PastGems Vintage Jewelry Blog

May 2009 - Mexican Taxco Silver Jewelry

I love Taxco jewelry.  Just holding a piece of this wonderful stuff always feels like holding a piece of history.  I can just picture an artist sitting in his studio up in the Taxco hills, meticulously crafting the piece I am holding in my hands all these years later.  And who knows where the piece has traveled in between?  And where it will go next?  I always feel so excited to come across one of these special pieces and privileged to be able to offer it to you in my little shop.

Taxco de Alarcon is nestled in the hills of Guerrero state between Acapulco and Mexico City.  Silver was used to pay tribute to the Aztecs back in the 1500s.  In the 1700s, Don Jose de la Borda, a Frenchman of Spanish descent arrived and became very wealthy from mining silver.  There was a lull until 1929, when the arrival of William Spratling and his designs in silver made Taxco the Silver Capital of Mexico.  Spratling is responsible for training many of the Taxco silversmiths, who designed the jewelry that we are happy to discover today.

Over time many artisans trained and supported by Spratling opened workshops and stores of their own. Now considered the great old masters of  Mexican Silver, Mr. Antonio Pineda along with former fellow apprentices the Castillos, Ledesma, and Chino Ruiz have produced and continue to craft some of the most highly regarded, collectible pieces of art, vases, serving sets and jewelry. Their work continues to inspire the next generation of silversmiths and artisans who now number in the hundreds.

There is a fabulous article here: http://www.glitterbox.com/taxco.htm by Sheila Pamfiloff that goes into more detail than I am prepared to do here, including some snippets about some of the individual silversmiths that apprenticed under Spratling and became masters in their own right.

TAXCO MARKS

There is much to be said about Mexican Silver Hallmarks -- too much for me to go into here.  I will just hit the high points and if you want more information here are a couple of very informative websites to visit:

http://www.spratlingsilver.com/hallmarks.htm.  This one primarily addresses the works of Spratling.

http://www.925-1000.com/mexican_marks.html

Pieces made in the early 20th Century will likely be marked "Made in Mexico" or "Mexico Silver" along with the purity mark, ranging from 900 to 980.  Most pieces made between the mid 1930s to mid 1940s was marked 980, 960, 940 or 925.  970 was a favorite mark of Antonio Pineda.  Most pieces after 1950 were marked "Sterling" or "925."

In 1948 the Mexican government established that pieces for export were to be stamped with an eagle.  This is where the number system began to come into play.  Each city was assigned a number, with Mexico City being number 1; Taxco was number 3.  Some individual makers were also assigned numbers; for example, Margot's number was 16. 

Around 1979, the eagle system was replaced by yet another numbering/letter system.  You might see a mark "TC-45."  The T stands for Taxco, the C is for the silversmith who made the piece and the 45 means that "C" is the 45th person whose name starts with "C" to register with his city's assay office. The silver bracelet below is marked TS-50.

So, you see, it gets complicated, but it is possible to date and identify your Mexican silver, as there are many resources out there with photos of marks, including photos of fake marks, which unfortunately, do exist.

Keep an eye on my site over the next several weeks, as I have recently acquired a couple of estate lots that contain a few pieces of Mexican silver.  It takes me awhile to process these and get them listed, but it will happen eventually. 

Designer of the Month:

Well, that should be obvious, shouldn't it?  TAXCO silver!  Not exactly a designer, but a wonderful category of vintage jewelry that bears singling out.  Enjoy!

 

Wedding Gift Idea

A customer recently placed a huge order for many, many pieces of jewelry from PastGems.com.  Huge.  It got my attention.  Appeared to be legit in every way so I started packing things up to send her.  A couple of days later, she placed another significant order.  Not as huge as the first, but still. 

Curiosity got the better of me.  What is she doing with all this jewelry?  She bought things in every price range, from the Bargain Basement, up to $200 emerald brooches.  I just couldn't imagine.  I didn't think it was a dealer because it wouldn't have been cost effective -- even though my prices are not extremely high, they're not dealer prices.  Maybe she is simply a collector?  But the styles and tastes were all over the board, so that didn't seem right.  Oh, maybe she just likes a lot of things but wants to see them in person before making a final decision.  She might be ordering all these things, keep two and return the rest(!)  Arrghh. 

So you can see how I really wanted to know what she was up to.  So I emailed her and asked her.  Got a very nice email back from her right away.  Turns out she is a friend of the groom's mom for an upcoming wedding.  Her idea was to make little "treatments" as she calls them, from vintage jewels (I think she packages them up in little baskets) as gifts at the reception for all of the "Baby Boomer Ladies" that will be at the wedding.  Wow!  What a charming idea!  And sure to bring smiles to the faces of the recipients when they are gifted with these little blasts from the past!

