Archive for A to Z
Aventurine by chance gemstone
Posted by: | CommentsAventurine by chance
Aventurine is a lovely green colour, the colour of jade or emerald. This gemstone is enhanced by flecks of mica or hematite which give a the polished surface a sparkling effect known as Aventurescence. Aventurine can also be found in other colours such as grey or red / brown.
Aventurine is found in Brazil, India and Russia amongst other countries.
So why do I call it the ” by chance ” gemstone? Aventurine comes from the Italian “A ventura” which translates to By chance and refers to a lucky find by an Italian of a type of glass containing flecks which can be used to imitate both aventurine ( green) and gold stone ( brown with gold flecks). This imitation is also used widely in jewellery but you should easily be able to tell the difference with a 10x lens where the glass will show the copper spangles as opposed to the more natural flecks in Aventurine.
Aventurine was popular during the art deco era as the green colour matched the fashion of the time.
In crystal healing Aventurine is supposed to be supporting and comforting. I calms anger and aids recovery.
The vintage jewellery necklace shown here is an original piece of art deco jewellery made with Aventurine polished into small slabs. It can also be found as beads, cabochons and even carved into cameos.
Art Deco Aventurine necklace vintage jewellery
An original art deco necklace made of Aventurine (an apple green coloured natural gemstone with silver flecks inside. This necklace is on a gold thread coloured cord with gold coloured thread wrapped between each piece of aventurine. This is a wonderful piece of original vintage jewellery which measures about 45 cms long. The longest piece of aventurine is 2 cms deep.
Amethysts, The sobriety Jewel
Posted by: | CommentsIs your vintage jewellery set with a purple or violet gemstone? If so there is a good chance that that stone is amethyst. The amethyst is a popular gemstone which varies from a light violet to a deep Royal Purple in colour . The amethyst is a purple form of quartz.
amethyst jewellery
The amethyst in history and legend
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the amethyst protected from drunkenness, drinking from an amethyst bowl would keep you sober. In fact the word amethyst is derived from the ancient Greek work for intoxicated. The Legends of the Gods include variations of stories about Dionysus’s tears staining quartz purple to form amethyst.
The amethyst has been worn as a gemstone since at least Egyptian times
Is this a real amethyst or a piece of costume jewellery?
Whilst amethysts are quite abundant and not over particularly expensive as gemstones go, not every purple or violet stone you find is real. Some amethyst coloured stones are made of glass. Look deep into the amethyst with a 10 x magnifying class. Can you see round bubbles? if so it is most likely to be glass. Can you see tiger stripes? If so then your amethyst could well be real. You will need to take your gemstone to an experienced jewellery to be sure.
What makes an Amethyst valuable?
Like all gemstones the larger the better and the clearer the better. Amethysts can be quite opaque and cloudy and such stones are often turned into beads.
Care of Amethyst jewellery.
The amethyst is quite a tough material measuring 7 on Mohs scale . This means that any jewellery set with amethysts will be quite durable and it is suitable for wearing in rings. As with all jewellery you need to take a look at what the stone is set into before you decide how to clean it. If the amethyst is set into silver or jewellery and with no other stones present you may clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner without any real harm. Alternatively a quick dip in liquid jewellery cleaner should be OK ( not silver dip) . Rinse well and pat dry.
Vintage Jewellery set with Amethysts
Here are a few examples of vintage jewellery set with amethysts available from antiquesavenue:
vintage amethyst jewellery
vintage pendant pearl amethyst silver baroque
What an amazing vintage pendant and is in the antique baroque style although it actually dates from the early 1900s. This pendant is made of silver and set with a central real amethyst and baroque and round pearls (I am presuming the round pearls are cultured although I cannot test these without damaging them). The smaller “amethysts” are coloured glass. I have added a newer silver chain so that this pendant is ready to wear.
Material:Silver, amethyst and costume jewellery Size: Pendant is 4 cms long and 3.6 cms wide. The silver chain is 60 cms long-Age:Early 1900s Condition: Excellent
Antique lavalier 9 carat gold amethyst
gold ring diamond and amethysts
A wonderful antique style gold ring made of fully hallmarked nine carat gold and set with real amethysts and diamonds. This ring sparkles wonderfully. The head of the ring measures about 6 mm wide. It is UK ring size just over O, USA 7.5
Amber, Jewellery from prehistory to today
Posted by: | CommentsAmber was one of the original jewellery materials used by our ancestors since the Bronze age or possibly before. The Greeks, Romans and ancient Celts all treasured amber set jewellery. More recently into Victorian Jewellery, in the Art Deco era and of course Amber is very popular nowadays. AntiquesAvenue takes a little look Amber and how it is used in Jewellery.
