Archive for C
Crystal Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsCrystal Jewellery, what is it? Have you every seen that a piece of vintage jewellery which is made of crystal or set with crystal? What is this crystal and what are you buying?
The term crystal can be applied to several different materials and colours;
Rock Crystal
Rock crystal is a natural gemstone being the colourless form of quartz. The most valuable Rock Crystal jewellery is the largest clearest crystals. I will be talking a lot more about Rock Crystal Jewellery when we get to the letter R.
Rock crystal ring
Scandinavian silver ring. Heres a nice piece of vintage jewellery from circa 1970s. This ring is made of silver and set with two rock crystal gemstones which are worn up finger.
This ring carries the makers mark of Kultaseppa Salovaara who made jewellery in Finland between the 1950s and 1980s. This ring measures about 2 cms long up finger . The shank has been made so that the ring size is adjustable an so can be worn on a range of finger sizes
Crystal Glass
Crystal glass is glass made with a high led content ( up to 40% led)which gives it more sparkle than glass without the led content. A very high led content glass can often appear a little grey in colour and so low led would be considered better. Swarovski crystal jewellery is probably the most famous name in crystal Jewellery today. I recently came across a piece of Swarovski crystal jewellery with an accompanying leaflet which claims their crystal jewellery is hand polished – much nicer than mass produced jewellery.
Swarovski crystal brooch
Crystal colour
We normally think of Crystal coloured jewellery as being clear
Vintage Glass Necklace
This vintage necklace is made of art glass beads, crystal clear with white swirls inside. These glass beads are joined on a metal chain and with twisted metal beads between. This piece of vintage jewellery fastens with a barrel claps and measures about 40 cms long. The glass beads are in excellent condition , the metal has faded a little over time
Care of Crystal Glass Jewellery:
Crystal glass jewellery which does not have any other materials attached can be cleaned with a proprietary glass cleaner ( pick a clear liquid not a pink or blue one which could leave streaks). You can also wash crystal and crystal beads can be places in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner.
Cultured Pearls
Posted by: | CommentsAbout Cultured Pearls
Pearls have their own unique beauty which is popular in jewellery as the finish compliments and enhances the skin tones of the wearer. Vintage Jewellery set with pearls is sought after and antique pearl jewellery can reach very high prices. Pearls can be worn with almost every outfit and most ladies like to have at least one pearl necklace and a pair of pearl earrings in their Jewellery box. There are many different kinds of pearls available, you will see terms like, Baroque pearls, faux pearls, freshwater pearls , South Sea Pearls and cultured pearls .
Cultured Pearls are one of the most popular types of pearl today, cheaper than natural sea pearls but still grown inside an oyster but with a little help from man and so they can have the same appearance as pearls which grow naturally without our help.
A pearl grows inside the shell of an oyster as a response to an irritation or damage to the mantle. With naturally occurring pearls this happens by accident, in a cultured pearl this process is triggered by the pearl farmer. Today nearly all the pearls available ( probably 99%) are cultured pearls.
The method used by pearl farmers was first developed over 100 years ago in Japan. Mikimoto was the first to develop commercially available round cultured pearls and the name Mikimoto is still associated with the highest quality cultured pearls available today.
Pearl necklace
How to tell a cultured pearl from a natural pearl.
Telling a cultured pearl from a natural one is difficult without an x ray to see what is in its center. If the pearl is drilled as a bead it is much easier, by looking carefully into the hole of a cultured pearl you can normally see where the pearl material ends and the core material starts.
Care of cultured pearls.
Cultured pearls are fragile in comparison with gemstones such as diamonds. Firstly keep them as clean as possible, put them on after putting on perfume and make up. You can wipe pearls with a damp cloth and allow them to dry before putting them away. If absolutely necessary add a small amount of soft soap to the water, rinse will and leave out to dry before careful storage.
A few don’ts with cultured pearls. Never put them in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner, never wear pearl rings for every day takes such as housework and never use any form of jewellery cleaner unless specifically recommended for pearls.
