All Entries in the "All About Old Jewelry" Category
The Beauty of Bohemian Garnet Jewelry
Bohemian Garnets are a unique type of gemstone which are mined almost exclusively in the mountains of the former Bohemian empire, now part of the Czech Republic. Valued for their fiery red beauty and clarity, Bohemian Garnets are used extensively in jewelry.
Snapeez® Magic Charm Bracelet Jump Rings – Are They Secure?
I get this question all the time from my ebay customers. And I always respond with the same truthful answer.
Fort of Providence Rhode Island Charms
I’ve seen these vintage shield charms for years and always wondered what company manufactured them. They are little souvenir colored shields in a sterling silver frame. The mark on the back reads sterling and has a Trojan Soldier looking guy with a spear and armor shield with an E in the center.
Vintage Nuvo British Charms
Nuvo was a British jewelry company that produced some of the most beautifully detailed and well crafted charms during the 1950’s through the late 1970’s. Their specialty was sterling silver three dimensional and moving charms, although they did make some 9K gold charms. Occasionally one can find vintage Nuvo charms containing colored crystals, like the frog charm in my photo.
Vintage Beau – Beaucraft Charms
Beaucraft, Inc., known to many as “Beau”, manufactured sterling silver jewelry from 1947 through 2004 from its Providence, Rhode Island factory. The company was one of the leading producers of fine sterling jewelry for 57 years. They made popular mid priced pieces including charms, rings, necklaces, earrings, and brooches. Charms were their best selling category [...]
“Charms and Charm Bracelets The Complete Guide” Book Review
This book is the essential guide for serious and casual charm collectors alike. Charms And Charm Bracelets: The Complete Guide is a hardback book published by Schiffer in 2005. The author, Joanne Schwartz, and photographer, Robert N. Schwartz have done a brilliant job of packing the book with charm bracelet history spanning the 19th century [...]
Vintage Charm Manufacturers – Danecraft, Inc.
If you’ve been collecting vintage charms for any length of time you’ve probably run across old sterling charms with the Danecraft hallmark. The mark is very common on vintage charm bracelets and charms, as well as other pieces of jewelry. Danecraft sterling silver charms were some of the best manufactured during the period in terms [...]
Vintage Charm Bracelets in Modern History
Charms and amulets of one sort or another have been around for thousands of years. They are well documented in ancient Egypt, Rome, and many other historical eras as talismans worn to ward off evil spirits or bring luck. For this article I’m focusing on the rise in popularity of charms and charm bracelets in [...]
Vintage Sterling Silver Jewelry Buying Tips
The popularity of sterling silver jewelry, and in particular, vintage pieces, is growing quickly and has become a popular collectible category. There are a few reasons for its resurgence in popularity, in particular the affordability of silver, and the beautiful sheen that evolves from years of daily wear, called patina. Because silver is generally more [...]
Charm Bracelet Clasps – A History and Style Lesson Part II
Three more examples of bracelet clasps and a bit of description about them….
The top left is a watch chain with a fob fastener. These were used to attach men’s watches to their apparel in Victorian times. They were easily adapted to bracelet clasps, and the swivel mechanism on the clip is sturdy and works great.
Moving [...]
Bracelet Clasps – A History and Style Lesson
Bracelets come with lots of different types of clasps, which vary in the ease of operation, security, and functionality. The clasp on a particular bracelet is one of the clues that I use when verifying the period of a charm bracelet. That method isn’t always reliable because sometimes an older bracelet may have had the [...]
Heritage State Promotional Charm Bracelets
In the 1960s, the Heritage Company produced a line of state theme charm bracelets that were used as promotional giveaways that banks gave their customers when they made deposits into an account. Each time a customer made a deposit they were awarded either a starter bracelet or a charm to add to it. I’m not [...]
Featured Vintage Charm Maker – Thomas L Mott
The Thomas L. Mott company, formed in 1875 in England, is known to vintage jewelry collectors as the maker who popularized the “Butterfly Wing” style of jewelry in the 1920s. I, however, love the brightly colored enamel charms manufactured by the company in the 1960s and 1970s. I’ve just recently become interested in collecting these, [...]
Collectible Vintage Enamel Travel Shield Charms
Sorting through charms the other day I grouped my enamel shield charms & snapped this photo. These are so bright & fun I just had to jot down a quick travel charm lesson. Sterling silver travel shield charms were sold as souvenirs in the 1940’s through the 1970’s and were collected by women on their [...]
Charm Bracelet Basics and History
Besides a wedding or graduation ring, there is a piece of jewelry on the market that has the capacity to signify some of the best moments in your life. Charm bracelets are placed around the wrist with numerous decorative trinkets dangling about. These small pendants are meant to symbolize the things most important to whoever [...]