She said she would send photos when she had them done, so I'm hoping for that.  When I get them I'll post a follow-up note with the photos.

I'd love to hear of other unique ideas along these lines, so if you have any or if you've seen something done like this, post a reply, please.

Meanwhile, where ever you are in the world, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful month of May.  And oh yes, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  Don't forget:  Our Mother's Day gift to you is FREE SHIPPING all month long!

Best wishes,

Karen

 

April 2009 What is Bakelite? and other Vintage Plastics...

This month, we're going to take a look at Bakelite and Catalin and a peek at Lucite, too. 

What is the difference?  Bakelite is basically a thermoset plastic which means that it has additives in it (polymers) that prevent it from being melted and reformed/recycled into another item.  Thermoplastic, on the other hand, can be heated and reformed into something else.  That is a really elementary explanation.  If you want more, poke around on the internet -- there is lots of technical information out there about this.

Bakelite is actually the trade name for a pressure molded thermoset plastic made by the Bakelite, Fiberloid or one of several other smaller companies. The raw materials are phenol and formaldehyde. Bakelite is opaque, usually brown or black and often painted. The glossy finish on non painted Bakelite is a product of the heat and high pressure used during the molding process and can be damaged when cleaned with alkali & ammonia cleaners. It is impossible to restore the original gloss to Bakelite once this finish is destroyed. One reason for this is the fillers used; which were usually fiberglass, sawdust or asbestos. These are just under the surface finish and when the finish is gone, these fuzzy particles make the finish dull.

Catalin is  the trade name for cast thermoset plastic made by the Catalin, Bakelite or Marblette corp. These plastics come in a wide variety of colors and when polished and shined "Catalin" have a gem like quality. Remember the old radios that had brilliant rich translucent colors?  That is Catalin.

Catalin is a very hard plastic, it does not easily melt or burn and is almost always translucent. Jewelry made of this type of plastic is often mistakenly referred to as Bakelite. Often when you find a radio or something made of "Catalin" the apparent color will be different than when originally manufactured. The color transformation takes place over a period of time and some colors are more prone to change than others. Red seems to be the most stable. Originally the yellow hues were "Alabaster", a white color that when well marbled, resembles a piece of marble. Some of the blue colors will appear green or even brown if heavily oxidized. Often it takes the work of an expert to restore a beautiful piece of Catalin to it's original color. The Alabaster color however will revert back to it's yellow color fairly quickly. That's why you'll often see Bakelite pieces that have a yellowish cast.

The raw materials (phenol & formaldehyde) are the same as used in "Bakelite" except there are no fibrous fillers in Catalin.

So, then, where does Lucite fit in this mix?  Lucite is a transparent thermoplastic (there's that word again) acrylic resin.  Lucite was introduced by Dupont in 1937 and began being used in jewelry by 1940, as it was found to be more cost effective than Bakelite.  Most popular and recognizable is the "moonglow" lucite used in "jelly belly" jewelry that is so collectible today.  Lucite comes in many colors and styles, including wonderful jewel tones.  It has the clarity of glass and has a heavier feel than other vintage plastics, such as Bakelite and Catalin.

Celluloid:  I feel compelled to say a few words about this, the FIRST thermoset plastic!  It was created in 1856, then named celluloid in 1870.  It was easily carved and generally considered a replacement for ivory.  It contains nitrocellulose and camphor; it is flammable and decomposes easily.  It is not widely used today (except they still make table tennis balls and guitar picks from it!)  It is rare to find celluloid jewelry in pristine condition; they tend to begin to break down chemically. 

So there you have it:  a very basic primer on Bakelite, Catalin and Lucite and a word about Celluloid.

Read on for a bit of history about our Designer of the Month:

Eisenberg

There is much to say about this fine designer, one of my personal favorites, but I will try to be concise.  Eisenberg is considered one of the premier makers of costume jewelry, and is a favorite among many collectors. Their pieces are exceptional in quality, both in design and materials. Typical prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand dollars for a single piece.  The superior workmanship of Eisenberg jewelry stands the test of time and holds up well, barely showing signs of age.

The original company, Eisenberg & Sons was formed in 1914 and sold perfume and clothing.  The dresses they sold weren't doing so well, so they had the idea of adding accessories, such as brooches and pins of glittery rhinestones.  Soon, customers were clamoring for the jewelry, not the dresses!  Eisenberg Jewelry, Inc. was officially established in 1940.  Dresses were no longer designed after 1958.

