Archive for Gifts
A-Z of vintage jewellery gift occasions
Posted by: | CommentsCompleting my A-Z of occasions and reasons to give and wear vintage jewellery
A-D
E: Engagement, Eternity, Easter, Exam success
Its now quite stylish to have a vintage engagement or eternity ring especially a Victorian or original art deco ring set with diamonds. For Easter a piece of jewellery in the form of flowers is most suitable. Exam success can be celebrated with a vintage gold necklace perhaps one set with an appropriate birthstone.
F:Father and Friendship
Friendship rings have been given for hundreds of years. There are special Claddagh rings which denote friendship, this ring has a heart clasped by two hands with a crown over.
friendship ring
G: Grandma, Graduation, Good Luck, Get Well, Godparents
Vintage jewellery for Grandma is easy, a brooch is often easiest. For graduation how about something really special? An Antique lavalier will always be cherished.
H: Holiday, Housewarming, Halloween
There are lots of pieces of jewellery suitable to wear on Halloween. Charms in the shape of ghosts and witches and skulls. Earrings in the shape of pumpkins or apples would be fun too.
I: Invitation and Inspiration
OK I’ve struggled a little with occasions and reasons beginning with I but I do think that a small piece of jewellery perhaps a little costume jewellery would be great to say Thanks for an invitation or for some Inspiration given
J: Jewish
The star of David is often represented in Jewellery and I believe the hand of Fatima is also a Jewish symbol
K: Keepsake, Kids
Keepsakes are given to remember a person by. Appropriate as a keepsake would be a special piece of vintage jewellery you have owned for years or something which has been passed down through your family. This makes the piece of jewellery mean more than something bought fresh
L: Love Token, Leaving Present
The Victorians knew that jewellery made a great Love token and they has a whole range of sweetheart brooches just for this purpose.
Love token
Here is a modern love token, a charm or pendant in the shape of a heart with the words “I Love you”.
A piece of vintage jewellery also makes a special leaving present showing that you have put a lot of thought into your gift.
M: Mothers Day, Memory, Mourning
Mothers days gifts that last, I will be covering this in detail over the next week as Mothers Day is on March 14th this year (UK).
Ever since the Georgian era Mourning jewellery has been a popular way to remember a person. Often mourning jewellery takes the for of a locket ( either a brooch or pendant) in which a small photo or piece of hair can be contained. The Victorians brought mourning jewellery to fashion following Queen Victoria’s lead after the death of Prince Albert.
N: Nieces, Naming Ceremony
O: One hundred Years
P: Page boy, prom,party,promotion
Q: Quit Quit drinking , Quit Smoking or any other nasty habit. Your friend will appreciate the reward
R: Retirement
S: Son, Sympathy, Sporting achievement
Yes, vintage jewellery for sporting achievement. Medals are jewellery too. Many antique and vintage fobs are also sporting medals. Look out for swimming, football, tennis and most other sports. Some sporting fobs are enameled which makes them particularly desirable.
T: Thank you, Thinking of you
U: Uncle
V: Valentines
W: Wedding, Weight loss, win
Wear a piece of vintage jewellery to a wedding, it is a great opportunity to shine , in fact wear lots of vintage jewellery it is one occasion where you cant really over do it.
X: Xmas
Y and Z
Struggling to find reasons and occasions to give vintage jewellery starting with Y and Z . Can you help me here?
Vintage Jewellery occasions a-z, D is for
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellery occasions a-z, D is for………….
Daughter, Driving Test, Divorce and Dances.
Vintage jewellery for your Daughter on any occasion. Girls like charms and charm bracelets, in silver or gold a charm bracelet is a perfect vintage jewellery gift as you can add to it over the coming years and you will never be short of a gift idea again. Charms do not have to be worn on a bracelet, you can put a charm on a chain around your neck or hang one from a handbag or key chain. How about a vintage charm on an ankle chain that would be quite original. Look out for vintage enameld charms like this ladybird which add colour too.
lady bird charm
Congratulations on passing your Driving Test. How about a charm or brooch in the shape of a car. Car shapes can also dangle from earrings.