Your cultured pearl Jewellery should last for many years if you care for it well, many vintage pearl necklaces are cultured pearls and they have survived in excellent condition by being looked after.
Ceramics in Vintage Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsAbout Ceramic Jewellery
Antique Jewellery and Vintage Jewellery has been made with ceramics for as long as clay has been used to make pots, since prehistoric times.
This picture shows a necklace made of long ceramic beads and pottery beetle shaped stones which could originate from any time from between the ancient Egyptian times and the 1920s.
Antique Ceramic necklace
How do I know if my Jewellery is made of pottery or porcelain?
Ceramics used in jewellery include both pottery and porcelain and these can be found as beads and as plaques. Porcelain and pottery have a difference composition and porcelain is fired at a much higher temperature.
Pottery tends to look a little more naive and simple than porcelain however the best way of telling the difference is to shine a bright light through the piece. A bright light will show through porcelain but not pottery. Pottery needs a glaze or it becomes porous ( as in terracotta pots) but porcelain has a natural glassy surface which is impervious to water.
Porcelain brooch
Care of ceramic jewellery
Ceramic jewellery can easily be chipped and so you should take care not to knock or drop it. Porcelain can be washed carefully if there are no other materials involved in the piece of jewellery however I would not wash pottery jewellery unless I was sure that the glaze was in good condition. A brush with a soft brush will keep dust off.
Special types of ceramic jewellery
Painted porcelain jewellery
During the Victorian era and for much of the 1900s hand painted ceramic plaques were popular for use in jewellery. During the Victorian era you would often find classical scenes which had been transferred to jewellery and then set into materials such as jet:
Porcelain jet pendant
Wedgwood Jasper Jewellery
Wedgwood jasper has been used in jewellery since the 1700s and is very collectable today. Look out for pieces with unusual designs and colours such as this Wedgwood jasper and silver necklace:
Wedgwood Jasper necklace
A very unusual Wedgwood Jasper necklace made of silver and set with a blue jasper plaque featuring a goddess. The silver is also set with diamante. The Wedgwood Logo is stamped into the reverse of this piece and the fully hallmarked silver can be dated to the early 1990s. The pendant part of the necklace measures about 4.4 cms wide and up to 3 cms high. In total this necklace measures about 46 cms long. A very rare piece of vintage jewellery
A personal favourite
Ruskin pottery cabochon jewellery is a personal favourite of mine. These pottery plaques have been made by several different art pottery companies the most desirable of which are when the cabochons are stamped “Ruskin” on the reverse, the makers mark of the Ruskin pottery. You can find unmarked cabochons and I have seen them by Bretby and Maw.
Ruskin silver arts crafts pendant necklace
This vintage arts and crafts pendant is set with a Ruskin type cabochon surrounded by 4 roses and pearls. A really lovely original piece of vintage jewellery. This pendant comes ready to wear complete on a silver chain. The chain measures about 36 cms long. The pendant is about 2.8 cms wide
Cornelian or Carnelian?
Posted by: | CommentsCarnelian and Cornelian are the same name for a red variety of Chalcedony which is one of the varieties of Quartz hard stones. This stone is sometimes found in antique jewellery and vintage jewellery
Cornelian is probably the name most used these days. The red is a translucent colour and it can vary from yellowish to brownish red.
carnelian Jewellery
The red colour is due to Iron oxide in the stone and the red deepens when it is heated. Much of this stone comes from India where they put it out in the sun to deepen the red colour.
Once it was thought that Cornelian would still the blood or calm the temper.
This hardstone can be made into beads, cabochons or carved as an intaglio or cameo. One of the most popular uses during the Victorian era was to set it into Men’s jewellery particularly into watch fobs and spinning fobs.
AntiquesAvenue offers genuine antique and vintage carnelian jewellery such as the wonderful vintage jewellery set pictured above.
Vintage Jewellery materials. C is for…..
Posted by: | CommentsSo here comes the Letter C of antique and vintage jewellery materials. C is for:
Ceramic, Cornelian/carnelian, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Coins, Copper, Coral, Crystal, Cubic Zirconia, Cultured Pearl and Cut Steel.