Happy New Year 2012 from Jewels and Finery

As 2011 draws to an end, its a time to reflect and plan for the New Year. We have had another fabulous year at Jewels and Finery UK. Sourcing many great pieces of vintage jewellery that we know have gone to good new homes to be worn for special occasions and everyday, collected and admired.

Plans are now well in hand for this coming year, new ideas and lines on our website.  Which we hope you will enjoy.

So to all have a Happy New Year, good luck, good health and a prosperous one.


Sue & Mark Jewels and Finery UK

 

Dating Sarah Coventry vintage jewellery P15

I can not believe its been almost 3 weeks since I last blogged. But this time of year is so busy. Lots of vintage jewellery to pack and send to new homes.
This blog is part 15 of the spring 1976 Sarah Coventry brochure to help date and identify vintage jewellery.

Page 47

Vintage earrings all for pierced ears

A = Tiny Garden**
B = Mushroom*
C = Tiny Turtle*
D = Hollywood Squares*
E = New Twist*
F = Taffee Tones**
G = Luv**
H = Madame Butterfly*(G)
I = The Big Apple**(G)
J = The Big Apple**(S)
K = Serenity Cross*(G)
L = Moon Drops**(G)
M = Golden Lace*
N = Madame Butterfly*(S)
O = Diamonice*
P = Serenity Cross*(S)
Q = Moon Drops**(S)
R = Silvery Lace*
S = Papillon*
T = Flair**
U = Swing Away*~~ (S)
V = Classic Tassel*~~(S)
W = Wishbone*
X = Princess**
Y = Texture Twist*
Z = Senorita*(S)

AA = Swing Away*~~(G)
BB = Classical Tassel*~~(G)
CC = Capers*~~
DD = Tiny Cross*
EE = Senorita*(G)

*Surgical steel post
**Surgical steel wire
~~Sarah convertibles - may be worn with or without dangle.

Page 48

A = Tailored Accent Necklace/Belt 37"
B = Tailored Accent Bracelet

New additions to Jewels and Finery

Mother of pearl shell bracelet

Amber oval ring

And don't forget our sale vintage jewellery...............

Vintage charms just added to Jewels and Finery

We have just started to sell more vintage charms on Jewels and Finery.
This piece of vintage jewellery is fun to add to charm bracelets and collect. They can also be attached to necklaces and key rings or chains.

Here are just a few that we have at present.

A silver sea horse vintage charm. This little sea creature is very detailed.

St Christopher vintage charm or pendant. We have a few styles available. In small charms and larger that could also be used as a pendant. St Christopher was the allocated saint of travel. Wearing a St Christopher is said to give protection on the road traveling. These religious vintage charms have several different messages on the back.

   
A little good luck vintage charm. Ideal to give as a present, especially for a wedding. Or can wear yourself for a job interview or for extra good luck.

Just 3 vintage charms shown today but many more to add over the next few weeks.

Clown vintage brooches

There are so many kinds of vintage brooches to choose from, that today I thought I would have a quick look at clown vintage brooches.
Circus life has diminished tremendously during the last 50 years. In my childhood I went to the circus and enjoyed not only the clowns but the lions and elephant performances. Today circuses are still around but many have complied with the times and moved to theatrical and mostly human performances.

Clowns are either loved or hated. Hated maybe because you can not see their true expression and intent behind the face paint? Loved because they are funny and wear brightly coloured clothing.

Here are a few pieces of vintage jewellery of different clowns that we have on the website at the moment.
Very retro and fun to wear on a hat, bag, clothing or as hair decoration. Fun to collect and display in a frame or on a pillow.  

So have a good weekend and don't clown around too much!! 

Pop it beads vintage necklaces

Now who can remember Pop it bead necklaces from their childhood? They were plastic beads that you could join together to form either one necklace or several bracelets. These vintage necklaces originally began to be made in the 1950s. Firstly made for adults and then in the sixties children versions were made. Eventually after the sixties and seventies they died out of popularity and hence production.

Here are two versions of the Pop it beads necklaces available on Jewels and finery recently.

Kitsch vintage jewellery that is so fun to wear and collect. The fifties versions are now quite hard to find but the 1960s ones are still available in a wide range of bright colour.

Art Deco Jewellery

Art Deco jewellery is very popular, it is one of those styles that is sought after by collectors and fashionables alike.
Original Art Deco vintage jewellery dates from the 1920s to the 1930s, it is modern, luxurious, exotic and graphic. Short hair of the times needed long earrings to create femininity. Layers of bangles and beads to go with the flapper dresses.
The style became more abstract, angular and linear in shape, created to echo the new machine age of the twenties.

Both the above pieces of jewellery are from the Art Deco period.

Fish Figural Vintage Jewellery

Morning, as its a sunny and hot June! Thought I would have a look at figural vintage jewellery and at fish ones. It is the start of the holiday season and summer........

This design is seen quite often, think that Coro did something similar and many look-a likes followed.

 
Because here's another one with a slight different look. You have to look closely at the front to see, but the backs are very different.

Fish necklaces are available. This one is quite new and made in the last few years. Look out for the genuine 1950's articulated fish necklaces - they are so cute.

Brightly coloured vintage brooches are available in all sorts of fish designs. Tropical fish, large sea fish including sharks and eels (very popular on Chinese made jewellery) and a few by artistic license. 

