Archive for Materials
Antique Rose Gold Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsPure gold ( also known as 24 carat gold) is a bright yellow colour. This gold is quite soft and also very expensive. For most jewellery purposes 24 carat gold is mixed with other metals to make it harder ( more wearable) and cheaper too. 18 carat gold is 18/24 pure gold with the remainder being other metals. 9 carat gold is 9/24 pure gold with the remainder being other metals.
The bright yellow 24 carat gold changes colour depending on the metals which are added in this process. You can find greenish gold, purplish gold, white gold and the popular gold with a reddish tint known as rose gold
Rose gold is mixed with copper to give it a warm colour. This colour was very popular in jewellery made in the early 1900s and a very collectable form of vintage jewellery today. It was also popular in Russia at the beginning of the 1800s but it would be incredibly rare and expensive to find a piece of this.
AntiquesAvenue likes to be able to offer you a range of rose gold jewellery. Currently available are bracelets, rings, cufflinks and lockets.
Rose gold bracelet
Designer Costume Jewellery Pearls
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Haskel Pearls
The designer vintage pearls jewellery I have found ranges through famous stars with their own jewellery ranges like Joan Collins, through the costume jewellery names of Ciro, Mazler, Yves St Laurent and Ciner to the great Miriam Haskell.
Haskel Logo
Of course faux pearls have been used in costume jewellery for more than a hundreds of years and like most things in life the quality of the pearls is variable. There are the rally high quality ones made in Majorca which come with a 10 year guarantee right through to cheap plastic ones which do not wear well and the surface fakes away easily. I recommend that you look for costume jewellery pearls made with a glass center as this gives the piece of jewllery more weight.
Possibly the first great name in Costume Jewellery pearls was Coco Chanel who layers multiple strings of pearls over her outfits.
Dior Brooch
Similar to real or cultured pearls there are several characteristics to look out for when buying costume pearls as your chosen piece of vintage jewellery:
Iridescence – the rainbow effect which should be present in a good pearl finish
Luster – the satin shimmer on the surface
Texture – Flaws are not seen as good in a pearl finish so the smoother the better
Colour – This can be to suit you, your skin tone or your outfit. Costume jewellery pearls range from white and cream through more exotic colours not seen naturally such as blue. Grey and black pearls are quite popular
Majorica Pearls
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Majorica Information
I’ve been finding out about Majorica pearls today as I came across this most beautiful faux pearl necklace and I thought they were worth researching.
Majorica pearls are made in Majorca, in fact I remember visiting the workshop where they are made about 30 years ago. At that time I thought they were truly wonderful but simply couldn’t afford the price tag. So how come man made or faux pearls are so expensive?
Majorica Pearls
Apparently, according to the accompanying leaflet, each Majorica pearl is made to the same weight as real pearls and is indistinguishable from the real thing except by experts ( more on this later). These majorica pearls have a glass center and apparently are coated on the outside with real mother of pearl and other substances to give a natural pearl appearance. They certainly do have a much better lustre than most faux pearls. There is almost a rainbow effect to them.
Majorica pearls should be cared for in the same way as natural pearls that is wash them gently in lukewarm water with a little mild soap. rinse, pat dry and leave in the open for 48 hours to ensure all moisture has gone. They should be kept in their original case if possible and certainly separate from other jewellery so that the surface do not wear.
Majorica pearls claim to be indistinguishable from real pearls except by experts but I used the same test on them as for any other pearl. They may look and weigh the same as real pearls but are like other glass pearls in that the surface is completely smooth rather than having a slightly rough surface as in sea pearls and cultured pearls.
Majorica is not the only faux pearl company in Majorica but I think their products are the best quality. You can find necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Look out for vintage pearls made by Majorica as these do tend to have a special style of their own.
Is this silver jewellery?
Posted by: | CommentsEvaluating jewellery every day I am often faced with deciding if a piece is silver or not and how to describe the metal the jewellery is made of on my web shop. Over the years I have come up with a few tricks to help me with this which I though I would share here with you today.
1. British Silver Hallmarks
The first thing I look for on a piece of vintage jewellery is hallmarks. A set of silver hallmarks is a positive identification of silver and usually help me to date the piece of jewellery accurately as well. Silver hallmarks have changed many times over the years since they were first introduced and I use books of silver hallmarks to help me translate these strange markings into a description for you.
