Archive for Materials
About Jet Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsAbout Jet
Jet is a black material which was popular during the Victorian era for making jewellery. Jet is a actually a form of coal which has been formed many thousands of years ago from ancient trees.
The most sought after form of jet vintage jewellery is Whitby jet which is made from jet found near Whitby in Yorkshire. Whitby was the countries main center of the jet jewellery industry in the 1800s until about 1875 when jet jewellery became less fashionable.
Whitby jet charm
Jet was popular because its dark black colour made it suitable for mourning jewellery , it could be carved and polished into quite intricate designs and because it is light weight large pieces were not too heavy to wear.
All sorts of pieces of jewellery were made from jet including lockets, necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings, alberts and albertinas,pendants, brooches and beads.
Jet Immitators
There are several jet imitations which are black in colour but not as highly collectible as Whitby jet. These include French jet ( black glass) and bog oak.
There are several ways of distinguishing Whitby jet from its imitations. Personally I do not recommend you try this as you may ruin the jewellery but you can insert a hot needle into the piece – real jet will smell like burning coal. Bog oak , gutta percha and vulcanite are not as shiny as jet also they tend to be slightly brownish in colour where as jet is normally a true black in normal light. French jet will often have minute chips along the facets when you look as it under a jewellers loop. Also french jet is colder to the touch than Whitby jet.
Jet Locket
Care of Jet Jewellery
This applies to jet and not to other materials which have been used to make the jewellery. Where other materials such as metal and necklace cord exist please ensure you dont get these damp.
You can carefully wipe over your jet with a damp cloth perhaps with a little washing up liquid in the water. You should wipe off all traces of the washing up liquid with clean water and then pat dry with a soft cloth. Make sure that your jewellery is dry before storingeach piece separately. Each individual piece can be wrapped in acid free tissue paper to prevent it being chipped in your jewellery box.
Jet beads have often been strung on corn which is now long past its besst. I reccomend that such necklaces and bracelets are re-strung to prevent loss if you intend to wear your jet jewellery.
Buy Jet Jewellery
As jet is frequently imitated it is necessary to buy jet jewellery from a reliable source unless you are very sure you know how to tell the various materials apart. I suggest that you buy from a reputable jeweller in this case or at least a dealer who is prepared to accept returns if you are not happy with your purchase. AntiquesAvenue usually offers one or two pieces of genuine Whitby Jet jewellery however I am finding it increasingly difficult to source and pieces do sell out quickly.
Jade jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsJade is a lovely gemstone which is not as appreciated here in the west as it is in China and other Asian countries.
Jade is a very hard stone and comes in shades of green ranging from emerald green to quite a pale colour. Other colours are occasionally seen including lavender, orange, pink, black, and blue. Many of the colours you see these days are a pale jade enhanced chemically by man. The stone is hard enough to have been used in the past for weapons but most often these days we see it in jewellery.
Jade pendant
There are two forms of Jade, the most sought after jade is called Jadite , this is harder than the other form of Jade which is also known as Nephrite. The most valuable form of Jadite is a bright emerald green often known as Imperial Jade.
Jade can be polished into beads or cabochons or it can be shaped into ornaments and amulets. During the art deco era strings of jade beads were very popular as it matched the colour palate of the time. Look out for vintage jewellery strings of jade beads.
Jade can be imitated by several other materials including glass, plastics, serpentine and chalcedony. Jade is harder than all of these imitations and so with a gemstone testing machine it is quite easy to distinguish real Jade from its imitations.
If you are looking to buy jade jewellery you can find new Nephrite pieces form just a few pounds. If you are looking for antique or vintage imperial jade you will need to pay a hundred pounds or more.
Reverse of Jade pendant
AntiquesAvenue has a selection of Jade jewellery in shades of green and lavender.
About Goldstone Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsGoldstone is a vintage jewellery material seen mainly in brooches of the later Victorian and Edwardian eras but seems to fade from popularity by 1920 – it surprises me that Goldstone was not used for longer as it really does sparkle wonderfully. It is actually a type of glass made with thousands of tiny copper inclusions.
Here’s an unusual piece of goldstone jewellery its a pendant and the goldstone shows on both sides. This can be worn as a pendant on a chain or a charm on a bracelet.
Goldstone pendant
AntiquesAvenue tries to fins piece of vintage goldstone jewellery for you. They are quite rare these days but do turn up now and then.
You can search AntiquesAvenue for goldstone jewellery to buy by pressing the search button below:
Happy Hunting
Anne x
Saphiret glass jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsSaphirets are one of the most collectable of all glass costume jewellery stones. It is thought that Saphirets were first made in Czechoslovakia in the Victorian era when real gold was added to a sapphire blue coloured glass. This mixture resulted in a stones which changes colour through a range of brownish purple blues depending on the light.
Saphiret ( sometimes misspelled as saphirite ) stones can come as smooth polished cabochons or faceted as diamante type stones. During circa 1950s similar stones were produced in Germany these are sometimes known as Sapharine . Sapharines can have a matt polished finish or be bright polished.
Saphiret pendant
Saphirets can be found in various shapes and sizes and set into most types of jewellery, they can also be moulded to have a face or man in the moon in the stone. I have seen earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches and necklaces set with Saphirets. Here is the most wonderful Saphiret necklace from the early 1900s a wonderful piece of collectable vintage jewellery.
You can search AntiquesAvenue for Saphiret jewellery to buy – please press the search button below:
Happy Hunting
Anne x
Micromosaic jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsMicromosaic jewellery ( or is it Micro Mosaic ?) is set with tiny coloured glass pieces to make up pictures and patterns. These tiny glass pieces are known as Tessarae.
