Costume Jewelry History
And Jewelry Marks
Showing posts with label antique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antique. Show all posts
September 9, 2014
Make Easy Money With Sterling Silver.....
Do you hit the brakes every time you see a rummage sale sign? I have to say I'm an addict. I recently moved at bigger city and I have to say coming from a small town, that I love the the rummage sales!! Not to mention I have at least half a dozen thrift stores within a 20 min. drive. Even if you only stop occasionally to browse a rummage sale or thrift shop, finding easy money can be a lot easier than you think. Vintage jewelry is my passion but I have made a bit on sterling silver finds. It only takes a second to pick up a silver piece and check the bottom for the worn sterling mark. Most recently I went to the post office to ship some packages and right next door was a house with year round rummage sale inside 4 days a week. By now I have developed an eye for silver and sure enough I noticed a pedestal compote dish with what looked like sterling on the bottom. I purchased it for $7.50. I brought it home and when I had some time I grabbed a magnifying glass and jewelers loupe to read the markings. I went to the sterling silver website listed in my blog to match the marks and voila!! HUNT STERLING COMPANY. Based in the 1920-1930, hunt sterling company specialized in making sterling silver weighted items. Yes, this compote dish was weighted (meaning it wasn't 100% pure sterling) It weighed in at 7.9 OZ. That's over $100!!! Remember that this piece is weighted so you shouldn't expect you sell it for that weight. I have to say quickly that I have come across many sterling silver weighted candle sticks that look like they were ran over by a car...are they still valuable?? Of course!! People sell these all the time assuming it's junk because no one would use it on there mantle at home because on the condition. The easiest way to sell these pieces at get the best value is to take your pictures first of course, so you have the maker's marks, then strip the silver off the weighted candle sticks, ect...then weigh it up and take pics of it right on the scale for buyers. By stripping the silver and removing the weighted (cement like) interior, you can get the correct sterling weight (this makes it easier to get the exact value of the piece and many buyers love it because you did the work for them and you nor the buyer have to guess at what the piece is actually worth). My particular piece was in such great condition and was a nice collectible piece so I didn't want to dismantle it. (A compote dish is a bit more desirable than sterling candle sticks) so....after researching the maker's marks I was half confident that it was original in age, and the condition was very nice, I decided to list it in one piece and hope for the best. In the end I made $67.00!!. You can list 50 items free every month on EBAY, so even if you just want to sell a couple things here and there it's free!! To find the value of your sterling silver weight, just google sterling silver calculator and it will bring you to the live silver prices for the day. Just enter your weight and either grams or ounces and hit enter to find the value of your sterling treasure!! Here's a picture of my treasure.....
August 19, 2014
A Few Top Vintage Jewelry Designers..
Brooches are an art in themselves, but vintage brooches are a unique art. Modern day manufacturing can process out brooches and pins by the thousands, one after another all just alike. Problem is that they lack the character and unique individual attention given by a real artist to create these vintage brooches and pins. Perhaps this is why so many people today are looking for these old pieces. Two of the most popular brooch and pin designers were Marcel Boucher and Christian Dior. Who were these designers of old times and why did they stand out?
One of the more popular artists was Marcel Boucher. Marcel Boucher was born in Paris in 1898. He joined Cartier as an apprentice jeweler, probably in 1920. Some time around 1923, Marcel was transferred by Cartier from Paris to their New York workshop. After the 1929 Wall Street Crash, fine jewelry fell into a deep recession and Cartier's business was severely cut back. Marcel found employment with another precious jeweler, and was fortunate enough to be relatively unaffected by the Depression. He also did freelance work, mainly in fine jewelry, and designed show buckles and costume jewelry for Mazer Brothers, which enthused him with the possibilities. By spring 1937 he was ready to start his costume jewelry firm with his partner Halberstadt. The new designs were launched for the 1937 Fall/Winter Collection. The first collection consisted of six different designs. They gave Saks Fifth Avenue an exclusive to sell the collection for the first few weeks, before making it available to other top department stores. The three-dimensional naturalistic themes with their unusual enameling were so original after years of "art deco" designs and were such a success that they immediately put him on the map and made his reputation. For the next four years, until America entered World War II, Marcel produced a range of costume jewelry, which can be described as "very stylized, very elegant and very chic." They are considered to be innovative, bold, and fashionable. Perhaps best described as "couture" jewelry, and certainly based little on the imitation of fine jewelry. Marcel was prolific and was responsible for all the designs produced by his firm.
