Mom’s bizarro bracelets…That “what-was-I-thinking?” necklace… Aunt Bertha’s big glunky brooches. Vintage Redux shows readers everywhere how to take a drawer full of jewelry duds and turn them into dreams. More than 30 projects, from traditional to totally over-the-top, offer readers a wide range of possibilities. Each project is presented in step-by-step instructions and photos so it’s easy to create all-new pieces. Revisit the past and make it better than ever before with Vintage Redux.

After enjoying Brenda’s book Junk to Jewelry, I was anxious to get a hold of her newest venture. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. Vintage Redux starts with the simplest restringing and ends with sophisticated remakes that use power equipment (don’t get worked up…it’s just your drill or dremel!).

It’s very unlikely that you will be able to exactly match and copy these projects, so don’t get the book if you like to have step-by-step detailed instructions. But definitely take a look at this if you’re looking for ideas to inspire your own creativity!

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When looking through old English gold or silver, whether a locket, a pendant (a piece of Tamara Jewelry!), even a candlestick or a piece of flatware, you might notice tiny markings stamped into the metal.  These are hallmarks, and they can tell you a lot about the piece’s history.

The hallmarking system began in the United Kingdom during the 12^th century when an edict was laid down that no piece of silver “was to depart out of the hands of workers” until it was tested and marked as genuine.

The rest of Tamara’s article…

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Guest author: Liz Bianco
Jewels By Liz

Looking At Victorian Jewelry: A Study in Secret Symbols

The jewelry that came out of the Victorian period (1837-1901) is notable for its use of a wide range of materials as the Victorians came to explore the world through the voyages of Darwin and the conquest of India. The jewelers had access to a wide range of elements: iridescent beetles, moth wings, tortoise shell, jet, coral, bone, ivory, tiger’s claws – and with the newly moneyed middle class a broader range of people to sell to than ever before, jewelry expanded beyond traditional gold, pearls and diamonds.

But Victorian society was also prudish and repressive, it was the repression that in my opinion that was responsible for the rise of symbolic jewelry. For example, I have included a photograph of a pair of Victorian carved coral earrings and a carved coral necklace of the same period (most coral carving was done between 1860-1870.) The pieces are not only lovely examples of the period, they also make use of The Language of Flowers. The Language of Flowers is a laundry list of blossoms, greenery and their translation. This tradition continues in a minor way to present day with the sending of red roses as a present between lovers.

If “read” in the manner of a Victorian, you would note that the pendant is a chrysanthemum surrounded at top and bottom by rosebuds and the piece would mean “I love you truly”. Furthermore, the earrings are daisies which mean “innocence”, so if the set is given by a young man to a young lady it could be read as : “Innocence, I love you truly.”

But flowers were not the only objects imbued with meaning, Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a coiled snake engagement ring (1840). Snakes symbolize eternal love and protection. There’s also the classic double-buckle found most commonly in bracelets meaning “you complete me”. And often, if you look carefully at your piece, you will notice a combination of elements, like another common theme is ivy wrapped around a cross (usually in ivory) meaning “faith in god.” Whether building a collection, looking for inspiration or simply curious. I urge to take a closer look at the huge and fascinating range of Victorian jewelry.

For a complete list of translations for The Language of Flowers, I suggest going to the website Pioneer Thinking. For more pictures of Victorian jewelry, I recommend two sites: The Three Graces and As Time Goes By are both excellent sources.

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I hope you’ve been enjoying the guest posts about vintage and antique jewelry! I’ve personally been a collector of vintage pieces, especially pins, for a long time. But that doesn’t mean that I know a lot about it! I’ve found it really helpful to read each of our expert contributions.

The other side of vintage and antique jewelry that might interest all of us is using the styles and “ingredients” as inspirations for our own work. In that vein, I’ve collected together the posts from our archives that share more information on suppliers, dealers, and experts who will help you to make wise choices

Vintage jewelry components

Seed bead suppliers (some vintage)

Vintage bead suppliers

VintageStyle Jewelry Magazine

Interview with VintageStyle editor

Vintage Swarovski crystals

Identifying Bakelite

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Guest author: Donald Hansen
THE VIKING TRADERtm
1-800-842-1676

The Viking God, Thor
Thor, the son of Odin, was the favored deity of ordinary men & women who wore his hammer amulet in celebration of births, voyages, deaths and any occasion to celebrate. His hammer was named Mjöllnir (“crush”) He was first of all god of thunder just like Zeus & Jupiter. He was also god of the sky, rain and agriculture; hence his popularity to the mainly farm population. His name is still commemorated in English by Thursday and in French by Jeudi (jovis dies). He rode the skies in a chariot drawn by 2 goats, Tanngrinost (“tooth-grinder”) and Tanngrisni (“gap-tooth”). He was far more understandable and approachable than the mysterious, complex Odin.

