Autumn genuine vintage brooches

At this time of the year, the leaves are falling and the weather grows cold. Back on goes the coats and jackets. I have always liked to pin a vintage brooch to my lapel. It is usually a brooch to go with the time of the year or how I feel that day. But it does not have to be a lapel. Pin a brooch to a hat or onto a bag.  It just lifts any outfit. My all time favourite for this time of the year is some great enamel leaf vintage brooches made right here in the UK. Companies like Exquisite, Sphinx and Hollywood produced some all time classics in many different finishes from hand painted enamel, marcasite to plain silver and gold that was textured.

 Golden sycamore vintage brooch by Exquisite. This brooch was available in many different finishes. Many can still be sourced today.

Fabulous hand enameled green ivy vintage brooch by Exquisite. Each brooch was hand painted and so they often varied in their look. Produced from the 1950s through to the 1970s and were very popular. Earrings and necklaces can still be found to match.

Another pretty enameled vintage brooch of a white vine leaf by Exquisite. This is one of the rarer hand enameled pieces we have found.

Hollywood also made some pretty vintage brooches. Also a Birmingham UK company that produced vintage jewellery like Exquisite from the early twentieth century to the late 70s. This is an attractive golden leaves vintage brooch by Hollywood.

Another stylish curled leaf vintage brooch from Hollywood. A popular plume motif used in many different jewellery designs. The texture adds greater interest and contrast.

Mirella Vintage Brooches

Good morning, I have wrote about vintage jewellery signed Mirella before. W A P Watson the company who produced the Exquisite brand also produced Mirella. Named after an employee, the brand was for fancy goods and mirrors. However I discovered a short time ago that they also produced a few pieces of jewellery under that name - well two brooches it seems!

This was the purple vintage brooch that I brought a while back.

I have seen this brooch not only signed Mirella but also signed Exquisite.

This is the other brooch (below) that I have just brought signed Mirella. It is the only other one that I have seen under the Mirella brand. Both brooches are in my own collection but we source Exquisite and Mirella jewellery that will be added to the page on the above link regularly.

Both pretty floral designs and hand enameled with mock marcasite. Would say they date to the 1960s.
We have added more vintage brooches over the last few weeks in floral designs as well as with many other looks.

Vintage jewellery for May

April has just flown by and with May just after this Bank Holiday weekend, I thought I would look at May.
Traditionally the birthstone for this month is the emerald, as well as used for the astrological signs of Taurus and Cancer.

The flower of this month is the white Lily of the Valley (association - making the right choice). For W. A. P. Watson and the Exquisite Birthday jewellery - they used the flower pansy (association - you are in my thoughts and the sacred sign of the Holy Trinity).

Vintage jewellery often depicts flowers. So looking around my garden blue Forget-me-nots (association - loyalty) are everywhere.

Purple Honesty (association - fascination) and the yellow tree peony (association - anger, indignation and shame) are out.

The garden Bluebells (association - constancy and humility) are also still in full bloom. Spring flowers of daffodils (association - respect, regard and chivalry), tulips (association - wealth and importance) and iris (association - passionate and love) can be seen along the roads.

So its quite easy to wear jewellery that is in season or give to someone who was born this month.
     

 Have a good Royal Wedding day and enjoy the May Bank Holiday.

Vintage jewellery for Autumn

The sun is still shinning - here in Solihull in the UK. But cold weather is suppose to be on the way!
Leaves are falling and nature is preparing for the winter. Think this one will be bad as the bushes have been heavy with berries and quite early this year!

So here's some vintage jewellery to wear over the next few months

 Vintage brooch by Exquisite Horse chestnut

This is the enameled version Vintage brooch by Exquisite

Horse chestnut or conkers and leaves vintage scarf clip 

Yes nearly conker time again. Great fun as a child throwing up sticks in the local park to bring the conkers down. Hear that some areas have banned this due to health and safety!! But you soon learn that if you throw a stick straight up and then stand under it. Both stick and a load of conkers hit you on the head!!

Vintage fir cone brooch

Collect fir cones over the year and store for Christmas, either glue some glitter on or spray silver or gold. They are great for adding to floral arrangements as Christmas decorations.

Hand enamel ivy leaf vintage brooch by Exquisite

Sycamore or maple leaf vintage brooch by Exquisite

Another childhood memory was throwing up the seeds in their case from the sycamore or maple tree. they acted like helicopters and whirled back to earth. Used to see who could throw the highest. 

Have to say that Exquisite made some great leaf brooches that are not made today. that are ideal for Autumn wear

And last but not least some Autumn beads for craft projects 

Autumn glass beads second hand

Now off to take a few photographs while the weather lasts.......

Vintage Exquisite Jewellery Signed or Unsigned Information & Dating

For those of you that collect vintage Exquisite jewellery from WAP Watson, may have discovered that many pieces are unsigned.
The company was in production (except the Second World War years) from 1914 until around 1979.
It may surprise you that before 1953 all jewellery was unsigned. Sometime between 1953 and the end of the fifties, they started to add a plaque with the name "Exquisite" in script.

 Script plaque says Exquisite but now worn

I was lucky to talk to an old employee of W A P Watson who was one of the people who made the jewellery's molds and invented many of the finishes. He worked for them until 1953 and in that time none of the jewellery had a signature. They were sewn onto a fabric pad and boxed. Both of these were named with the trade mark Exquisite.
Up until 1955, the jewelers would patent their designs. So you may see "Pat pend" (patent pending) or "Des Pat no" or "Des Reg" (design registered) on some pieces of vintage jewellery and a number. Copying other company designs was a widespread practice (and still is today). Many designers would submit their jewellery design to be patented. This process would often take several months. Thus the Pat Pend signature.

