Put A (Vintage) Ring On It: Local Pros School Us On Secondhand Baubles

Ahh, the thrill of the hunt — is there anything else like it? Anytime you're looking for something just right — a love interest, some great boots, the perfect winter coat — there's a crazy-addictive rush that comes with, you know, actually finding it. (Which explains why we're elbow-deep in thrift-store racks every weekend — to each her own, right?) One of the easiest, most satisfying treasure hunts you can undertake is scouring your local shops for out-of-this-world secondhand jewelry. But to make the whole process even easier for you, we stopped into our favorite local vintage boutiques, snapped some of our must-have pieces, and picked the brains of the shop owners and buyers. What did we learn? Some extremely handy trade secrets — so, take notes, and then go forth and conquer, um, we mean, save.