Feb
03

A-Z Vintage Jewellery, Birthdays

By Anne · Comments (2)

A-Z Vintage Jewellery, Birthdays

The second part of AntiquesAvenue’s  A-Z of occasions and reasons to give Vintage Jewellery. B is for Birthdays, Birth of Baby, Bride and Bridesmaid, Baptism .

Birthday Jewellery

When giving vintage jewellery for Birthdays the choice is made easier for us as each month has its own gemstone.  You can give either a piece of fine jewellery set with the gemstones here or a piece of costume jewellery with glass stones of the same colour. Here is a list of the stones and their colours:

January – Garnets- blood red

February – Amethysts – mauve or purple

March – Aquamarine – Pale Sky blue or water blue green

April – Diamonds – Crystal clear

May – Emerald – Green

June – Moonstone or Pearl – Creamy white

July – Ruby – Red

August – Peridot – Apple Green

September – Sapphire - Blue

October – Opal – Multi white with blue, red and green flecks

November – Topaz – Golden Yellow

December – Turquoise – Pale Blue 

Vintage Jewellery for Baby and to Mother on Birth of Baby.

Whilst  Jewellery is not always the first gift we think of of giving to a baby the Victorians would often pin a name brooch on a baby or simply a silver brooch declaring  “Baby ” like the one in this picture.

Baby Brooch

Baby Brooch

Giving a piece of Jewellery to the new mother would make a nice change from the usual balloons, flowers and toiletries. A necklace or bracelet perhaps .

Vintage Jewellery for the Bride and Bridesmaid.

AntiquesAvenue offers a special range of vintage jewellery suitable for the ” Something Old” part of a brides outfit. This Bridal Jewellery is sparkling and very very pretty. You also have the added advantage of knowing that you are not wearing the same piece of jewellery as every other Bride this year.  How wonderful would a bride look in these earrings?

Vintage Bridal Earrings

Vintage glass pearl flower earrings:

Wonderful vintage earrings which would be excellent worn as wedding jewellery for the bride or bridesmaid. These are made of glass beads with a pearl finish and are wired on the the clip on type fittings. These earrings are vintage 1940s and measure a little under 3 cms long

Categories : A to Z, Gifts
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Vintage valentines jewellery for men.

It not just us ladies who love to receive gifts of  Vintage Jewellery on Valentines Day, there are lots of pieces suitable as gifts for men too.  There is still time to order your jewels from antiuqesavenue with last orders by Mid-day on February 11th ( next day special delivery). There are no suggestions of hearts, flowers and cupids here, just ideas of lovely vintage valentines gifts for him.

Here are my suggestions of the perfect valentines gift for the man in your life:

Cufflinks

How about a special pair of cufflinks, not for every day wear but for dressing up, going out and for formal occasions. Genuine vintage cufflinks at a reasonable price. This pair for example:

Vintage cufflinks

vintage cufflinks 9 carat gold art deco

Here are a pair of genuine vintage art deco cufflinks made of nine carat gold ( stamped 9ct) . These are set with a black and pearl center. The cufflinks measure about 14mm diameter.

Stick pins

A stick pin can be worn in a lapel or as a tie pin

antique stick pin goldstone and dog

What a lovely antique stick pin. This is set with goldstone and a dog painted over. The dog is covered by glass to protect the painting. The head of this pin measures 17mm long and the stick pin is 7 cms long. There is a minor sign of wear to the head which can be seen when viewing close up.

Silver Albert watch chain.

Watch chains are a very vitnage piece of jewellery not often seen nowadays but becoming more popular as the fashion for pocket watches returns.  These are to be worn with a suit or evening dress. Gold Albert watch chains are very very expensive due to the price of gold but silver ones can be found on a more modest budget and are just as attractive.

