Category: Vintage Jewelry Talk
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Joan Munkacsi Rest in Peace
Christmas morning I logged into an ebay charm bracelet discussion group that I belong to and read the heartbreaking news that the founder of the group had passed away on Christmas eve. Her name was Joan Munkacsi. She had fought a long painful battle with cancer, which finally claimed her life. I knew that she wasn’t doing well as she had gone through many treatments and the cancer kept reappearing, but I never really thought she would not be back to the group……
Cleaning Sterling Silver Jewelry
The natural darkening of aged silver is referred to as patina, and is considered very desirable because it shows the detail of the workmanship in jewelry. In charms, for example, the low or engraved areas take on a darker patina and the surfaces are a bit more lustrous.
Charm History – Bates & Klinke, Inc.
The old Bates & Klinke Company produced some of my favorite collectible travel charms. Bates & Klinke, Inc. was founded in 1919 in Attleboro Massachusetts by Harold Bates & Oscar Klinke. Attleboro was a major center for jewelry production in the early 20th century. Bates & Klinke are noted for making souvenir silver charms from tourist travel destinations, along with souvenir […]
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