces and some fun sixties fare. Men haven’t been left out either, as cuff links have been donated.
Men also get involved in the upkeep of the house and even during the teas.
“David Cagley comes to be our butler and he is just wonderful,” she added. “He has a butler’s uniform for every occasion and the ladies love him and he treats them like gold.”
Victorian Tea Sampler
Where: Gruenewald House, 626 Main St., Anderson
When: 1-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6
Tickets available at Gruenewald Historic House or Standt’s Fine Jewelry, 1009 Meridian St., or at the door $5. Call 648-6875
The Gruenewald Historic House
Originally the home was a two-story, two-room house. In the early 1870s, Moses Cherry, a harness maker from New York added on the front section. During the process, he lost the home to the bank.
In 1880, the home was bought by a German immigrant who originally came to the United States with only four dollars in his pocket. Martin and Christiana bought it and lived there until their deaths.
After Martin died in 1933, the house fell into different hands, becoming apartments, a beauty parlor, and a veterinary’s office. Once declared a historic site, the Anderson Parks Department purchased the property and cared for it.
In 2000, a private board of directors took over for the city.
“It’s a living structure that tells a story of an immigrant who made it,” said Jean Whitsell-Sherman. “He came here from Germany. He just loved America. For the city to take it and buy it right before the bicentennial was just a beacon of hope from the past. Martin lost his fortune twice in his life. He said that America was the best place to live because you could always start over again.”