About Amber
Amber is the fossilized resin of pine trees, in the main it has been under the sea for 60 million years. Amber is found in a range of colours, normally we see it in honey shades but it can vary from a pale whitish or lemon colour through to almost black. Cherry red amber is very sought after and a natural amber in shades of blue is most rare. Natural amber is cut, carved and polished into the required shapes. As it is very soft for a gemstone is is possible to carve it quite intricately or alternatively it can be faceted. Most often we see amber polished smooth.
Antique Amber pendant
Care of Amber Jewellery
As Amber is quite soft it needs to be handled with some care, store it separately or protected from other pieces of jewellery so that it does not scratch. Also avoid leaving it in direct sunlight for a long time. Solvents in perfume and hairspray can damage your amber, the best thing to do is to use these first and put your amber jewellery on after. Perhaps clean it as soon as practicable after wearing.
When cleaning your amber jewellery please do not use an ultra sonic cleaner or harsh chemicals and do not use a jewellery dip. A soft cloth and a very tiny drop of pure olive oil are often recommended. If the jewellery is set into gold or silver you could try and clean the metal without toughing the amber.
How to tell Amber from Faux Amber
As Amber is so popular these days the price is rising and so fake or faux amber jewellery is being produced. How can you tell a real piece of amber from a piece of plastic or resin jewellery? The traditional method was to make a saturated salt solution, amber will float in this where as glass or plastic would sink. This method does not work on pieces of amber which are set into metal as they would sink with the weight of the metal. I have heard that if you stick a hot needle into amber that it smells of pine trees. I am not going to try this on a piece of amber jewellery as it would be damaged.
Here are two tests that you can try on your jewellery. Rub it against a piece of wool, its electrostatic properties produce static electricity which will attract dust. Secondly amber can glow a greenish yellow under an ultraviolet lamp
Amber Jewellery
Value of Amber Jewellery
Amber Jewellery can be purchased fro about £20 upwards depending on the age, setting, size of the piece and craftsmanship. Very occasionally a piece of amber is found with an insect trapped into it and such pieces if genuine would fetch a few hundred pounds or more. Beware of fakes if the amber is set with an insect though and only buy from a very trusted source. Please pop over to my vintage jewellery shop at www.antiquesavenue.co.uk where I like to have one or two pieces of amber in stock.
Agate Jewellery, Victorian Pebble gems
Posted by: | CommentsAgate is a colourful form of Quartz gemstone which can be cut and polished into Cabochons or panels and set into jewellery. There are lots of different decorative agates which have been used for hundreds of years but became particularly popular in the Victorian era as part of the Scottish trend. Many of these agates were mined in Scotland although it is found world wide. I have made a little video which takes a look at some of the wide variety of Agates available as antique and vintage jewellery.
Value of Agate Jewellery
Agate is not a particularly expensive stone as it is quite common. The more decorative and colourful the piece the more value it has. The value in a piece of agate set jewellery (often known as pebble jewellery) can be in the setting . A silver or gold piece of jewellery set with agate is going to be more valuable than agate set into costume jewellery. The shape of the piece of jewellery is also important as is the size. A Victorian pebble brooch can cost as little as £30 rising in cost with desirability to about £150. I would not expect to see one at a much higher price than this unless it was by a famous maker, set into a heavy gold frame or had some other factor to boost the price.
Care of Agate Jewellery
Agate is quite a hard stone and so will wear well in jewellery and which is why we see so many antique pieces still in good condition. Take care not to drop the piece as I do see agates with cracks in them from time to time. Store pieces separately so that they do not rub together.
If the piece of Agate jewellery is set into gold or silver it is possible to give it a wipe with a damp cloth to clean it without any harm. Some agates have been dyed and so I would avoid cleaning chemicals if possible.
Examples of Agate Jewellery:
AntiquesAvenue.co.uk usually has a few nice agate brooches for you to choose from . Please do take a look int he Antique Brooches section.
Agate Brooch
Abalone Shell, peacock colours for costume jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsAbalone shell is a most colourful form of mother of pearl which has become very fashionable in recent years for use in costume jewellery as its colours are much stronger than mother of pearl from other sources.
Abalone shell for use in jewellery come in a range of iridescent pearlescent colours varying from a silver white through pink and reddish tones. The most popular colours are in Iris or peacock shades of blue, green and purple as show here set into this fob.
Abalone Fob
Much of the Abalone shell used today comes from New Zealand where it is know as Paua shell. Abalones are also found in Australia, California, South Africa and the Channel Islands.Care of Abalone Jewellery
If possible just lightly rub with a piece of lint free cloth. The Abalone will be set into another material and you may need to take special care depending on the material it is set into. A damp cloth can be used where necessary. Do not dip Abalone into jewellery cleaner or silver dip. Shell should never be cleaned in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaning machine.
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.
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