2. Other Marks on Silver
There are lots of other marks other than British Silver Hallmarks you can find on silver. These include the .925 stamp, the words ” Sterling” or ”Silver” or Hallmarks from other countries. European hallmarks are complicated and again have to be looked up in hallmark tables, you can really spend hours just trying to find one Continental European Hallmark.
Sometimes silver is stamped as .800. This grade of silver was not used or legal in the UK until recently but jewellery was widely made from this grade in Europe and so it suggests a European origin for the piece of jewellery. .800 silver jewellery was widely made in France, Germany, Austria as well as other countries.
As well as hallmarks you can find makers initials on silver jewellery. Often these are smaller makers but finding a well know maker or simply being able to identify the craftsman is always fun.
3. Silver testing
In the complete absence of hallmarks a piece of jewellery can be tested to determine if it is silver. Look at the piece of jewellery under 10x magnification, it is especially useful to look at joints or points which are most likely to wear easily. If there is a golden or brassy colour beneath the silver showing at points of wear then it is plated or silver toned metal. If the piece is attracted by a magnet is is also not silver.
You can acid test for silver. This is done by making a very tiny scratch in the surface at a point where the mark will not show. A tiny spot a silver testing acid is then applied to the scratch and you observe the reaction. This observation takes skill and practice. The best way to learn is to carry out the testing on pieces you already know are silver eg hallmarked as sterling. Observe the chemical reactions you get with pieces you know and then compare the reaction you get when testing pieces of metal jewellery you know are definitely not silver. Try the reactions on pieces of jewellery stamped as silver plate or on pieces you know to be silver toned costume jewellery.
Silver test kits are available for home use but please do be careful with them as the acid is strong and burns – take the safety instructions seriously.
4. White Metal
Have you seen pieces describes as “white metal”. This term is often used by auctioneers who have pieces of silver coloured metal which is not hallmarked. They find it easiest and safest for themselves to simply describe the piece as “white metal” rather than to risk being wrong or illegal. (see .5 on staying Legal). Often these pieces of “white metal” are silver but you have to use your judgement during the auciton viewing process as you cant actually test them until you have them bought and taken home. Its a great way to buy a bargain if your judgement is correct.
5. Staying Legal
Silver is a metal where the use of the name has clear legal implications in the UK. Here is a guide to those implications but please contact your local hallmarking office if in any doubt ( eg do not hold me to this its just to help you make a decision not a definitive legal guide).
- The piece has full silver hallmarks or convention hallmarks for imported pieces
- The piece is not hallmarked and has silver content of less than 7.8 grams then if you are certain it is silver then the term can be used.
- It is a piece of silver antique jewellery which was legally silver at the time it was made and dates from before 1975. EG it weighs over 7.8 grams and is stamped as silver and is a genuine antique it could well still be legally described as silver today.
- There are many more exceptions to the hallmarking law, these can be found on the assay offices websites.
6. Silver and White Metal Descriptions on AntiquesAvenue
When you are looking at a piece of silver of white metal jewellery on AntiquesAvenue web shop how can you be sure if it is silver or not. I is the following terms:
- Hallmarked silver or Hallmarked sterling . This will have a set of British hallmarks unless I qualify the term with eg Continental Hallmarks, or Scandinavian silver hallmarks
- Stamped as “Sterling ” or ” “sil” or “silver” . I will only call these silver if they were made at a time when these terms were legal for silver
- stamped as .925 . I call this silver if the item is under the legal silver weight of 7.8 grams.
- All other items I will test and if my observations lead me to believe they are silver and unmarked silver items were legal at the time the piece was made I will say something like “ This item tests the same as silver”.
- Silver toned metal is a term I normally reserve for vitnage costume jewellery.
- Silver plated is definitely not silver it just has a silver layer over base metal
- Silver gilt is normally silver with a light gold toned wash over the top to give a golden appearance.
I hoe this helps when you are searching out vitnage jewllery
Happy Hunting
Anne x
Unusual Vintage Jewellery Materials
Posted by: | CommentsA few days ago I was talking about what makes a piece of Jewellery unusual or rare and once of the thing I mention is jewellery made from unusual materials:
Material Gold, silver, gold tone, pearls, diamante, diamonds and sapphires are all examples of matirials which are commonly found in jewellery. Much rarer ( although not necessarily more expensive ) would be jade, Lucite, fossils, wood or ceramic for example
This got me thinking about the rare materials in Antique and Vintage Jewellery. Antique or Vintage jewellery made from rare materials could become the theme for a great collection. Here are some I can think of
Jewellery Materials rare due to their age:
Some materials are only found occasionally in jewellery today because they are no longer used. A good example of this is Pinchbeck which is type of artificial gold used in the Georgian and Victorian eras but the recipe for making it was lost when the original inventor died. Other materials that are no longer used include Gutta Percha and some of the early plastics such as celluloid. Both of these have not stood the test of time well and it is now not common to find pieces in great condition.