Brightly enameled to this cute and cheerful whale vintage brooch!

Wear brooches on a hat, hairband, clothing or a bag. They brighten up any outfit for just a few pounds. Wear fish or sea themed jewellery to work as a reminder of a holiday soon.

Changes To Jewels and Finery's Vintage Jewellery Categories

For the whole of May we have been busy changing around the categories for our vintage jewellery. This is so we can double the number of items available.

 Black, brown and amber vintage necklaces

This necklace will be added shortly.

So far vintage brooches are arranged by colour. The following brooch is under the white, cream and clear vintage brooches and pins.

 Rhinestone pearl ribbon vintage bridal brooch

Vintage necklaces are now arranged by length and then colour. Short (16 inch and under) and long (over 17 inches)

 Blue vintage pop it necklace

 Iona marble silver vintage necklace

Well all the Bank holidays are over for a while. Summer is here at last - so enjoy the sunshine and top up your vitamin D levels.

Jewels and Finery - Bank Holiday Royal Wedding/early May information

As we approach the Royal wedding and another Bank Holiday weekend. Just a reminder that although Jewels and Finery is still open for purchases. Jewellery will not be sent out as we are closed from midday Thursday 28th April until Tuesday 3rd May 9 am. When we will be back to normal service.

The sun is shinning today and I hope it will be the same through out the weekend!

Until next week - here are a few pieces of vintage jewellery with some second hand and new ones with a "Royal" and "wedding" flavour.

  And just a few of the latest new additions:)

Have a great weekend.

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.

Have a Happy Easter weekend

Vintage rabbit jewellery - chattering animal brooch!

Time just flies lately. Can not believe that its over a week since my last blog. It does not help having a spring cold that put me in bed for a couple of days and slow recovery. Unfortunately with this MS lark, any simple virus knocks the stuffing out of you.

 Edwardian antique jewellery - daisy brooch

It has been wonderful weather for Easter, sunny and warm. I can not remember when I have had to water the garden pots so early because they have dried out. The cherry tree is spreading its blossom all over the garden - maybe we will have another bumper years of fruit. The apple trees are also heavily laden with blossom, which means we will have a good apple year I hope. Haven't even looked at the grape vine to see if its survived yet!! Its been in now about 2 years and last year had a very small bunch of grapes.Was hoping for a better year but the number of plants and trees that we have lost is unbelievable. 

Vintage black grapes brooch

Our fish however are being terrorized by the heron. Although they are securely netted, the constant stalking around the pond in the early hours does not help. So they have stayed at the bottom of the pond only venturing up later in the day and then so nervous!!

 Pre owned fish brooch with turquoise accents

Multi coloured fish brooch - second hand jewellery

No our fish are not this colorful. Mostly gold, white and very large black ones.

So this Easter weekend we will be mostly in the garden trying to make it look a bit nicer. So what ever you are doing have a good one. Happy Easter.

Fake vintage jewellery on the Internet - Warning

Yesterday I was browsing the list of companies after goggling "vintage jewellery"
Finding several blogs/websites referring to vintage jewellery that were not as described. I though I would just make it clear the difference between real vintage jewellery and fake/wrongly advertised that really should be called -vintage style new jewellery. It would be regrettable for some one to buy what they thought was real unique vintage jewellery; only to find that they had brought a new piece of jewellery available in their thousands on the high street/web at present.

The word "vintage" is an age definition - not a designer or type of jewellery or clothing, etc.
It means that if something is vintage then it is at least 25 years or over and can be up to one hundred years of age. At one hundred years and over it becomes antique.  If it is less than 25 years old then it should be refereed to as second hand.

Most of the long chain necklaces with charms on, are either new jewellery that should be sold as "vintage style" or "vintage inspired". Some sites have used old real vintage components or charms and this should be included as part of the description. There are of course a few genuine vintage necklaces with charms for sale.

Watch out for vintage Bohemian jewellery on EBay, from sellers outside the UK. Much of this is in fact new jewellery being sold at high prices as vintage. Not authentic vintage Bohemian jewellery as the descriptions imply.

Also watch for misleading/fake Sphinx vintage jewellery. The Sphinx jewellery company used numbers on some of their products. But unfortunately many are now attributing any piece of jewellery to Sphinx  - if it has a number on. The only way it can be identified to the company is if you can find an identical piece with the Sphinx logo on. The same applies to many other makers/manufacturers including Haskell, Trifari, jelly belly jewelry, etc. There are unfortunately fake and of lesser quality items being sold as the genuine articles. Care needs to be taken. If unsigned, look at the genuine Haskell or other makers on the internet. Books are also available that takes you through the components used. (E.G. Miriam Haskell Jewelry: Cathy Gordon & Sheila Pamfiloff) Does it look the same quality. Look at the plaque, does it look as though it is different to the coloured metal of the rest of the jewellery. It often looks as though it is not quite right.

Even if the bidding on EBay is high - does not automatically mean this is a genuine item. A vintage Haskell parure or set, sold in the last few hours on EBay US for $750.00 approximately £468.40 with 35 bids. One of the earrings only had a plaque with a signature, which did not match the colour of the back. This set was a fake Haskell.

 All pieces shown are genuine vintage and second hand jewellery.All for sale on our website.
We do have a growing range of vintage inspired jewellery which is all brand new.