Here is a superb old stick pin set with micromosaics in a floral pattern .The stick pin is made of 800 grade continental silver. The head measures about 1.4 cms long with the pin being about 6.3 cms long in total. All the tiles are in place in this piece of jewellery which dates from [...]

A really beautiful antique art nouveau stick pin. This is made of French 18 carat gold with the Eagle head stamped onto the pin. This is the French hallmark for 18 carat.  The design of this stick pin is of an art nouveau lady she has a real diamond in her hair and a necklace [...]

Today I’m taking a look at tie pins and stick pins. These are pins which have been used for centuries to hold neck wear in place, originally cravats but more usually to hold a tie in place. These pins can also be worn as lapel pins to create a point of interest on the clothing. [...]

Im always looking out for good quality vintage  fobs to offer for sale. Recently I came across this Victorian spinner fob which is most unusual having a coat of arms on one side. I am keen to identify the coat of arms both out of interest and so that I can write an accurate description for [...]

Carnelian 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 [...]

Have you ever seen old jewellery set with a dark green stone with red flecks in it? This is known as bloodstone or sometimes as heliotrope.  This is a hardstone which was popular during the Victorian era for setting into fobs and seals however it can also be carved as a cameo or used in [...]

Vintage 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 for Valentines day 2013 for both men and ladies from antiquesavenue with last orders by [...]

As visitors to my antiques shop will know I have quite an excellent selection of antique and vintage charms and fobs for sale.  Examining a quantity of these today ( from a wonderful charm necklace)  it occurs to me that there is little or no difference between many charms and fobs and many of these [...]

These days smoking is seen as anti-social, un-healthy and is banned in public places. Years ago, before medical science proved that your health was in danger, more people smoked and over the years a wide range of smoking related items were manufactured.  Many such as the Vesta Case have dissapeared from everyday life today but there [...]

Stick pins, Ties pins, Lapel pins -  three different terms for the same piece of Jewelry. These little pins seem very quaint and old fashioned these days but they are also very collectible - I recently saw a show on television where even small and humble examples were valued at £100. For the purposes of this article when I [...]