Montgomery jewelry show

Montgomery girls, I'm comin' to town...with lots of old jewelry!

Don't you just love the invitation that Andrew designed? 

He's good.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer:

Last week, Andrew had the thought that the necklace from yesterday's post belonged to a librarian. He was a little miffed that I did not state his theory. My "off to war" guess doesn't compare to his initial "it belonged to a librarian" guess.

Does it matter? No.

Is it pretty? Yes.

Thanks for your inquiries so far.

A locket to treasure

Lockets are special for obvious reasons. Many people ask me about some of the lockets in my collection, and they always ask, "Does it open?"

The locket I'm featuring today certainly opens. I love that it opens in such an interesting way.

This locket has mother of pearl on the front and the back. It's set in gold-filled. 

It's killing me that I don't know the story of the man inside the locket. I bet he went to war and left this beaut for his lady to remember him when he got back. I bet that's what happened. 

Older is better

I've often wondered where all the old jewelry is. I mean the really old stuff, like 15th century pieces and such. There probably in old family safe's where they belong. 

I occasionally read this blog for design ideas that I can't afford and I often covet the items so I often don't click on the link for that reason. She had a great article about old jewelry, and an earring (pictured below) that was over 2,000 years old. When I had been thinking about the 15th century pieces, this blew my mind! I should have thought bigger, better, and older. It's funny in my business, the older something is, the more valuable and sought-after it is. If our society only revered elderly people that way...

If interested, read article here.

I bet it's cool in Greenbow, AL

I found these cool pieces not that long ago. I love a good retro, 1960s piece of jewelry. It keeps things funky. It keeps this southern gal funky. 

Black and red cloisonne', black enamel, and mother of pearl bangles. 

Do you feel as if you're channeling Jenny in Forrest Gump? 

"You know what I think? I think you should come home to GREENBOW, ALABAMA!" 

I never forgot the snake, arm bracelet she wore in the drug scene. Not my thing; the bracelet or the drugs.

{Necklace SOLD} 

Who needs diamond bands?

Who doesn't need diamond bands should be the question!

If you have a solitaire, you might need these. 

If you like stackables, you might need these. 

If you're getting married, you might need these. 

If you're fabulously single, you might need these. 

Okay...you get it. You need these. 

Need is such a strong word. If you want diamond bands, you have the opportunity to get a steal of a deal here. 

Details: I have the appraisal for these diamond beauties if interested. Both are set in 18k white gold. They are not soldered together; you can wear them separately or together. 

Stackable necklaces

I love stackables: bracelets, rings, and even necklaces.

These are 2 gold-filled pieces that look great together but sold separately! 

{Both SOLD}

The beauty of bakelite

It's great to see designers use alternative materials when making their new designs. I came across one designer, Raffaella Mannelli, that is using bakelite with 18k gold and diamonds!

I love the diamond pave' stackables!

I mention this piece because of the vintage, alternative material used, bakelite. 

Most antique stores have "Antique Weekly" or "Antique Lynx" publications, and I usually pick one up. The January issue of Antique Lynx featured an article on "The beauty of bakelite jewelry."

"Ironically one of the world's first true plastics, invited almost by accident, rose to glory as perhaps the most endearing type of costume jewelry of the 20th century."

It was a truly interesting article discussing the accidental invention around 1907 by Dr. Bakeland combining elements including formaldehyde. That's why when you rub this plastic, true bakelite will give off the slight smell of just that, formaldehyde. I should have paid more attention in chemistry class; maybe I could have actually benefitted from learning about different elements. 

Bakelite isn't one of my favorite vintage pieces, but when you add diamonds and 18k gold, it could quickly become appealing. 

Here's some cool vintage bakelite pieces that I found on the internet. 

I've never gotten any for the Cherche' collection. Maybe it's something I should look into.