Pinchbeck
Jewellery Materials Rare in Nature:
Diamonds although expensive are actually quite common unless you want an unusually large one. Other Gemstones are much rarer. Tanzanite for example has only been available recently and is only found in very limited quantities, in years to come when Tanzanite jewellery is vintage I suspect that it will be very rare and desirable. Natural sea pearls are very rare although cultured pearls are commonly used as a substitute and great for pearl necklaces. Whitby Jet and Blue John from Derbyshire come from very specific geographic areas . Supplies have now almost run out and vitnage jewellery made from both of these materials is now collected avidly.
Materials which are rare as they are difficult :
Its rare to find Platinum jewellery from before the Edwardian era as it needs such a high temperature to work the technology did not exist to work with this material.
Other materials are difficult to wear and so are not popular – copper unless it has been lacquered turns the skin green . Iron nails were made into jewellery during the 1970s most of this jewellery has now been thrown out as it went rusty on the skin. I’ve also seen beads made of paper which naturally are quite short lived as this deteriorates quickly. Brooches and necklaces made from leather turn up occasionally but these do not wear well.
Materials rare because they are simply ugly or out of fashion.
Hair Jewellery used to be common and popular in the Victorian era, taste has changed . There is still plenty of hair available but we do not choose to make it into jewellery these days, some of us are a bit squeamish that way. This also applies to teeth and claws which were popularly mounted as jewellery by the Victorians. Wood jewellery has been fashionable both during the 1930s / 1940s and again during the 1970s . This jewellery is craftsman made but does not seem to catch on for very long.
Whats the most unusual
material you have seen set into jewellery – would be great to find some I hadn’t thought of.
Happy Hunting
Anne x
Britannia Silver
Posted by: | CommentsI came across a very unusual piece of 1970s jewellery today, it is special because it is made of Britannia Silver. Britannia silver is something not common these days as it is only used for the best pieces of Jewellery.
Britannia Silver Ingot
Britannia Silver was first used in England during the 1690s for coins and became a legal standard for Jewellery silver in the 172os. This special silver is marked with the Britannia symbol of a Lady seated on her throne. Britannia Silver is 95.84 % pure silver which is higher than the commonly seen Sterling Silver which is 92.5% pure.
I wanted to show you this Britannia Silver Ingot Pendant as it has very large hallmarks making it possible for me to photograph the Britannia symbol large enough for you to see it clearly. The gold colour is simply due to a gold plating rather than the main metal content of this piece of vintage jewellery. These vintage pendants are relatively common made from sterling silver.
Britannia Hallmark
There is only one other legal grade of silver currently in the UK which is 80% pure or 800 grade silver. Something to be aware of when looking at metals, do not confuse Britannia Silver with Britannia Metal. Britannia metal is a term you will regularly see on tea services ( teapots, coffee pots, milk jugs and sugar bowls) dating from circa 1920s to 1940s. Britannia Metal looks like pewter but has less lead content and no silver content at all.
Keep a look out for the Britannia Hallmark, I see very little Britannia Vintage silver jewellery and if you do manage to find any it should be quite high quality.
Garnet Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsThe Garnet was once a very popular gemstone with the deep ref variety being one of the main gemstones used during the Victorian era. Its blood red colour could be worn when a lady was first coming out of a period of deep mourning when black only was worn. The Victorians were not the first people to wear Garnets, it is believes that the Egyptians has Garnet beads.
Garnet Ring
Whilst we normally think of the Garnet as being red, the term actually refers to a whole family of Gemstones which vary in color from Black, through green, purple, yellow, orange to differing shades of red.
The Garnet is the birthstone for January and has also been used to signify Friendship improving personal relationships when worn.
Due to the popularity of the Garnet during the Victorian era imitation Garnets were introduced and many pieces of antique jewellery which appear to be set with red Garnets are actually set with red glass or other man made stones. You will need to take care when buying antique garnet jewellery that you know if you are buying real garnet gemstones or costume jewellery. Ask the Jewellery you are buying from, the can either test the stones for you. A clue for you, are the stones set into real gold? if so they may well be real. Stones set in base metal are more likely to be costume jewellery.