Cheer up you friend who has just got divorced. Instead of just buying a vintage gift of jewellery why not go shopping for some instead. Vintage jewellery can be found at most antique fairs and a trip to one of the larger fairs makes a great day out. Look up your local fair in the “whats on ” section of your local paper or visit the antiquestradegazette website.
Vintage jewellery for Dances – take a look at the bridal and party section on www. antiquesavenue.co.uk for some excellent glitzy party pieces.
A-Z Vintage Jewellery, Birthdays
Posted by: | CommentsA-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
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 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
5 pieces of Vintage Valentines day jewellery
Posted by: | Comments5 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 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
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
Vintage Jewellery, the best gift this Christmas
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellery is THE gift to be giving this Christmas. High fashion, decorative, durable, collectable and if we are all lucky it just might increase in price, what could be a better present? There are super pieces available to suit every one from the youngest baby to oldest Granny. You can buy lovely pieces for all your friends and neighbours if you shop carefully as vintage jewellery can be bough from just a few pounds. Vintage Jewellery is an ideal gift for men too. One of the lovely things about vintage jewellery is that it is more likely to be unique than a piece of jewellery bought new and so you will need to think about hunting out your presents now as most sellers only ever have one of each piece of each available and cant easily get more the same….
Pearl Necklace
Which types of antique and vintage jewellery are suitable as gifts?
I recommend that if you are buying vintage jewellery as a gift that you look at pieces which will fit with several outfits and will remain in fashion for some years to come. Brooches will fit all. You could also buy a pendant or a charm without worrying to much about the size. A necklace will normally fit most ladies but be careful not to buy one too short for a large lady ( this also applies to bracelets). It is probably best only to buy a ring is you know the ring size of the wearer or at least be prepared to have the ring re-sized (this also applies to Gents). Thinking of buying earrings? Then check if you need earrings for pierced ears or if clip ons are more suitable.
Here are my suggestions for that Vintage Jewellery gift this year:
Vintage Jewellery for baby: Something for the future. How about something made of silver or gold that is likely to go up in value over the comming years? There are some real bargains about in vintage silver brooches. If you get lucky (for a girl)you could find a Victorian brooch with babies name on. And for a baby boy, How about an antique silver Fob? A nice fob can be attached to a key ring when he grows up or used for its original purpose on Albert watch chain.
Vintage jewellery for Children: For a young girl how about starting a charm bracelet? You could just give a starter bracelet, a single charm or if she is really lucky a silver or gold charm bracelet with lots of charms already attached. Young boys are probably the most difficult to buy a gift of vintage jewellery for, I have been thinking about this and think that a vintage silver accessory such as a Victorian silver pencil might suit?
Vintage jewellery for Teenagers: For your fashion conscious teenage girl a string of vintage glass beads . These could be in her favourite colour. Vintage jewellery is really THE thing to be seen in this year so she will be the envy of all her friends. Teenage boys seem to want money, Do you think that would extend to a vintage silver ingot from the 1970s?
vintage brooch
Vintage Jewellery for Ladies: Easy, there is so much to choose from. I often recommend that a brooch is the ideal gift of vintage jewellery and a lady can never have too many. The lovely thing about vintage brooches is that you can find one to suit all budgets and tastes. Does the lady like a traditional style or modern? You can find a real Victorian brooch from about £20 or spend several hundreds of pounds if you prefer. Think what colour she likes to wear, costume jewellery brooches are available in all the colours of the rainbow and more. Perhaps she has a favourite type of animal? Well you can find brooches in the shape of most, cat brooches, horse brooches, dog brooches and bird brooches are quite popular.
Vintage Jewellery for Gents: So much more to choose from that you would have imagined. Cuff links, Tie pins, lapel pins and Albert watch chains. Some gents link to wear rings , an earring or a chain round their neck. Why should us ladies have all the fun, vintage jewellery is for Gents too.
