Sylvia Anderson

Richard Stout will help people determine whether their jewelry is antique at the Ten Mile Trail Antique and Garden Show in Weston, Mo., Aug. 1 and 2.

On weekends, Richard Stout likes to don a 19th-century top hat and coat while working at his jewelry shop in Weston, Mo.

That’s not as strange as it sounds, since the whole town looks similar to the days Weston was a significant river-port community in the mid-1800s, with many of the buildings dating to pre-Civil War days. Inside his store, R. L. Macy’s, you’ll find antique rings that were made during that period. There’s a ring made with tiny, natural pearls dating back to the 1830s. (They started to be cultured in the 1920s.) And you’ll see rose gold filigree rings made during the late 1800s to early 1900s, with delicate, intricate craftsmanship — something like great-grandma would have worn.

But he also has reproductions and new jewelry, such as a set of three rings he made for a customer.

“A customer had inherited great-grandma’s ring but had three granddaughters,” he says. “And they all wanted the ring.”

Then there are new art deco rings, a popular style during the last five years, designed to look just like the designs from 1900 to 1930. Both versions are beautiful. But how do you know what you’ve got? Old or new?

That’s one of the questions he will help visitors answer the first weekend in August at the Weston Ten Mile Trail Antique and Garden Show. Vendors specializing in high-quality antiques and everything to do with gardens will be set up at four locations in a 10-mile area for the event, with experts on hand to give appraisals, answer questions and speak on specific topics.

“We’ve always had antique shows,” says Marilyn Lindahl co-chairman of the event. “This is the first year it will be in this format.”

Vendors are expected from not only Weston, St. Joseph and Kansas City, but from Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, she says. You can find everything with a “treasure map” that can be picked up at any show location, at the chamber office or at shops the day of the event. Free lectures and presentations will cover everything from the value of white stoneware to why antiques are a good investment.

Mr. Stout will not be doing official insurance appraisals, but he should be able to help you decide if you need to get one. You might discover you have something old that looks new, like a pair of gold rim glasses he found at an antique store in Weston. They had never been worn, but he says they were made around 1920 and were probably a salesman’s sample.

“All of the things you would look for in an antique piece weren’t here because it’s new. But finesse of the craftsmanship, detail in the design is what will tell you that it’s real and hasn’t been played with.

It also helps to have 30 years in the jewelry business.

Weston 10 Mile Antique and Garden Show

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 1 and 2

Where: Four locations: Red Barn Farm, Locust Grover Antiques and Interiors, downtown Weston and Riverwood Winery

Admission: Free

Early Bird Special: 8 to 10 a.m. Aug. 1. Details at www.weston10miletrail.com. or by calling (816) 640-5418 or (816) 640-2300.

Note: There will be a $5 fee per item for some of the expert opinions on Saturday.

Lifestyle reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com