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The Thrift Store Jewelry

By trailblazr
(1 stories) (0 posts) (the author is a senior adult)
Date: 2014-01-28
Country: United States
State: California
Paranormal Category: Apparitions / Voices / Touches

In November 2013, my wife purchased a large zip-lock plastic bag full of religious medals and cheap jewelry from a thrift store in Stockton, CA.

We have our home computer in our bedroom, next to which is our dresser. I dumped the jewelry on the dresser and went through it. It was mostly metal earrings, pendants, and Catholic religious medals. I left the jewelry on the dresser. I was going to decide which stuff was worth keeping, if anything. My wife is a thrift store junkie and she buys stuff all the time even though we don't need it.

Within a day, I would be working at the computer and I started seeing black shapes or shadows out of the corner of my left eye. I really thought there was somebody there. I turned to look and there was nothing. This happened quite a few times.

I started to feel a tingling on my arms and shoulders. It was electric, like I was getting shocked. It made me get goosebumps and made the hair on my arms stand up. I thought there may have been a short in the electrical cords on the floor or maybe an exposed wire was touching the computer table. I looked and there was nothing. I also felt like my shoulders were being touched but I figured it was just my imagination. I really wasn't getting too concerned.

Another day passed and my wife was talking to me while I was working on the computer. She was standing a couple of feet away. A very, very strong smell of sweet perfume suddenly permeated the air. It was like old-fashioned grandma perfume. I asked my wife if she was wearing any perfume. She said no. I asked her if smelled what I smelled. She said yes. We both kind of freaked out and literally ran from the bedroom. We weren't terrified, just creeped out.

I realized this stuff didn't start happening until that jewelry was brought in the house. We thought about returning to the thrift store but we didn't want this stuff happening to someone else. I bagged it all up and threw it in the dumpster at our condo complex.

My wife and I noticed an immediate change in atmosphere in our condo. It was like a weight was lifted, the place seemed lighter. There was no denying that something was different.

Everything happened in within a three day period. I am glad I recognized it early. Our place has been normal since.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, trailblazr, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Cherubim (14 stories) (245 posts)

5 years ago (2019-09-11)

That's great you recognized what was happening and was able to deal with it as soon as you did. I go thrift store shopping too, I'll think twice about that now. 😳 Great story, thanks for sharing. ❤

Narella (guest)

10 years ago (2014-03-10)

This story reminds me why I'm careful about things I bring into my home. However, I appreciate Triskaideka pointing out what allergies can do to our senses. We should always try to rule out all other causes before we decide something is paranormal.

twelveam (74 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-08)

Hi Trailblazr,

It is a common belief in the world of sensitives (psychics,mediums,empaths) that the rule of thumb is that the smell of smoke or cologne indicates a male spirit presence, and flowers or perfume indicate a female. Many times what happens is that an odor shows up somewhere out of the blue without a source, then usually goes away completely within 10 or 15 minutes. I believe that yes, a ladies spirit was attached to one or all of those items. Many spirits energies are connected to the most important and cherished items from their life. I have a friend that lives around here in Chicago. Her house was built in the early 40's and she has MANY experiences there continuously. Her cellar has passageways leading to other unexplored rooms. Her father had to remove the drywall from one of the walls, and inside found a pair of ice skates from the mid-fifties in GREAT shape! It was Christmas decorating time so they hung the skates outside with other decorations, and THAT NIGHT started a slew of happenings that went on for 5 or 6 days! Solidly secured Christmas trees fell over VIOLENTLY near the hanging skates, light bulbs in the house would start blowing out many times throughout the period that the skates were being displayed, crazy things were going on with the electrical items in the house. Those things would turn-on by themselves, then off ETC... The father deciced to hang the skates BACK in the wall where they were found, and nothing of the sorts ever happened again. I believe the connected spirit to those ice skates, did not like them being displayed outside like a decoration, but wanted them to stay inside the wall as part of the house where they were originally put. Obviously they were of some important significance to the previous owners who put them there. I have recounted many stories of similar happenings all over. I don't know if throwing the items in the dumpster was a good way to get rid of them or not, but if strange things continue to happen to you or your wife, then I guess we will know! 😆 I wish you the best of things for your future, and pray you do not have anymore creepy experiences! 😁

Triskaideka (2 stories) (388 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-07)

No worries, chickadee. 😊 Only an estimated ~15% of the American population is sensitive to fragrances, and apparently less than 2% is actually allergic, though the numbers have been slowly rising (due to society's increasing use of such allergenic substances). I considered mentioning my own personal experiences and statistics, but I didn't want to launch into lengthy scientific explanations and a potential rant. Teehee.