Christian Dior is another awesomely impressive designer that had no real formal training in the area of design and came into this profession later in his life. His design career started with an apprenticeship with the respected French designer, Robert Piguet. Dior opened the House of Dior which became immensely popular for its clothing line. Bolstered by this success the House of Dior then branched out into designing extravagant, gorgeous costume jewelry, which included brooches and pins, for such movie star icons as Betty Davis and Lucille Ball and that eternal symbol of haute couture fashion - the late Jacqueline Kennedy. The House of Dior was the first to use 'aurora borealis' rhinestones in their costume jewelry. The aurora borealis is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon and the rhinestones are treated to reflect those flashes of color. In a way the play of color and light is very similar to that found in opals.
In the world of vintage brooches and pins today the pieces designed by these two designers stand out. If a vintage piece is attached to one of their names it is sure to signify quality and artistic design. The art and design skills that made them so popular is still passed on today in the products they left behind. It is no wonder that costume jewelry that carry the Dior or Boucher name are in still in high demand. The unique artistic characteristics found in their beautifully designed products are transferred into the look of the people who wear them, and perhaps that is why they have such an everlasting lure to women all around the world yesterday, today, and perhaps in the future as well.
One of the more popular artists was Marcel Boucher. Marcel Boucher was born in Paris in 1898. He joined Cartier as an apprentice jeweler, probably in 1920. Some time around 1923, Marcel was transferred by Cartier from Paris to their New York workshop. After the 1929 Wall Street Crash, fine jewelry fell into a deep recession and Cartier's business was severely cut back. Marcel found employment with another precious jeweler, and was fortunate enough to be relatively unaffected by the Depression. He also did freelance work, mainly in fine jewelry, and designed show buckles and costume jewelry for Mazer Brothers, which enthused him with the possibilities. By spring 1937 he was ready to start his costume jewelry firm with his partner Halberstadt. The new designs were launched for the 1937 Fall/Winter Collection. The first collection consisted of six different designs. They gave Saks Fifth Avenue an exclusive to sell the collection for the first few weeks, before making it available to other top department stores. The three-dimensional naturalistic themes with their unusual enameling were so original after years of "art deco" designs and were such a success that they immediately put him on the map and made his reputation. For the next four years, until America entered World War II, Marcel produced a range of costume jewelry, which can be described as "very stylized, very elegant and very chic." They are considered to be innovative, bold, and fashionable. Perhaps best described as "couture" jewelry, and certainly based little on the imitation of fine jewelry. Marcel was prolific and was responsible for all the designs produced by his firm.
Christian Dior is another awesomely impressive designer that had no real formal training in the area of design and came into this profession later in his life. His design career started with an apprenticeship with the respected French designer, Robert Piguet. Dior opened the House of Dior which became immensely popular for its clothing line. Bolstered by this success the House of Dior then branched out into designing extravagant, gorgeous costume jewelry, which included brooches and pins, for such movie star icons as Betty Davis and Lucille Ball and that eternal symbol of haute couture fashion - the late Jacqueline Kennedy. The House of Dior was the first to use 'aurora borealis' rhinestones in their costume jewelry. The aurora borealis is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon and the rhinestones are treated to reflect those flashes of color. In a way the play of color and light is very similar to that found in opals.
In the world of vintage brooches and pins today the pieces designed by these two designers stand out. If a vintage piece is attached to one of their names it is sure to signify quality and artistic design. The art and design skills that made them so popular is still passed on today in the products they left behind. It is no wonder that costume jewelry that carry the Dior or Boucher name are in still in high demand. The unique artistic characteristics found in their beautifully designed products are transferred into the look of the people who wear them, and perhaps that is why they have such an everlasting lure to women all around the world yesterday, today, and perhaps in the future as well.
August 18, 2014
Great Tips For Buying Vintage Jewelry Online!!