Gold, Silver or Vintage Costume Jewellery this Christmas?
Gold is very expensive this year in fact the prices have never been higher, excellent if you have deep pockets but what about the rest of us? Vintage Silver Jewellery is much less costly and just as likely to rise in value as gold is in the current market. It is durable like gold and can be worn by most people without the fear of allergy. Costume jewellery can be a budget alternative but only if you avoid the big designer names, some vintage costume jewellery can fetch more than the equivalent would made of silver by an unknown maker.
www.Antiquesavenue.co.uk is currently featuring vintage jewellery suitable for Christmas presents and there are lots more to be added to the shop over the comming weeks so please do check back soon. Tomorrow I will take a look in more detail at a few individual pieces of jewellery which would make a special gift.
Vintage Jewellery for your wedding anniversary
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellery and Antique Jewellery for your wedding or other anniversary. I have just been asked which stone to give for a 5th wedding anniversary. Here is my guide of what vintage or antique jewellery gifts to give. Remember these are not just for wedding anniversary’s they suite all other anniversaries too and the vintage jewellery can just as easily be a gift fit a gent as for a lady. Buying vintage or antique jewellery is not only great for the giver but as you can see from this Emerald ring can be superb value too.
Emerald Ring
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 Celticbrooch 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 Victorianrose cut diamond for something special?
11th Anniversary is Steel – Turquoises – one of my favourites – a 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
Are there more than 80? Please let me know if you do. Perhaps I will invent a few to take us up past 100 if I don’t find an official list soon.
8 reasons why Vintage Jewellery makes a great gift
Posted by: | CommentsAntique Jewellery and Vintage Jewellery make excellent gifts for everyone male and female and including that special gift for yourself. There are a huge variety of pieces to buy in all materials, shapes, sizes and functions and in all prices ranges and so you should be able to find something for everyone. But why does vintage and antique jewellery make such a good gift?.
vintage brooch
Eight reasons Vintage Jewellery and Antique Jewellery make a great gift.
1. The recipient will like it
~ appeal is always the most compelling reason for buying a piece after all hopefully it will be worn time after time
2. It is more likely to be unique than a piece bought from a shop. No danger of someone else turning up with the same present or that the lucky recipient will be seen wearing the same as someone else.
3. Its a bargain / cheap
~ just compare prices with new for the same quality. Your gift of antique jewellery will look like you have spent a lot more than you really have. In these credit crunch days we all need to save a little and look like we’ve spent a lot
4. There’s a huge variety available in all shapes and sizes which means you can match the brooch, cufflinks, necklace or pendant to the taste of the individual.
5. Its more likely to be a better investment than a new piece. You will be giving a gift that will most likely appreciate in value and certainly will not devalue like new will.
6. Its green – what a better way to go green than to buy vintage – no one can accuse you of wasting the planets resources. Buy on-lin will reduce the carbon footprint even further as shopping on the internet uses less resources than buying from a high street shop.
7. Shows how much though and consideration you have put into the gift. Many who receive a gift are more interested in the time you have spent on the gift rather than the amount you spent on it. I am sure Mum or Grannie will really appreciate your special effort.
8. Vintage Jewellery for Men and for Women is high fashion this year. All the top names are wearing vintage and so can your friends too with that special vintage ort antique jewellery gift from you.
vintage ring
Vintage Jewellery – the less fattening Easter gift
Posted by: | CommentsDo you give chocolate at Easter? We all love chocolate but I am wondering how many other ladies are like me and would secretly prefer a gift of vintage Jewellery this Easter? Chocolate is enjoyed for moments whilst vintage jewellery can be worn and enjoyed for many years to come and you dont get all those nasty calories.
Lets take a look at the sort of vintage jewellery which would be particularly suitable as an Easter Gift. How about jewellery with a floral theme?
Here are a few pretties available from AntiquesAvenue:
Vintage Flower earrings
silver flower bracelet
flowers brooch
