Archive for June, 2009
Precious Pearls – Jewellery birthstone for June
Posted by: | CommentsBeautiful precious pearls are the birthstone for those born in June. This is excellent news for those buying a gift for someone with a June birthday as there are a huge range to choose from to suit all tastes and prices ranges.I wrote back in May about how to choose a pearl necklace , this is probably the most popular way to wear pearls ( about 70 % of pearls go into necklaces) but pearls can also be set into earrings, rings, and brooches. If you choose a pearl ring please do be careful and wear It only on special occasions as they are prone to wear and damage easily.
pearls
Pearls have long been endowed with powers in folklore some of which which you may like to pass on with you gift of pearl jewellery:
The Ancient Chinese believed that pearls fell from the sky when dragons were fighting whilst the ancient Greeks thought that pearls were the tears of the gods. Gods first act of creation in some Muslim legends and symbolising innocence and purity to the Victorians
Pearls not to your taste of the giftee already has too many pieces of pearl jewellery? Well the Moonstone is a great alternative to pearls for a June birthday: How about this Victorian spider brooch set with moonstone for its body and a pearl of its head? this just has to be the perfect June gift.
pearl moonstone brooch
Vintage Jewellery News
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellerynews update from AntiquesAvenue:
Have you seen all the fresh in stock Vintage Jewellery which has been added to AntiquesAvenue.co.uk recently?
I love Scottish and Scandinavian silver and have been lucky enough to be able to add a few nice silver brooches made by some of the top designers from the past. Look for Iona silver and a wonderful Marius Hammer silver and enamel brooch.
scottish silver brooch
Great news I have some genuine vintage lucite brooches back in stock, these are getting harder for me to find and the prices are going up so I think these are a great buy for the future – and so pretty too.
I am particularly pleased to be able to offer some vintage lamp work glass necklaces with birds and leaves. These are really quite rare nowadays
High fashion nowadays back from the 1970s – silver bangle bracelets. The ones available from antiquesavenue are genuine original items and in most cases fully hallmarked. These bangle bracelets are much chunkier and more substantial than the ones available from new nowadays.
vintage silver bangles
Do keep checking back – lots more vintage jewellery being added on a regular basis.
Bog Oak – more black Victorian Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsA bit about Bog Oak
From my postbag:
How about Bog Oak? I have a brooch that I think is. I’m not sure. Can you tell me a little about it? And maybe how to tell if bog oak is the material?
My Reply:
Bog Oak Jewellery
Bog Oak was popular in Victorian Antique Jewellery especially for a mourning piece. It was easier to find and work than Jet but cannot be polished as highly and the shapes achieved are much simpler. So Bog Oak jewas cheaper as the finished article. Bog oak jewellery remains cheaper than jet jewellery today. Bog Oak is the wood of Oak Trees that has long since fallen into peat bogs in Ireland and been preserved and become black in colour. You will often see it carved with Shamrock patterns and occasionally set with pearls.
How can you tell if it is bog oak? It is matt in appearance ( unlike jet which tens to be highly polished) and you can see a wood grain if you look carefully. None of the other materials popular in Victorian Mourning jewellery has the wood grain. Please take care not to get this material wet – just clean with a soft dry brush.