Archive for costume Jewellery
Costume Jewellery Materials
Posted by: | CommentsWhat is costume Jewellery made of? When we are looking at vintage jewellery materials we see all sorts of lovely pieces, Necklaces, rings, earrings, bangles, brooches which are made of costume jewellery . The term is used to cover all Jewellery which is not made of Precious stones and metals.
Semi Precious Costume Jewellery stones
Semi Precious stones are all naturally occurring gemstones which are not Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires and Emeralds. For example amethysts, Citrines, aquamarines and opals are all considered to be semi precious and can be found as costume jewellery or fine jewellery depending upon the other materials they are made of. If the semi precious stones are set with gold or platinum or silver then the Jewellery is generally considered to be fine Jewellery rather than costume Jewellery. A string of amethyst chip beads would be costume jewellery as would a pair of opal earrings in a gold plated setting.
Agate Brooch
Costume Jewellery Metals
All metals except for gold, platinum and silver are costume Jewellery as is base metal plated with gold, silver or platinum. The metal in costume jewellery could be a metal we can name such as copper or brass . More likely this metal will be a mixture of metals . Pot Metal is is the term given to some base metal used in costume jewellery . Other metals I have found in costume jewellery include stainless steel, aluminium and Iron ( remember Iron nail necklaces in the 1970s?)
Costume buckle
Natural costume Jewellery materials
Many many different materials have been used in costume jewellery throughout history. Early materials would have included animal bones , feathers, river washed pebbles, leather and shell. These are still used today in many ethnic style costume jewellery. Cultured pearls are a natural costume jewellery material which has only been available for a little over 100 years. The Victorians made wide use of costume jewellery materials , polishing agates into slabs. A few more naturally occurring costume jewellery materials include Jet, Wood, fossils and amber.
Man Made Costume Jewellery materials.
Ceramic Jewellery, Lucite, Bakelite and all other plastic Jewellery, imitation gemstones ( CZ, Paste, Glass crystal). The beauty of costume jewellery is that these materials can be mixed and matched to create something beautiful to wear at a reasonable cost compared to fine jewellery.
Many pieces of costume jewellery are made of mixed materials, Take a look at this vintage brooch or art deco glass necklace to see a couple of nice examples.
Bakelite
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Jewellery A-Z continues with Bakelite. Bakelite is one of the most highly collected forms of Vintage Costume Jewellery.
Bakelite is a form of plastic, in fact it was the first synthetic plastic and was first made in the early days of the last century. Bakelite was most popular for use in Jewellery between the 1920s and about 1950. It was popular because it was one of the first materials that could be moulded, coloured and shaped, was light weight and relatively low cost.
Bakelite brooch
Bakelite was made into all sorts of jewellery brooches and bangles, earrings and necklaces. The colours and shapes used were those that were popular in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s ( The art Deco era). Bakelite was made in Ivory colour, Green, Red, Yellow and black as well as marbled colours and translucent pieces. You can also fine Bakelite set with Rhinestones / diamante and mixed with other costume jewellery materials.
Identification of Bakelite
The collector of Bakelite needs to be able to distinguish the real thing from other types of early plastics and this is not easy and something I do struggle with myself. The most commonly recommended way to tell the difference is by heating the piece gently and then smelling it. If your piece of jewellery can be safely immersed in water you can dip it for a second into boiling water. Apparently the hot Bakelite gives off the smell of carbolic acid, the problem with this is that you need a good sense of smell and you need to know what carbolic acid smells like.
A few characteristics which may also help identify Bakelite are that it is heavier than other plastics and makes a clunking sound when two pieces are knocked together.
I have heard that there is a polish known as “Simichrome” which when you polish the Bakelite with it leaves a yellow smear on the cloth.
Also check how the metal findings ( clasps , catches and hinges) are attaches. If they are screwed into the plastic rather than glued on then this would indicate Bakelite.
Care of Bakelite:
Store pieces separately to prevent scratching, avoid bright sunlight and harsh chemicals including those in perfume and hairspray.
A couple of books which might help:- Bakelite Style by Tessa Clark pub Chartwell books
- Collecting Art Plastic Jewellery by Leigh Leshner pub KP Book
Bakelite Necklace
This amazing vintage art deco Bakelite necklace is so long that i have had problems showing it to good advantage in the photos. There are two shapes of Ivory and black coloured Bakelite panels joined by silver toned metal chain. There is a hook which joins the two ends as a necklace as can be see in the third photo.