Thor’s Hammer
In the mythology, Thor’s Hammer is the most enduring symbol of the Vikings. Its name is associated with thunderbolts and with it Thor defended the gods against their foes. As you will see in the Pendants section of Viking Trader, there are many versions of Thor’s Hammer.

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Not gems, not diamonds, but glass from the past now reclaimed into a remarkable line of recycled antique glass jewelry! Our footprints are all over this world, but do we have to stomp so hard?

Guest Author: Laura Bergman
Bottled Up Designs

I’m Laura Bergman, the creator of Bottled Up Designs. I have lived in the Pennsylvania Amish Country all of my life and have a life long love (coming from my Mom!) of antique glass and bottles. I have spent countless hours combing though the wooded habitats and rural farmlands of this beautiful spot of America picking through the old glass dumps from a time gone by.

When you walk through the beautiful woodlands, it is all so often marred by the site of old glass poking through the earth, twinkling in the sun. As a collector you are drawn to the glass, picking up anything nearby, rocks or sticks, to dig it out and see what it could be. Your pulse always quickens wondering what it will be, with the case all to often being the broken remnants tossed there years ago. Those remarkable vintage blue Mason Jars, most of which I only find the bottoms, are among a very common find. I try to picture who would have used it in a pantry f ull of the summer’s produce put up for the oncoming winter. Broken depression glass, mostly in the pink and green, the most popular colors I find.

During this era in history raw materials were plentiful and new production methods were implemented, making beautiful patterned glass affordable for everyone. Times were tough, however, and I think of these pieces being broken and thrown in the dumps, perhaps never to be replaced due to lean years. Clorox bottles, always packaged in those pretty amber bottles a staple in every home lay out there by the millions from the early to mid 1900’s, the amber glass glowing when the sun passes through it. Ruby glass, both made during the depression, then later for beer bottles in the 1940’s looks like it’s on fire when the sun hits it a certain way.

The collectible pieces end up with a place of honor, but what of all the broken remains? I have figured out a way to reclaim these broken pieces and preserve their history in my new line of recycled glass jewelry, Bottled Up Designs. I love this old glass and the history behind it, and share that with you, as every piece comes with “The Story of the Glass” detailing what each piece was originally and the age of the glass.

Recently, while walking down a wooded path, I saw a mother doe and her baby fawn laying in a sunny patch of a quiet woods. They soon caught the scent of me and my dog, Holly, and were up and away. Under where the fawn was laying was the broken jagged remains of a cobalt Noxzema bottle. I sighed and picked it up to bring home wondering once again where we ever thought we had the right to do this.

To see my jewelry in all the pretty vintage colors, please visit Bottled Up Designs
~ Laura Bergman, Reclaim Artist

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Stretching Your Neck Out, Won’t Stretch Out Your Budget!

Guest Author: Laura Milera
www.metroretrovintage.etsy.com
www.metroretrovintage.mybisi.com
www.metroretrovintage.com

Ah, the classic necklace! They are one of the earliest forms of adornment, and have been recovered from ancient grave sites since the beginning of human history. Comprised of a simple strand of one or more decorative elements – from single bead, to a plethora of stones – it can do wonders to compliment an outfit, finish a look, or simply light up one’s face.

From Bohemian glass beads to Deco rhinestones, natural seeds to carved bakelite, faux pearls to silver pendants – a treasure of overlooked and undervalued vintage costume necklaces can often be found at antique shops and online auctions.

What to buy and how to wear them is entirely up to you. You may favor a simple pendant choker one day, while layering multiple beaded strands on another. Mix it up and experiment! With so many lovely vintage baubles priced in the low double digits, it’s easy to afford a generous collection for wearing on every occasion.

Quickie Necklace Length Guide

* Choker – 14 to 16 inches
* Princess – 16 to 20 inches
* Matinee – 20 to 26 inches
* Opera – 28 to 36 inches
* Rope – 40 inches and over

What To Look For When Shopping for Vintage Necklaces

There are many good clues that’ll help the beginning collector to identify older necklaces and chokers. Here are a few tips…

* Older beaded pieces are most often strung on cotton or silk. Look for beads that are individually knotted, which is another sign of quality. In this way, should the necklace break or fray, one may loose only a bead or two, rather than the whole strand.

* Clasps and catches are another clue to age and metal content. Look for older brass colored spring clasps, spring clasps without thumb knobs, foldover clasps, filigree box clasps, and hook clasps that indicated country of origin.

For example, post war pieces may be stamped with “Japan”or “Western Germany”. On older Austrian crystals, the clasps may read “Austria” or “Czechoslovakia”.

* Feel the temperature and weight of beaded jewelry. Remember, glass beads will easily warm to room temperature when pressed to one’s cheeks or lips, while gemstones will often remain cold to the touch.

Don’t forget to visit us at Metro Retro Vintage NY and check out our ever changing stock of vintage jewelry.