Swimsinfire (11 stories) (556 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-07)

Ah, I leaned something new then. Thanks Trisk, I didn't know. Sorry.

Triskaideka (2 stories) (388 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-06)

As an individual with allergies to perfume, I can attest that I have seen weird shapes out of the corner of my eye, dark spots or bright spots, and had my vision go hazy. If it weren't for the fact that I'm aware of my allergies, I'd probably also get spooked! It's the only reason for my suggestion. Perfume does a real number on me. And as a collector of old items, I generally have to keep the strongly scented items in a separate room to off-gas safely out of range, or I'll get downright sick.

Swimsinfire (11 stories) (556 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-05)

Sweet story. I've heared of that happening before, and even sensed it in some squats I've gone through. The perfume theory smells funny 😊. You don't see dark shapes from allergic reactions to perfume. Good story.

Triskaideka (2 stories) (388 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-04)

I held off on writing anything in response to this, but honestly, perfumes tend to seep into all sorts of materials, including metals. Further, people often get headaches or see funny things when exposed to particular perfumes. Since you had recently removed the jewelry and such from a plastic bag, the items were off-gassing in your room as you sat beside them. (And keep in mind, the longer it takes for a material to absorb a scent, the longer it takes for that scent to wear off.) It's quite possible you had a mild allergic or sensitive reaction to a perfume which remained on one of those items. I have some really cool old medals from my great grandma and they all smell like her old house. Unfortunately, I never knew her (she died three years before I was born), but my mom always told me that the smell reminded her of her childhood at her "little grandma's". Yes, it is possible that there was something haunted, I suppose. But I'm more inclined to believe this was more situational and a trick of the mind than anything else. Heat, especially, can help materials to release scents more quickly. So if these items were carried in the cold then set on a counter in a warmer room, it only makes sense that their scents would release into the air until, eventually, you would smell them.

It's still a fun story though. I'm sad you disposed of these items in such a way. I absolutely love super old items. Mostly because things just aren't made the way they used to be. About half of my belongings were made pre-1950s. I actually do hope someone went dumpster diving. Maybe they will be impervious to experiences like yours. Fingers crossed!

basilisk193 (35 posts)

-3

10 years ago (2014-03-03)

It's very common during winter time that your clothes would generate static electricity, it can explain your feeling of being touch, the shock and goose bump.
When you look at shiny items for a long time, such as sorting the jewels out, it might cause you to see after images. When you see it once and mistook it for a human figure, your brain is likely to interpret any afterimages or blind spot after that as the same thing.
One of the item could hold a small amount of perfume inside and you accidentally released it. Or the perfume can also be from outside.
I'm not ruling out the chance it was paranormal though. One of the jewels could have a history, from a robbery for example.
It can even be more wicked. Sometimes people try to get rid of evil spirits by trapping them in an item. But the entity would escape eventually, so they would throw the item away in hope that some one would pick up the item because without a new host, the entity would come back to the old house. Jewels and antiques make good bait. If you pick such a thing up, who know what happen.
Most collectors I know would put any new item through a cleansing process before taking it home.

mrfknbee (39 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-03)

I think the spirit was a she by the earrings and she was maybe a widow due to war by the medals. I think that you had a lady's whole life story in your hand and it was strong enough to zap your senses and emotions. I mean if walls could talk lol its the same thing

lady-glow (16 stories) (3154 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-03)

Very interesting story, thanks for sharing.
I hope no one went dumpster diving and thought your trash to be a treasure! 😲

spiritwaiting (42 stories) (843 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-03)

Trailblazr, Items that may have had some sort of siginificance to another person tend to hold on to energy. Almost like haunted items. I ve had my share of experiences with such like items. Its good you noticed the change in the home early rather than later. It could have turned into something much bigger. Great story, and thanks for sharing. I enjoyed this.

Griff84 (5 stories) (289 posts)

10 years ago (2014-03-03)

Sorry to state the obvious, this could have been a result of one of the items having had something attached to it, it might be worth asking at the thrift store if they ever experienced similar? Like you said I'm glad you worked it out early. That could have been all that happened, but you never know.

Thanks for your post 😊

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