The hollow panel measure about 6 x 1.5 cms with the total length of this art deco necklace being about 125 cms. The Bakelite is in excellent condition although there is a little fading to the silver tone metal.
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.
Victorian costume Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsPart 2b of AntiquesAvenue’s guide to the history of costume jewellery covers The Victorian Era.
The Victorians loved jewellery of all kinds and when they couldnt afford precious stones and metals they wore jewellery made from non precious materials which we now know as Costume Jewellery.
Victorian Costume Jewellery Influences:
There were two main influences on the jewellery during the Victorian era :i) Queen Victoria herself and ii) new discoveries and innovations
i) Queen Victoria’s influence on Jewellery style can be seen with mass market copies of the Jewellery which the queen wore herself. When she had a interest in all things Scottish then celtic and pebble jewellery became fashionable. This influence was seen in both the materials used in jewellery and also in the shapes with Penannular shields, Kilt pins, Dirks, Scottish Crosses and buckles all being popular. When she went into mourning following the death of Prince Albert then the whole country took to deep mourning following the death of loved ones and the fashion for black jewellery was created. Victorian Jewellery of this kind is highly sought after these days.
ii) New discoveries and innovations. New materials became available ( see below) and these were quickly used in costume jewellery also with technological progress new manufacturing techniques were invented. These manufacturing techniques meant that costume jewellery could be mass produced making it cheaper and more widely available. The new techniques included: the machine stamping of parts so that not everything had to be handmade as it was in previous eras. It was possible to inlay silver and gold into tortoishell . Aluminium was commercially produced from the 1860s and new discoveries of semi precious gems and new ways of cutting them brought their prices way down.
Costume Jewellery materials of the Victorian Era:
Jet Brooch
1. Jet, Gutta Percha, Bog Oak: The best Jet was from Whitby. A highly polished form of black glass known as French Jet was a cheap substitute. Gutta Percha is a natural material derived from rubber . Bog oak from Ireland is fossilised wood and often carved with shamrock shapes. All these have a dark black colour and were used in mourning jewellery
2. Rolled Gold , Gold Plate , Gold coloured metal, Iron. Used as substitutes for Gold and silver. Pinchbeck was still available but gradually faded from popularity.
3. Glass and Glass mosaics. Glass was used widely – as covers for locket panel, as beads in black and deep red, as paste stones . It was also formed into artificial cameos. Tiny glass tiles in different colours were put together to form micromosaic pictures mainly made in Italy.
4. Coral, Shell, Fish bone, pearls, tortoiseshell, mother of pearl. Materials from the sea once rare become more widely available as transport links improved. Shells were popular for carving into cameo jewellery
5. Early Plastics : celluloid, imitation coral, Parkasine. The Victorians invented plastics however the early plastics have not survived the years well , it has faded, cracked and generally disintegrated. Little Victorian plastic jewellery remains of any worth today.
6. Agate , semi precious gemstones and other hardstones: Popular for celtic type jewellery. new innovations and discoveries made it possible for these to be offered on the mass market. There is quite a wide range of Genuine Victorian hardstone and semi precious set costume jewellery available for us to buy today.
agate brooch
7. Hair, Teeth, claws, Horn, Bone, Ivory: Animal parts. The Victorians loved natural parts materials and wore them without the squeamishness that some of us (me included) would have today about such items. Hair jewellery was often made from the hair of a departed loved one – worn as bracelets, watch chains or in a locket. Tiger tooth brooches, animal claws and and teeth all mounted as brooches. There was no concern over conservation of elephants and ivory was widely .
8. Porcelain and pottery. Ceramic cabochons could be painted at home and decorated with flowers before being set into jewellery but most often porcelain plaques were printed with a scene from a classical European painting. These were popular holiday souvenirs.
The Jewellery Style of the Victorian Era
When Queen Victoria first reigned there was a naturalistic, romantic feel to jewellery. The Language of Flowers became popular with different flowers having different meanings for example Forget-me-nots were for true love. Once Prince Albert died the fashion became black and somber. This lasted until the later Victorian era (1880′s onwards) when colour once again appeared in all things.
There was also the influence of Gothic and medieval in early Victorian times . By the time of the Great Exhibition in Crystal palace (1851) design had become very ornate and heavy with almost everything being over ornamented. The Victorian aesthetic of the 1870s with its Japonaise feel was more simplistic.