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Guest Author: Mary Taylor
Forum Galleries Antiques
905-468-2777

My name is Mary Taylor, I work for Forum Galleries Antiques, and I have collected antique jewelery for over 20 years. I can recommend the following for new collectors:

1. First off, go out and purchase a loop (a jewelery magnifying glass).
2. Learn about the period you are interested in such as Art Deco, Victoria, Edwardian, etc.
3. Be particular about pieces that are in good condition. You should never buy antiques that are in poor condition, specially if you are looking for investment pices.
4. Prefer precious metals such as silver over silver plated, 8k-10k over gold filled.
   Learn about the “hallmarks” that are in the pieces. This will help you the qualify the pieces that you are looking at.
5. If you are looking at precious stones, you need to know where the best stones come and the qualities that make up a good stone, for example:

* While diamonds are judged on the four “C” cut, clarity, colour and carat, Sapphires can be judged on colour. A deep blue is not necessarily more valuable than other shades. More often than not, lighter, clear blue stones are more favoured.
* You need to know that emeralds are soft stones, so they are more susceptible damage and have more inclusions than other stones and would not be something that you’d wear every day. The same is true for opals (ones with a deep “fire” colour are very desirable).
* Aquamarine stones are beautiful as they come in a wide variety of colours.
* Be sure that the pieces comes with an appraisal so that you know that the stone is what the seller claims.

6. You can also learn a lot about collectible fashion jewellery. Always looked for “signed” pieces (signed meaning that the designer or design house name in imprinted on the piece) Well known names include “Sherman”, “Miriam Haskell”, “Vendrome”, “Vogue”, “Kramer”, “Trifari” and others.
7. It is more desirable if it comes as a set which any two matching pieces or a suite (three of more matching pieces).

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Guest Author: John Hogan
Passion for the Past Antiques

Haute Couture or High Fashion Jewelry has been with us early as 1866 starting with Krementz and gaining momentum by 1900-1910 with designers such as Nina Ricci and Gabrielle Coco Chanel.

Today we refer to such jewelry as Designer Jewelry. From the runways of Paris and Milan all the way to New York the debonair woman has always flaunted jewels of distinction at social functions and in her personal life. The designers of the fashion world have always determined styles in clothing and accompanying jewels to match the appropriate occasion.

Park Lane Crown Brooch-Pendant

The glitz and glamor of Paris and Hollywood had to be maintained by the socialite ladies and one could not always wear precious and semi precious jewels. Consequently designers of haute couture clothing had to quench the thirst for elegance and flash such that the aspiring woman could look her best in debut situations. Because of the fame of our high society designers of clothing, they now had branched into jewelry fashions for the world to compliment their elegant gowns, evening dresses, shoes and purses. Once these designers had established notoriety for themselves they were now welcomed with open arms by these sophisticated socialites and movie stars for having given them the luxury of soaring to the top of the glamor world with no frowning about their jewels of choice. This high fashion jewelry had now become just as famous and treasured for its quality look as semi precious and precious jewels.

As the movie world embraced haute couture jewelry so did the rest of the fashion world and its consumers. People now craved to own pieces designed by these haute designers. Because of their significance as status symbols in the designer world, these designers had to produce their best creations at whatever the cost and of course the end result did not matter to the socialite consumer as long as these designs meet up to their expectations in terms of quality and glamor. This is why today many of these jewels by many of these designers are soaring even beyond some of the semi precious and precious jewels. As a matter of fact many regard some of these designer pieces on par aesthetically and price-wise with the authentic semi precious and precious jewels and in some cases way beyond depending on the prestige of the designer.

Nina Ricci Omega Choker and Earrings

The competition amongst the top designers of the fashion industry and the top consumers of the socialite world was now at full speed. Cost was not a real factor in determining who created the best and who was going to wear these creations. What the world wanted to see and wear was only a matter of whom could create the best and who was to wear the best. Many times jewelry items were custom designed for debutantes, movie stars and personages of top socialite stature.

The list of haute couture jewelry designers is endless. We can go back as far as 1866 with Krementz, Whiting Davis 1876, Napier 1875, Lisner 1904, Nina Ricci 1908, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel 1910, Marvella 1911, Castlecliff 1918, Hattie Carnegie 1918, Coro 1919, Mazer Bros 1923, Miriam Haskell 1924, Trifari 1924, Monet 1927, Eisenberg 1935, Boucher 1937 and Francois 1937. As we approach 1940-1950 many other familiar and quality names surface for example Weiss 1942, Sherman of Montreal 1947, Christian Dior 1955, Park Lane 1955, and Oscar de la Renta 1960. This is just some of the frosting on the cake of fabulous designers at the time who dictated fabulous creations for fabulous and famous people of the past, present and future.

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Gale has provided a wonderful guide for how to spot authentic vintage bakelite and tell it apart from the fakes that have been pouring into the country. She also lists some good reference books for those who’ve been bitten by the bakelite bug!

Post from: Jewelry and Beading