BARGAINS : WHERE TO FIND A GEM OF A JEWELRY DISCOUNT.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

Sometimes you can find bargains on rarely (if ever) discounted goods in the unlikeliest places.

Estate Jewelry Guild at the Valley Indoor Swap Meet has a large supply of Lalique crystal at 30 percent below retail.

Lalique chameleons in clear, sapphire blue, green, turquoise, orange or yellow normally retail for $95. Estate Jewelry Guild has them for $66.50. Butterflies, also in a rainbow of colors, are $147 instead of $210 retail. All pieces come boxed with a Lalique certificate of authenticity.

Estate Jewelry Guild recently acquired the Lalique items through a bankruptcy sale. It has several thousand pieces, not including perfume bottles - inventory it expects to be sold out by March. It can't fit the entire selection in its booth at the swap meet, so if you are familiar with Lalique, call to see if Estate Jewelry Guild has the piece you're interested in, and they will bring it in for you on a prearranged day.

Items available include Lalique boxes (Serpent, Degas and Cat), in sizes 3 to 3-1/2 inches, for $206.50 to $486.50, rather than $295 to $695 retail; and a large variety of vases that retail for $1,245 to $5,085, but are $871.50 to $3,559.50 here.

Estate Jewelry Guild specializes in estate jewelry, including signed pieces with names such as Tiffany and Bulgari. All preowned gold jewelry without stones are $10 a gram for 14-karat gold and $14 a gram for 18-karat. As an example of the savings, a high-end department store recently had a pair of 14-karat gold earrings on ``sale'' for $390. The earrings weighed 10 grams and cost $39 a gram.

Jewelry prices at Estate Jewelry Guild generally run $110 to $100,000 or more. If price is no object, a ring with a 5.04-carat princess-cut diamond (G.I.A. certified, J color, Vsi clarity) with 6.5 carats of invisibly set diamonds that would retail for around $100,000 is available for $42,000.

Estate Jewelry Guild is at 6701 Variel St., Space N-14 (Variel building of the Valley Indoor Swap Meet), Canoga Park; call [phone] or [phone] and leave a message. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. Special holiday hours, now in effect, are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; between Dec. 18 and 24, it's open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Full refunds for one week if item is returned in original condition. Otherwise, full store credit and no time limit.

Inside info

Finding Levi's jeans in the right size no longer will be a problem when you stop at Country General Store. They carry Levi's jeans from 28-inch to 54-inch waists and up to 38-inch inseams in almost every style, and their prices are approximately 15 percent less than those at other stores. For example, the popular 517 Levi boot cut starts at $29.99. They also carry Tony Lama boots, on sale until Dec. 31, with prices starting at $99 (retail $200). Country General Store is at 6279 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys; [phone]. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

You can be driven in style to the airport and save money when traveling with up to four people by using MGM International Limousine. A Lincoln Town Car will pick you up at any time and will take you and up to three other people to Los Angeles International Airport at prices starting at $35 plus 15 percent gratuity ($52 elsewhere). Prices vary depending on location of pickup. MGM International Limousine also will meet you at the airport gate on your return flight and help you with your luggage for the same price. Stretch limousines are available at additional charge. Call MGM International Limousine at [phone], seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

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Photo

Photo: Estate Jewelry Guild owner Richard Leigh displays some Lalique crystal items at the Valley Indoor Swap Meet in Canoga Park.

Phil McCarten/Daily News