RSSCategory: All About Old Jewelry

Damaged and Broken Jewelry – Before You Throw It Away

Damaged and Broken Jewelry – Before You Throw It Away

When I have broken or damaged jewelry, and that’s pretty often being in the vintage jewelry business, I’ve got a few choices for dealing with the pieces. Years of experience allow me to make an quick decision.

September 15, 2015 | By | Reply More
Sarah Coventry and Emmons Jewelry Companies – A Family Affair

Sarah Coventry and Emmons Jewelry Companies – A Family Affair

Sarah Coventry and Emmons jewelry were both sold at home parties from 1948 til the 1980s and are some of the most collectible vintage jewelry.

June 14, 2015 | By | Reply More
Vintage Wells State Map Charms – How Many Slogans Do You Know?

Vintage Wells State Map Charms – How Many Slogans Do You Know?

I’ve written about Wells State Map vintage charms before and many readers know I collect them.  I haven’t bought any for a while though and still have about a dozen on my wish list.  I don’t have them on a bracelet yet either.   I collect the colorful enamel Wells vintage state charms but I […]

June 1, 2014 | By | 4 Replies More
Margot de Taxco Mexican Silver Jewelry

Margot de Taxco Mexican Silver Jewelry

Margot Van Voorhies: The Art of Mexican Enameled Jewelry Margot Van Voorhies Carr was an American artist who moved to Mexico in 1937. She soon met and married Antonio Castillo, one of the owners of Los Castillo silver. Her husband encouraged her to begin designing silver jewelry in his shop under the professional name of […]

December 15, 2013 | By | Reply More
Why Are Some Sterling Silver Charms Covered With Rhodium Plating?

Why Are Some Sterling Silver Charms Covered With Rhodium Plating?

Do you know the difference between charms that are rhodium plated and those that have a vintage patina? Here are some examples of both and reasons why you would want rhodium plating or not.

March 14, 2013 | By | Reply More
Creed Vintage Jewelry – Charms and Rosaries

Creed Vintage Jewelry – Charms and Rosaries

This birth month angel is one of my favorite Creed charm themes. The company makes some of the nicest vintage charms, mostly Christian and Catholic in nature. Creed is also famous for their crystal rosaries.

March 7, 2013 | By | 1 Reply More
A Lesson On Basse-Taille Enameling For Jewelry

A Lesson On Basse-Taille Enameling For Jewelry

I learn new things about jewelry all the time. Today I learned about Basse-Taille, a jewelry design technique used to enamel jewelry. Join me as I share my research and some pretty pictures of Basse-Taille enameled jewelry.

March 22, 2012 | By | Reply More
BMCo Vintage Souvenir Enamel Charms

BMCo Vintage Souvenir Enamel Charms

BMCo made a vast assortment of pretty enamel charms that are still found for sale on auction sites like eBay today. The ones I’ve seen are primarily souvenirs from Canada but there are also quite a few Caribbean Island travel charms and some from Bermuda. I decided to find out what I could about the BMCo charm maker.

February 10, 2012 | By | 7 Replies More
What is Poured Glass Jewelry?

What is Poured Glass Jewelry?

If you search the vintage costume jewelry listings on eBay or Ruby Lane you will no doubt see quite a few with the term “Poured Glass” in the title or description. For those new to collecting read on to find a summary of what to expect when you purchase a piece of poured glass jewelry.

January 23, 2012 | By | Reply More
Rising Silver Prices Scare Me

Rising Silver Prices Scare Me

What scars me is that as the price of sterling silver skyrockets, and the economy stays in the tank, more and more people are scrapping their family heirlooms for quick cash. Right at this very minute there are probably hundreds of thousands of vintage charms sitting in scrap silver bins all over the country. Collectible charms made by Cini, Walter Lampl, Nuvo, and other great silver artisans ready to be melted and lost forever. This is the perfect time to start a vintage charm bracelet collection, as a matter of fact it may only get harder in the future.

October 5, 2011 | By | 2 Replies More
Antique Chatelaines And Their History

Antique Chatelaines And Their History

Usually attached to a pocket or belt at the waist, chatelaines had chains with a swivel hook at the end of each to hang tools necessary to deal with problems that arose during the daily upkeep of the house. Some items typically found on a chatelaine are keys, a small notebook, pill bottles, eyeglasses, writing instruments, scissors, or a watch, to name a few.

August 11, 2011 | By | 1 Reply More
Historical and Ancient Charm Meanings

Historical and Ancient Charm Meanings

People have adorned themselves with jewelry since ancient times. Throughout history jewelry represented specific values or beliefs, and wasn’t necessarily worn for decoration. Find out what some of these ancient trinkets mean.

December 2, 2010 | By | Reply More
Egyptian Scarab Beetle Jewelry

Egyptian Scarab Beetle Jewelry

The golden age of modern scarab beetle jewelry was the 1950’s when they were used as carved stones in bracelets, earring, pendants, and rings.  The Van Dell jewelry company made a wide range of scarab jewelry which was very popular.  Since that time Scarabs have fallen out of favor as a fashion accessory.   Lately however […]

September 12, 2010 | By | Reply More
Mexican Silver Jewelry

Mexican Silver Jewelry

Some of the highest quality and most beautiful jewelry of the 20th century was created in Mexico and the country is still producing exceptional pieces today. The hub of silver jewelry creation in Mexico was in the city of Taxco, where many fine silversmiths fine tuned their craft. Taxco is located between Acapulco and Mexico City, and is home to one of the oldest silver mines in the Americas.

September 4, 2010 | By | Reply More
Cini Sterling Silver Vintage Charms and Jewelry

Cini Sterling Silver Vintage Charms and Jewelry

The Cini Jewelry Company makes some of the most intricate and popular vintage jewelry available. I’ve started a collection of Cini Zodiac charms and I’ve also sold a few Cini vintage silver pins so I decided to see what I could find out about them.

August 1, 2010 | By | 27 Replies More
The Carl Art Jewelry Company of Providence RI

The Carl Art Jewelry Company of Providence RI

The Carl Art company, owned by Carl Schraysshuen, a German immigrant, and American businessman Arthur Loercher, was founded in 1936 in Providence, Rhode Island. Carl had previously been employed by the Speidel Company and is reported to be responsible for creating the twist-o-flex watch band.

June 29, 2010 | By | 5 Replies More
“Antique Sweetheart Jewelry” – A Book Review

“Antique Sweetheart Jewelry” – A Book Review

This book is the second one written by Nicholas D. Snider on the subject of sweetheart jewelry from WW I and WW II. It is a full sized soft cover book published by Schiffer and it includes a price guide in effect as of 1997. With over 200 color photographs of jewelry, compacts, fabric and paper collectibles, the book shows the human side of war via patriotic mementos exchanged by men and women separated by historic events.

June 20, 2010 | By | Reply More
Stanhope Jewelry And How To Care For It

Stanhope Jewelry And How To Care For It

Stanhope ChurchJewelry was a popular theme for Stanhope manufacturers in the 19th and 20th century. Tiny peep photos that one could wear on a neck chain or bracelet entertained people of the era. There were cross pendants and rosaries that held a pinhead sized picture of The Lords Prayer, or Ten Commandments. Churches were also a popular charm Stanhope piece.

June 18, 2010 | By | 1 Reply More