Garnet Earrings
Care of Garnet Jewellery
Garnets are quite resilient and can be cleaned in an ultrasonic machine or in a gentle liquid jewellery cleaner . A word of caution you will need to ensure which other materials the garnets are set with. If its gold then go ahead and clean you garnet jewellery as mentioned here. If other materials are used then you will need to ensure that your cleaning technique is appropriate to those materials too.
Vintage Glass Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsGlass is one of my favourite materials for vintage costume jewellery, it has a huge variety of shape and colour. Glass jewellery can be moulded, or hand made. Glass can be made into beads, moulded as a cameo or faceted as a gemstone. I have seen glass jewellery of every type: brooches, necklaces, charms, earrings, bracelets and for gents set into cuff links and stick pins.
Glass jewellery is quite durable as long as it is not dropped or knocked onto a hard surface. This durability is one of the great appeals of antique and vintage glass jewellery as , unlike some other vintage costume jewellery materials, its colour does not fade and it does not tarnish naturally. You can also clean glass jewellery so that it is like new depending upon the other materials used in the piece ( see further down this article).
Types of glass in Jewellery
During the Georgiana and Victorian era there was a type of glass known as Paste which was used instead of real gemstones. Paste jewellery can be clear or coloured and is normally set with a closed back which has foil behind the glass to make it sparkle. Paste is often used in brooches and earrings.
By the 1920s paste was largely replaced by Diamante which are a faceted glass ( moulded or polished) which have a foiled back and are often set with a more open back. Many diamante ( known as Rhinestones in the USA) come from Austria and they have a high lead content in the glass which adds to the sparkle.
Glass beads can be moulded or hand made . To my mind the very best glass beads come from Murano in Italy. Look for wedding cake beads. These special beads have been hand made and have lamp work decoration which looks like icing hence the name “wedding cake ” beads. Many murano beads are set with a metabolic foil and the come in a huge variety of colour.
Vintage glass necklaces
What an amazing range of vintage glass necklaces there is available today. You can find glass necklaces from the Victorian era in the form of French Jet or a sparkling black glass. There was a huge popularity for glass necklaces during the 1920s and 1930s and so there is a great selection available today. With many of these they have been re-strung and so as wearable today as they were 90 years ago.
From the 1950s we find what are now called prom necklaces which are made from diamante set into silver tone metal. These prom necklaces are ideal for a sparkling occasion today , they made great party or wedding jewellery . I believe that these prom necklaces are a real bargain at the moment, with prices from about £20 they could well be a great investment for the future.
Diamante brooch
Value of Antique and Vintage glass jewellery
You can buy a nice piece of vintage glass jewellery in good condition from about £20 upwards. At the other end of the cost scale, Rennie Lalique made some wonderful pieces of glass jewellery in the art nouveau era and a piece of this jewellery could set you back Thousands of pounds. In fact even a new piece of lalique glass and silver Jewellery can cost upwards of a Thousand pounds.
For most vintage glass jewellery you are looking between £20 and about £150 depending upon the style, condition, detail and maker if known.
Care of Vintage Glass Jewellery
When looking after vintage glass jewellery one of the main things is to look at the other materials the piece is made of. The glass its self can usually be washed but you would never put closed back paste or diamante jewellery into water. Also check the finish applied to the glass, a pearl finish can flake easily so you shouldn’t get it wet Glass set into costume jewellery metals should also not be immersed in water.
If you cant wash your glass jewellery how can you clean it? I recommend a soft tooth brush dipped into a clear liquid jewellery cleaner. Remove most of the liquid from the brush by dabbing it with a cloth. Then care full clean the jewllery with the brush. You can then dip the brush into clean water, dry the brush again and clean over your jewellery to remove any trace of the jewellery cleaner. Give your jewellery a gentle rub with a soft cloth ( take care with prong set diamante) . Leave your jewellery in a warm room for a few hours to ensure that all moisture is removed.
As with all jewellery pieces should not be thrown into a jewellery box but stored carefully with space between one piece and the next. you can wrap pieces individually in acid free tissue paper.
Glass Earrings
Where to buy Vintage Glass Jewellery
There is always an excellent selection of glass jewllery over at antiquesavenue.co.uk with a special section devoted to glass necklaces. Also take a look at the costume jewellery brooches and wedding jewellery where most of the pieces are made of glass.