Categories : Mens Jewellery, Seasonal
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5 pieces of Vintage Valentines day jewellery    

Have you bought that special valentines day gift for the lady in your life yet?  Here are a few lovely pieces of vintage jewellery which would be certain to make her smile.  There is still plenty of time to order your valentines day jewellery from AntiquesAvenue. I will be taking orders up until mid day on Thursday 11 February for next day special delivery ( included in cost)  and with valentines gift wrap from only £1 extra. I will be back tomorrow with some suggestions of vintage jewellery valentines day gifts for the man in your life.   

1. Vintage rings   

The number one romantic gift has to be a ring and a vintage ringwould be appreciated as it show that though and effort has gone into selecting a special unique piece of jewellery .  Rings do not have to be pricey either – There are nice silver rings from about £25 upwards. Here is one of my favourite rings at the moment:    

 
 
 

    

vintage ring

vintage ring

 

Vintage 9 carat gold ring   

This vintage ring is made of fully hallmarked nine carat gold and set high with a pearlescent hardstone cabochon which measures about 0.8 cm long. This is a very pretty ring in a delicate colour which would look great worn as a cocktail ring. UK ring size O, USA ring size 7.25   

   

  

  

  

  

  

2. A bunch of flowers to last a lifetime? 

Exquisite flower brooch pansy bouquet   

A very pretty enameled flower brooch – a bunch of pansies. This brooch was made by Exquisite and dates from circa 1950s. I believe that this was made as part of the birthdays series and I think that this one is for May. This brooch measures about 6.5 cms long   

3. Give her your heart   

Gold heart pendant and earring Jewellery set   

A pretty gold heart pendant on chain and matching pair of gold earrings. These have the .375 mark for nine carat gold and were made in Italy. The pendant measures about 1.5 cms long with the chain being 45 cms long. This gold jewellery set is quite dainty. The earrings are for pierced ears   

4. Red is the colour   

1960s red pink two strand bead necklace   

Vintage double strand necklace with plastic beads Fastens with box clasp longer string 57 cms long Dating circa 1960s sparkling party jewellery   

5. Stupid Cupid   

 Wedgwood blue Jasper Cupid Brooch 

 It measures about 3 wedgwood blue jasper brooch sprigged with Cupid. The brooch is mounted in silver and comes in its original wedgwood  

 

 

 

 

  

  

cupid brooch

cupid brooch

 

Categories : Gifts, Seasonal
Comments (3)
Jan
28

Cinnabar Lacquer Jewellery

By Anne · Comments (3)

Cinnabar Lacquer Jewellery

I really want to show you this wonderful bangle and brooch set made of Cinnabar Lacquer. This is original  vintage costume jewellery  dating from the art deco era.  During the 1920s / 1930s this type of jewellery was quite popular but is becoming much rares and hard to find these days.

Cinnabar is a naturally occuring mineral with a brick red colour and has been used since the ancient times but it was the Chinese made these pieces which have been hand carved.

cinnabar brooch

cinnabar brooch

 

vintage costume jewellery

vintage costume jewellery

Categories : Materials
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Give vintage jewellery A to Z,  Anniversaries and Aunts

The first part of my A to Z guide of occasions, reasons and people to give vintage jewellery for. A = Anniversaries and Jewellery for Aunts

Anniversaries:

Vintage Jewellery and Antique Jewellery for Anniversaries. Traditionally Jewellery has been given at wedding anniversaries but is equally suitable for other special anniversaries too.

vintage jewellery

vintage Jewellery

 For wedding anniversaries the following pieces are traditional:

1st Anniversary is Paper – plain gold jewellery. A ring or a lovely brooch
2nd Anniversary is Cotton – Garnet set jewellery – a nice pendant or a pair of cufflinks for your man?
3rd Anniversary is Leather – Pearls are the traditional gift – Earrings or necklace or tie pin for men
4th Anniversary is Linen – Blue Topaz Jewellery -A lovely range of blue shades available
5th Anniversary is Wood – Sparkling Sapphires are given
6th Anniversary is Iron – Amethysts – choose a lovely deep purple one
7th Anniversary is Wool – Onyx – A Victorian Scottish Celtic brooch or dirk set with hard stone
8th Anniversary is Bronze – Tourmaline – Wonderful colours available
9th Anniversary is Copper – Lapis-Lazuli – the traditional art deco jewellery stone
10thAnniversary is Tin – Your Diamond Wedding – how about a Victorian rose cut diamond for something special?
11th Anniversary is Steel – Turquoises – one of my favourites – a vintage ring or a charm is excellent
12th Anniversary is Silk -Jade – Jade bracelets were popular in the art deco era
13th Anniversary is Lace – Citrine – a bight yellow stone that looks good set in gold
14th Anniversary is Ivory – Opal – Black or white the choice is yours – try a brooch or cuff links
15th Anniversary is Crystal – Ruby – excellent stone for rings for both men and women
20th Anniversary is China -Emerald – a beautiful shade of green – how about a necklace with an Emerald pendant?
25th Anniversary is Silver – plain silver jewellery – appreciated by both men and women
30th Anniversary is Pearl – A better quality set than for the 3rd anniversary I think
35th Anniversary is Coral – Best to go Victorian here so that we are not damaging the environment
40th Anniversary is Ruby – Big and bold to celebrate 40 years I think
45th Anniversary is Sapphire – Sapphires come in white and pink and other colours if you dont fancy blue
50th Anniversary is Golden Jubilee – Gold and lots of it please
55th Anniversary is Emerald – 55 years – wow that deserves and Emerald ring
60th Anniversary is Diamond Jubilee – Lots and lots of them for 60 years
65th Anniversary is Blue Sapphire – Sapphires again!
70th Anniversary is Sapphire Jubilee – More Sapphires?
75th Anniversary is Platinum Jubilee – A bit heavy so make it a ring
80th Anniversary is Ruby Jubilee – Twice the size of the one you gave for a 40th anniversary

Vintage Jewellery for your Aunt

 Aunts of all ages will appreciate a gift of vintage or antique jewellery.  What sort? How about  antique  brooches or  vintage  necklaces? Heres a thought, how about choosing something in her favourite colour or  from the era ( or even year) she was born in?

Comments (4)
Jan
26

A to Z of vintage jewellery

By Anne · Comments (2)

A to Z of vintage Jewellery.

Last year I wrote several series’s on antiquesavenue blog including buying at auctions and the history of vintage jewellery. This year I though it would be fun to compile an A to Z of Vintage jewellery and give this an interesting twist and to build into a type of encyclopedia or dictionary for jewellery lovers.

Instead of just starting at A an listing everything I can find under each letter I am going to compile at least six different A to Z listings. So far I have Materials, Styles, Makers, Occasions , Type and Accessories. If I ever manage this I may even add a historical jewels list  and terms . Can you think of a couple  more ? It would be great to compile 10 lists.

Materials, Abalone to Zircon

Styles, Art Deco to Zoomorphic

Makers, Armarni to Zuni

Terms, Adularescence to Zircon cut

And three where I need some inspiration for the X, Y,Z:

Type or function, Arm to Wrist and Albert to watch chain ( same thing different name!)

Occasion, Anniversary to Wedding

Vintage Accessories from Amulet to Watch

I’m hoping to source lots of photos for each so its quite an undertaking here but it should be great fun and a wonderful reference work when complete. I would welcome any contributions and ideas for the mission X, Y and Z’s. First off will be occasions starting soon so do check back to see the progress.

Categories : Dictionary
Comments (2)
Jan
20

Vintage Jewellery news update

By Anne · Comments (2)

A Vintage Jewellery news update from antiquesavenue.co.uk

Its a while since my last vintage jewellery  news update. Over the past few weeks I have been searching out more fresh stock of vintage jewellery for you. 

