Archive for Seasonal
Vintage Wedding Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsAntiquesAvenue has a department devoted to Vintage Wedding Jewellery and each time a piece goes off to its new home I think how lovely that the Bride has chosen a genuine piece of Vintage Jewellery to wear on her special day. A piece of vintage wedding jewellery can look better than new, be more individual and cost less than new. Better than all of these is that the piece of Vintage Wedding Jewellery can help fulfill both the old and blue parts of the custom for wearing ” Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe”.
These items in the poem are meant to all bring good luck to the bride who wears them and this custom probably started back in the Victorian Era
Something Old
Wedding Earrings
Technically most antique or vintage jewellery could fulfill the “Something Old” part of this good luck custom, most brides would prefer something a little bright, white, pretty or sparkling such as pearls, diamante. How about a nice necklace or pair of earrings set with diamante and pearls. This pair of earrings is chandelier type and are very large and glamorous. The “Something Old” is meant to symbolise the past and perhaps a link to the brides family. A piece of Vintage Wedding Jewellery from mum or Grannies Jewelry box would be especially suitable .
Of course not all brides want sparkling white and girly for their wedding day. Some would prefer a Gothic look and so a piece of genuine Victorian Antique Jewellery would be best for ” Something Old”. For a smart wedding where the bride is not wearing the traditional white wedding dress the Bride could still wear something old , a lovely enamel brooch to match the colours of her outfit perhaps.
Vintage wedding Jewellery is not just for the Bride, There are some wonderful pieces available for bridesmaids and the Brides Mother too.
Something Blue“Something Blue”? Why not another colour? I used to think that the colour had been made up to suit the poem however digging in to the history blue does have associations with weddings. The Romans wore blue at their weddings to symbolise Love and Fidelity and it has also been thought to keep bad spirits away. There is a wide range of different blue colours available in Jewellery from pale baby blue ( Glass Jewellery?), sky blue aquamarines too a deep almost black blue found in some Australian Sapphires.
Another idea is to have the something “Old and blue” in your engagement ring and so you will always be wearing your lucky wedding day charms.
Vintage Ring
Wedding Necklace
St Patricks day vintage jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsSt Patrick’s day vintage jewellery
St Patrick’s day is on March the 17th every year, appropriately I just happened to be adding a vintage enamel and gold Shamrock charm to my vintage jewellery shop today and realised that there are several pieces of jewellery suitable for your St Patrick’s day celebration.
St Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland and his special day celebrates all Irish culture. St Patrick’s day celebrations are held in many cities around the world and usually involve a parade, wearing emerald green, Irish music and all accompanies by lots and lots of Guinness. The Shamrock is associated with St Patrick as he allegedly used its 3 part form to teach about the Bible.
Irish silver brooch
This silver charm is in the form of a Celtic Penannular brooch. It is fully hallmarked in Dublin
Age:1990s Approx Size: 1 inch diameter
Approx Weight: 4.2 grams Country of origin Ireland
enamel gold charm
Here is a vintage gold charm made in the shape of a Shamrock and enameled in green. This charm is fully hallmarked as 9 carat gold. This gold charm will add a touch of colour to any vintage gold charm bracelet and it measures about 12 mm long
Emerald Jewellery
These earrings are set with really nice Emeralds. Each emerald is faceted and measures about 6mm long. The emeralds are set into fully hallmarked nine carat gold. These emerald earrings are for pierced ears and are in excellent clean condition.
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 A-Z, Christmas
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellery A-Z, C is for Christmas, Christenings, Coronation and Children.
AntiquesAvenue’s continuing A-z of occasions and reasons to buy vintage Jewellery explores the letter C.
Christmas
Christmas earrings
As I have written previously there is a piece of vintage jewellery suitable for a Christmas present for everyone and I will come back to this again in December this year.
There is also vintage jewellery with a Christmas theme to collect. Brooches and pins in the shape of a Christmas tree, snowman earrings or farther Christmas hanging from a charm bracelet. The earrings in the picture above are in the shape of angels – how suitable for Christmas day.
Christenings, Children
Yes you can give vintage jewelry as presents for children and at christenings. Silver and gold without stones are both suitable and especially small pieces. Silver bangles are traditional christening presents for girls or how about a small silver purse? For a boy, how about a Vesta case, card case or a silver fob?
Coronation
coronation charm
Coronation jewellery souvenirs can be found from Queen Victoria onwards. I have not actually seen pieces from her coronation but the charm shown in the picture shows the coronation throne and was made to mark the coronation of King Edward VII. This silver charm depicts the coronation throne in Westminster Abbey and the charm has full silver hallmarks for 1901 the year in which Edward VII became king. The charm measures about 3 cms long . There are similar charms for the coronations throughout the 1900s.
Vintage valentines jewellery for men
Posted by: | CommentsVintage 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:
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.
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.
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
5 pieces of vintage jewellery for valentines day
Posted by: | Comments5 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.
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
AntiquesAvenue wishes you Happy New Year
Posted by: | CommentsAntiquesAvenue wishes you Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all my readers and Customers. A new year and also a new decade. To celebrate I have an extra special piece of vintage jewellery reduced in price on antiquesavenue.co.uk. A 1970s silver charm bracelet reduced from £70 to £50.
This bracelet has some special and sought after silver charms including two money charms and an hour glass. The bracelet is fully hallmarked as sterling silver so dont miss out on this one.
Have you made an interesting New Years resolutions? Mine are to keep this antique blog up to date several times a week and to find lots of really interesting pieces of vintage jewellery for my shop.
Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year
Anne