At the very end of the Victorian era even simpler more naturalistic shapes and forms were revived with medieval and Scottish and Celtic themes being popular once more. This was part of the stylistic rebellion led by Ruskin pushed away from this heavy Victorian ornamentation and led to the arts and Crafts movement with its return to artistic values.
porcelain brooch
Costume Jewellery History part 1, ancient and medieval
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Costume Jewellery History part 1 , ancient and medieval
Part one of AntiquesAvenue’s guide to the history of vintage costume jewellery looks at what was worn in the ancient world right up through the middle ages until the beginnings of the industrial revolution when more sophisticated jewellery gradually became available due to improving production capabilities. Very little of this jewellery remains to be bought today which is still wearable, any which can be found is best kept as a collectable and if we wish find quality reproduction pieces to wear.
Before the 1920s there was no such term as “Costume Jewellery” but there was plenty of jewellery made from materials which nowadays we would call costume , that is non precious materials.
Truly prehistoric cultures are thought to have worn Jewellery and amulets made of natural materials such as leather, shell and feathers. Think of the reproduction items made by American Indians and the African and South Sea Tribal cultures today.
The ancient Egyptians before them the Sumerians and later on the Phoenicians developed a style of costume jewellery which has been imitated and reproduced many times through thee ages. We see some lovely ceramic beads in shades of turquoise and blue which have survived in the ancient Egyptian tombs . The Egyptians made glass beads and they used pearls which were found in the river Nile. These were used in designs including hieroglyphics and scarabs. The brooch shown below is a 1920s copy which looks something like a piece of costume Jewellery from ancient Egypt
Egyptian style brooch
The classical cultures of ancient Greece and Rome loved precious jewellery made of gold but they also made costume jewellery from glass mosaics. There is an abundance of ancient Greek and Roman Jewellery to see in our museums today – you can certainly see early cameos and intaglios carved with classical gods much like the shell cameos of today but of course shell has long disintegrated and we just see genuine ancient examples in glass . The ancient Romans and Greeks both used semi precious gemstones with the amethyst being popular as it was believed to ward off drunkenness.
The medieval era and the Renaissance also wore Jewellery of non precious materials – bronze was used and semi precious stones were worn most often in cabochon shape which was easy to polish. Motifs changed with Christian and celtic religious emblems replacing the ancient gods. Jewellery not often seen today such as Girdles, Cloak clasps and circlets went with the clothing of the day and were worn by both men and women. Pearls especially large baroque ones were highly regarded. There is very little original medieval jewellery surviving you will have to visit a museum to see any nowadays .
In the next part of my look at the history of costume jewellery I take a look at Vintage Jewellery which can still be found today from the Georgian and Victorian times.
A Vintage Brooch with a difference – three ways to wear
Posted by: | CommentsA Vintage Brooch with a difference – three ways to wear
Vintage brooch - dress clip
Have you seen a dress clip? These are unusual pieces of Vintage Jewellery which originated in the 1920s art deco era and were worn up until about the 1950s. The nice thing about these is that there is three pieces of Jewellery in the one brooch. To look at this at first it seems like a nice but standard art deco diamante brooch. Turn it over and you can see the difference – the two halves unclip and are removed from a base plate.
dress clip from rear
The two clip halves of the vintage brooch are worn as a pair on a dress or cardigan – often at the neckline. If you place a clip on either side of a neckline it will make the shape more square than round. Naturally a square shape to necklines suited the art deco ear as anything angular was popular.
The example of a dress clip brooch shown in these pictures is costume jewellery set with marcasites. you can find examples set with diamante and some of the nicest ones are made of silver. Other Dress clip brooches are made so that the base plate is studded with stones and can be worn as a brooch at the same time as the clip. Look out for ones in the shapes of flowers and animals – quite good fun to wear and dating from circa 1950s
Three parts of dress clip
Many Dress clip brooches were made by Coro who used the term “Duette” for these . Strictly it is only a Duette if it was made by Coro but the term often gets applied to any Dress clip brooch. If the word Duette appears on the back of the brooch it will have been made by Coro as they patented the term.
I think that the dress clip brooch is over due a fashion revival – buy now whilst they are still relatively cheap. There is usually one or twop available in my shop and I will be looking out for more.
Two Clips