On eBay alone, you will discover that at any given moment, there are close to 75,000 pieces of vintage jewelry put up or available for sale. There are numerous sites where you will get more or less the same number of jewelry.
The definition of vintage may vary depending on which site you choose to buy this type of jewelry from. However, as long the vintage jewelry was made between 1910 and 1990, it generally qualifies to be listed as such. If the history of the jewelry in your possession goes back to earlier than 1910, then it is no longer vintage, but now qualifies to be called antique. With that said, you should expect numerous requests to prove the authenticity of your claims that the jewelry you have is vintage. Documentation is important, and you should never lose or misplace the paperwork that proves the jewelry in your possession is vintage.
Most collectors choose to buy vintage jewelry online that were made between 1940 and 1970. Since you will have to put up a photograph of the vintage jewelry online, make sure that the photo is of the best quality. If you are buying, never buy any purportedly vintage jewelry online if the photo appears to be fuzzy. A partial photograph of the jewelry is never to be trusted. If you are dealing with a reputable seller, then he/she will provide clear and unmistaken pictures of the piece of vintage jewelry in their possession. These photos must be taken from different angles to show the proper state in which the jewelry is in, to avoid any doubt.
If you wish to buy the vintage jewelry online, you should be wary of sellers who lack any clear return policy. If the seller does not have a return policy, do not buy the jewelry from them. As long as it is genuine, the seller will have no problem in including a return policy. Before you place any bid for the jewelry in question, make sure that you read all feedback from others. Look for sellers with a stellar reputation, and you will avoid falling victim to a lot of misrepresentation, misinterpretation, and outright forgery that is often the hallmark of this industry. Do what you need to do to protect yourself from losing money on worthless items.
In summary, before you invest in any vintage jewelry online, you need to teach yourself how to look for visual clues to ascertain their age. If you are talking about older brooches, then their backs must be smooth and not patterned. Anyone telling you that they have aurora borealis rhinestones that were made before 1950s, is cheating you, since they only entered the market in the mid 1950s. Copyright symbols started appearing on jewelry made from around 1955, and not any earlier. Most vintage jewelry have signs of wear and tear, especially along the clasp, not unless it was stored away in your grandparent's drawer and nobody ever wore it.
The definition of vintage may vary depending on which site you choose to buy this type of jewelry from. However, as long the vintage jewelry was made between 1910 and 1990, it generally qualifies to be listed as such. If the history of the jewelry in your possession goes back to earlier than 1910, then it is no longer vintage, but now qualifies to be called antique. With that said, you should expect numerous requests to prove the authenticity of your claims that the jewelry you have is vintage. Documentation is important, and you should never lose or misplace the paperwork that proves the jewelry in your possession is vintage.
Most collectors choose to buy vintage jewelry online that were made between 1940 and 1970. Since you will have to put up a photograph of the vintage jewelry online, make sure that the photo is of the best quality. If you are buying, never buy any purportedly vintage jewelry online if the photo appears to be fuzzy. A partial photograph of the jewelry is never to be trusted. If you are dealing with a reputable seller, then he/she will provide clear and unmistaken pictures of the piece of vintage jewelry in their possession. These photos must be taken from different angles to show the proper state in which the jewelry is in, to avoid any doubt.
If you wish to buy the vintage jewelry online, you should be wary of sellers who lack any clear return policy. If the seller does not have a return policy, do not buy the jewelry from them. As long as it is genuine, the seller will have no problem in including a return policy. Before you place any bid for the jewelry in question, make sure that you read all feedback from others. Look for sellers with a stellar reputation, and you will avoid falling victim to a lot of misrepresentation, misinterpretation, and outright forgery that is often the hallmark of this industry. Do what you need to do to protect yourself from losing money on worthless items.
In summary, before you invest in any vintage jewelry online, you need to teach yourself how to look for visual clues to ascertain their age. If you are talking about older brooches, then their backs must be smooth and not patterned. Anyone telling you that they have aurora borealis rhinestones that were made before 1950s, is cheating you, since they only entered the market in the mid 1950s. Copyright symbols started appearing on jewelry made from around 1955, and not any earlier. Most vintage jewelry have signs of wear and tear, especially along the clasp, not unless it was stored away in your grandparent's drawer and nobody ever wore it.
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