 Registered patent on these vintage clip earrings signed Kigu

However in 1955 with the changes to the US Copy Right law, because of Trifari winning a historic case against the company Coro. This established that jewellery designs were a work of art. They were then able to use the copy right symbol. The symbol is the small c in a circle (© ) UK soon followed and most jewellery was signed

 Vintage enamel and marcasite brooch signed BJL - but note there is no © therefore probably pre 1955

I have to mention that the first plaques with the script signature of Exquisite did not stand the test of time and can be worn and almost indistinguishable.

So if a piece of vintage jewellery has Pat Pend or a reference to patent then it is probably dating pre 1955. (there are a few exceptions to this) but in general use this rule.

Avon key ring showing the © sign

Back to Exquisite - how to identify non signed jewellery and there are over 40 years worth!

It will match signed pieces. The Scottish luck heather brooches is one range that this is easy to do this with. Also an unsigned pair of earrings will match a signed brooch. In my experience brooches are signed more often. Necklaces are usually unsigned but have the characteristic "bow" tag. Earrings are usually signed and also rings underneath. Bracelets are rare anyway and may be signed or unsigned. 

 Love this Exquisite brooch - as can be found with various type of Exquisite signatures and different thickness of the MOP pieces. This one is pre copy right vintage jewellery

It would be ideal if after 1955(ish) we could say the jewellery was all signed but unfortunately this was not the case.

I can now attribute some souvenir jewellery with a plaque to Exquisite because of their early souvenir spoons. But they produced a large range of scatter pins for the 1951 exhibition in London. These I can guess but not confirm due to the large number that can still be found in Solihull and Birmingham. So my search goes on for news clippings, adverts and hopefully jewellery brochures. If you have any I would be very interested.

   Now are the above vintage clip earrings from Exquisite, Hollywood or Jewelcraft?       

Rare Mirella Jewellery by W A P Watson

Following an very wet and hail stormed weekend, this week has been one of change.
First our teenage daughter has brought her first car. Her brother is a bit more laid back and is still looking. Thank goodness as I do not think I could cope with both at the same time

She is still a learner driver and will be taking her test soon. So for the last few days she has cleaned, added air fresheners and customized her little black car

Took her out driving yesterday evening and it was one of the few times we fell out!
Am I so out of date with driving correctly or has the whole lesson and testing got sloppy?
Well needless to say she is being quite frosty towards me last night. I am worried that her driving lessons are not teaching her the basics and she won't pass her test. Maybe when she has calmed down this morning we can talk it through. Or she may do the teenage thing and go off in a mega sulk!!

Well just a quick look at a piece of vintage jewellery that I brought on Ebay a few months ago now. I did not realize that W A P Watson also produced jewellery under the Mirella name as well as Exquisite. The seller had 2 brooches for sale but some one had already a bid on the one so, I went for the other only.

The second signature says REG.

Very rare jewellery as I have not seen any other jewellery in the last 3 years that I have been actively looking. This is now in my own collection and not for resale.

Exquisite jewellery for sale on our website Jewels and Finery

Pretty diamante stone brooch Signed Exquisite

Mother of Pearl Brooch signed Exquisite

The last brooch is heavier than the other brooches that I have in this style. So believe this is an earlier made version compared to the other two same brooches I now have.

Still to come in this blog: vintage jewellery book reviews, dating vintage jewellery and how to replace stones.

Also an announcement on our website redesign that we are so excited about

Mirella by WAP Watson

I have written several articles on Exquisite jewellery by WAP Watson and soon will publish further information
But the company also produced the Myths and Magic range as well as the lesser know range of mirrors and trinkets called Mirella.
The Mirella range was named after an employer of the company. I have only been looking for Mirella items in the last couple of months, but both the pieces I found are marked, so easy to identify.

 

  

Interesting small trinket box in a gold metal and red velvet style material. Topped with a poodle holding a faux pearl.

In very good condition and has the Mirella signature on the bottom

 

The other item is a hand held mirror

 

The mirror is decorated with faux pearl beads and a faux turquoise stone. Also in a heavy gold metal and in good condition with slight rubbing to the gold plate.

The mirror is signed "Made in England" on the top of the handle on one side.

 

And the Mirella signature on the other side of the handle.

 

This design was popular as I have had a lady previously contact me regarding Mirella pieces and this was the one she had. At the time I estimated this as being produced in the late seventies. But at present I am not sure how long this range was manufactured for?

WAP Watson also produced a range of souvenir spoons and associated items. Now I am a closeted spoon collector as well but don't tell anyone. Unfortunately I now collect so many things this house is bulging!

The spoon collecting started in the seventies when my pen friend Nancy came over from the US. We went to all the tourist places and she collected souvenir thimbles, so I started to buy a few spoons and got hooked. 

Now I just buy the occasional one or two that are special. This collection now runs into hundreds, but I have not counted for a long time. So now is the time to dig the Exquisite one's out and get photographing as some are quite old.

Been a bit slow adding more items to Jewels and Finery but here are a few...

 

To be added shortly 

Vintage faux jade bracelet Seventies

 

Diamante leaf brooch  

 

Bright wood vintage necklace

That's all for this Saturday morning. Take care

 

Ezinearticles by Jewels and Finery Exquisite

Vintage brooches

I have written now three articles for Ezinearticles all on the vintage jewellery by Exquisite
There is also a fourth waiting to be published

They are:

The history of Exquisite Jewellery




The Birthday Series by Exquisite

The Enamel Leaf Range by Exquiste

And shortly there will be the Souvenir Scottish jewellery Range




Each of the articles are slightly different from the information on this blog
My only groan about Ezinearticles is that you can not add photographs
So here is some photographs of Vintage Exquisite jewellery

Vintage jewellery

Vintage clip on earrings and earrings for pierced ears