Vintage Charms:

 Recently I have added lots of vintage silver charms and gold charms to the shop including some quite unusual ones. IN gold look out for the opening Adam and Eve in an apple and the strange ” Happy days” opening vintage Caravan. The most unusual silver charms include an opening dressing table by Nuvo, a Nuvo penguin waiter and interesting charms such as Don Quixote and St George and the dragon.

Vintage Brooches and Antique Brooches:

I’ve been looking out for vintage designer brooches and now have quite a nice selection including Napier, Trifari, Royal Crown Derby and Exquisite. There are also brooches by named Scottish and Scandinavian silver makers.

Vintage Rings.

I am expanding my selection of vintage rings and antique  as these seem very popular. These are in both gold and silver and set with precious and semi precious gemstones. Mainly these will be added to the site over the next ten days so please do keep checking back if you are interested.

Vintage Costume Jewellery

Coming soon a nice fresh selection of costume jewellery necklaces.

Vintage Jewellery for Valentines day.

I have made a short video on heart shaped charms and valentines charms which would be suitable as a gift for a loved one this valentines day


Gift Wrap.

Following several requests from customers I now have a gift wrap option which I will be adding to the site in the next week. Your jewellery can be presented in a pretty organza bag in one of a variety of colours  and I have decided to charge just £1 extra for this service.

News Letter

Have you subscribed to my news letter yet? I dont often get the chance of sending one out but when I do there is always a Special offer on vintage jewellery which is exclusive to news letter subscribers. I am hoping a news letter will be on its way within the next week or two so dont miss out

Anne

Comments (2)

5 pieces of vintage jewellery for valentines day

Valentines days is a traditional time for giving gifts of jewellery.  I have a few ideas of jewellery which would be excellent for valentines day. Jewellery along the valentines theme: Hearts, flowers, cupids and Love. All of course genuine pieces of antique and vintage jewellery.

amber heart necklace

A little History of Valentine day:

Celebrated each year on February 14th throughout the English speaking world, Valentines day is named after an early Christian martyr. It is thought that Valentine was a priest who helped Christian couples by marrying them. It was a crime at that time to help Christians and Valentine was put to death by Claudius 11.

It was not until the middle ages that Valentine first became associated with Romantic Love and February 14th .

Jewellery Gifts for Valentines day:

Antique gold amber heart pendant necklace  art nouveau

A wonderful piece of antique jewellery. This amber heart is mounted in an art nouveau gold frame and hangs from its own gold chain ( stamped as 9 carat). The amber heart has a tiny gold heart inset on one side.
The heart plus its mount measures about 4.5 cms long and the heart is up to 2.8 cms wide. The gold chain is about 45 cms long

 

Victorian Micro mosaic heart charm flowers


longcms era. This antique charm measures about 2 victorian – there is a turquoise coloured surround. On the back is the makers initials “EV”. This is in excellent original condition and will date from the later micromosaics floral th An amazing antique charm, this heart shaped charm is set wi

 

vintage silver enamel pink hearts earrings A superb pair of vintage earrings dating from the early 1900s. These are made of silver ( stamped “sterling”) in the shape of hearts. They are engine turned enameled including pink rose in the decoration. Typical of the 1910’s Each heart measures about 1.5 cm long
These vintage earrings fasten with a screw mechanism

 

Opal pearl brooch gold flowers

This gold brooch is really pretty. The flowers are set with real opals and pearls. The opals sparkle with colour. This brooch is made of fully hallmarked nine carat gold and dates from the 1980s. It measures about 3 cms diameter and is in really excellent clean condition

5 Royal Crown Derby porcelain flower stick pins silver

Here are 5 wonderful porcelain flower stick or lapel pins made by Royal Crown Derby and thought to date from circa 1950s. These all retain the original keepers on the ends of the pins, There are a couple of tiny nicks but nothing to detract from the beauty and rarity of these pins. The flowers measure from between 1.8 and 2.8 cms diameter

Comments (1)