Micromosaic bracelet
Micromosaics have been a popular decorative art in Italy at least since the Roman era and have also been made in other countries. Micromosaics were popular souveniers brought back from the grand tour of Europe undertaken in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Micromosaic Jewellery often depicts classical places and scenes including Roman myths. Micoromosaic work from the Victorian era is likely to have smaller and more detailed pieces than that in the 20th century.
The value of Micromosaic jewellery is determined by the size, subject, delicacy of work and condition of the piece. Items with animals and people in are more in demand than floral subjects.
Cleaning micromosaic jewellery: You need to take great care when cleaning your micromosaic jewellery as any damp may well weaken the glue that holds the glass pieces in place. A soft dry toothbrush will remove dust. I would then put a light spray of glass cleaner onto a lint free cloth and with care remove any remaining dirt. After all the pieces are glass so this should work for your jewellery too.
AntiquesAvenue now has a section devoted to Micromosaics with more pieces to be added over the next week or two.
Green Hardstone Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsIve a collection of pendants all set with green hard stones in front of me. The pendants are very different in age, shape and the materials they are made from. Before I can sell these pieces of jewellery I need to work out what each is made from . These are not crystal clear like gemstones , all are opaque and have polished or polished and carved surfaces.
Jadite pendant
There is such a variety of green hardstones and they originate from across the world. Green hardstones include Aventurine ( a form of quartz), Chrysoprase ( Chalcedony), Jade and Jadite, and New Zealand green stone. You can also find green dyed quartz and agates. Bloodstone is also dark green but has flecks of red inside.
Chrysoprase pin
The first think I’m going to do with these pieces of green vintage jewellery is to test them with my electronic gem tester. This is going to give me some clues for example it will help sort the quartzes from teh Jades. As you might expect the pieces I have which are carved with oriental motifs ( a chinese dagger and a lotus blossom ) both test as Jadite whilst the apple green coloured pieces from the Victorian era and 1920s are testing as quarts and will actually be made of Chrysoprase which is a form of Chalcedony quartz.
The final piece I have is carved with a tribal image – this will be New Zealand Green stone which is traditionally carved in Maori style.
New Zealand Green Stone Jewellery
Marcasite Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsMarcasite Jewellery has been popular since the ancient Greeks who used Iron Sulphide crystal in its white form to add sparkle and shine. The Georgians set the black form of Marcasite into silver jewels. More recently, from the Victorian era onwards, Pyrite or Fools Gold is used as this mineral is hardier than true marcasites. The marcasites normally have a rose cut shape. Marcasites are highly polished and sparkle like diamonds under artificial light.
Marcasite Brooch
Very popular in Art Deco silver jewellery and during the 1950s marcasite set jewels can be found in a whole range of antique jewellery and vintage jewellery including buckles, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and charms.
Better quality marcasite jewellery has the stones held in with prongs and on cheaper jewellery they are glued in. Sometimes on the cheapest costume jewellery the marcasites are not real but imitated by stainless steel.
Marcasite jewellery varies in colour from bronze to the gun metal we normally see. Normally the jewellery is silver although other metals can also be found. The most common and beautiful form of marcasite jewellery is where the stones are set into silver. The silver is deliberately kept dull rather than shined up bright as this allows the sparkle of the marcasites to show off to its best advantage.
Care of Marcasite Jewellery
Marcasite jewellery can last a long time if handled with care and cleaned correctly. The stones can be fragile so never put them into an ultrasonic machine or treat them with harsh chemicals. Silver dip is definitely not recommended as the silver is meant to be dull and not bright, the dip is also too harsh for the marcasites.
Your marcasite jewellery is best cleaned with a dry jewellery polishing cloth and then stored separately from other pieces possibly wrapped in a little acid free tissue paper.
Marcasite Earrings
Silver gilt jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsSilver Gilt is also known as silver gild, gilded silver, gilt silver or by its French term Vermeil. What ever term it is know by the jewellery is made of silver and has a think layer of gold over it to give a gold appearance. Silver gilt has been used in jewellery since ancient times however it is less common that gold or silver vintage jewellery
There are several reasons for silver being gilded with gold in jewellery:
i) Its cheaper than carat gold. Gold is getting very expensive these days with nine carat gold fetching over £10 a gram for scrap pure gold jewellery is very expensive. Silver gilt has the appearance of real gold but much cheaper
ii) Its lighter weight than solid gold. Solid gold is heavy. If you have a large pair of earrings for example you will find silver gilt more comfortable to wear than solid gold
iii) its easier to clean than solid silver and less prone to corrosion. Silver tarnishes easily and goes dark. When it has a layer of gold over it it stays bright ans shiny longer and is easier to clean. Have you ever seen a silver salt cellar? These are normally gilded on the inside as salt eats into silver but does not affect the gold at all. We all have salt in out skin which is one of the reasons that silver jewellery does go dark easily. The gold layer does protect it.
Silver gilt bangle
How to tell if a piece of jewellery is silver gilt
Has your piece of jewellery got silver hallmarks but is gold in colour? in this case it is probably silver gilt.
Silver gilt jewellery care
Assuming the piece of jewellery is all silver gilt and there are no other materials the jewellery will stay bright and clean for quite a while. If you do think it needs a clean I would use a tiny drop of jewellery cleaner (not silver dip) but a cleaner suited to gold. Put a drop of this on a cloth and wipe the jewellery. Then get a clean damp cloth and wipe off the residue of the cleaner and dry with a dry cloth . A polish with a gold polishing cloth would do just as well.
Here’s some silver gilt hallmarks on Britannia silver