Eisenberg used only the highest quality of metals, plating, and brilliant Swarovski Austrian crystal rhinestones in the construction of their pieces that portrayed bold designs. Rhinestones, imported from Czechoslovakia and Austria were used specifically to add glitter and color to each piece. Mainly, Swarovski rhinestones were selected in white as well as in a small variety of colors.

Rhodium plate metal in a variety of colors was a popular material for the company to use in their pieces. The colors were coordinated with the colors of the rhinestones that were also included in the design. Favorite colors of the rhodium metals included rose, gold, silver, and copper.

Eisenberg designs included a wide variety of jewelry styles including fur clips, dress clips, clip earrings, double clips, screw back earrings, pins with safety chains, bracelets, choker necklaces, brooches, and circle brooches. Circle brooch and earring sets were quite popular as were earring and necklace sets. In the 1970s, enamel clip earrings with several coats of enamel were quite popular. Bow and flower sprays, cascading rhinestone displays, and flowers were some of the more popular patterns. Twin pins were frequently manufactured during the 1970s and the early 1980s.

The Eisenberg Company used quite a variety of marks over the years. Each of these marks can be used to help identify the dates of each piece. From 1938 to 1942, the words, Eisenberg Original were used.

During the war years of 1943 and 1944, it was Eisenberg Original Sterling. In the latter half of 1944 and up to the year 1948, the words Eisenberg Sterling were used as the mark. However, for some reason, many pieces were simply marked with the letter E during the late 1940s and into the early fifties.

From 1949 until 1958, the jewelry was marked with the words Eisenberg Ice in block letters. The copyright symbol was used after 1955. Unfortunately, most of the pieces that were manufactured between the years 1958 and 1970 were not marked in any way. In 1970, the company began to mark their pieces once again. The words Eisenberg Ice were used in script letters. In 1977, the company switched hands. Production continued into the early 1990s. Many of the later pieces were not marked with the company’s name, but rather, included a removable hanging tag for identification. Eisenberg ice is currently being manufactured. 

Vintage Eisenberg Jewelry is highly collectible, however one should be on the lookout for fakes, especially with the names Eisenberg Ice.  There are many imposters out there.  It might take a skilled collector to determine the difference between a genuine Eisenberg piece and a fake, so proceed with caution, do your research and if possible, get the opinion of a knowledgeable collector.

Sadly, I only have one Eisenberg piece at the moment.  This stunning pendant and necklace is from after 1955, as it has the copyright symbol.  It is also signed simply with the "E" mark.  I have a brooch in the style of Eisenberg, meaning that it is not signed, but has the look and quality of Eisenberg jewelry.  It does not mean that it IS an unsigned Eisenberg, but it is possible.  As always, keeping my eyes peeled for more treasures from this wonderful designer.

Enjoy the rest of your month, now that Tax Season is over and Mother's Day and Summer are just around the corner!

xoxo,

Karen

March 2009 Tidbits on Caring for Vintage Jewelry & More on Spring Trends

Last month (actually, it was earlier this month) we talked about Spring Jewelry Trends.  A reminder:  Stack your Bangles.  Layer your Necklaces!  Add some Chandelier or Dangly Earrings and Wear some Yellow Gold!  I wanted to add to that with a mention of color.

The hot color for this Spring is Fuschia!  Wow.  Maybe wearing a whole blouse or skirt or dress of fuschia is just too flamboyant for you.  But you can add a little punch just by adding a smidgeon of this hot color with a piece of vintage jewelry.   We have several pairs of earrings that fit the bill -- unfortunately, no necklaces (although we do have some great statement pieces -- just not in fuschia.)  But try a pair of brilliant earrings -- a great way to update your look without spending a fortune.

A few months ago we published a couple of newsletters on cleaning and caring for your precious vintage jools.  I just want to touch on a couple of reminders and some new information as well.

1. Never hang your pearls -- this weakens the silk thread that holds the necklace together
2. Wait 15 minutes after applying perfume or body lotion before slipping on your baubles.  NEVER, EVER spray perfume or hair products on while wearing your jewelry, especially if they have rhinestones.  Remember, moisture is not your friend.
3. Remove all jewelry before swimming.  The chlorine in pool or spa water wears away the surface and the shine.
4. Tap the stones of your rings.  If you hear a rattle, the setting is loose and in danger of coming undone.  Head to your favorite jeweler immediately and have it repaired before you lose a precious gem.

Keeping it short and sweet this month, so that is it.  But do take another minute and read about our

Designer of the Month:

Lisner Jewelry was founded by David Lisner in 1904. In 1931 the company was listed as only a wholesaler;  much of their jewelry was imported from Europe prior to the 1930's.  Lisner was the authorized agent of Schiaparelli in the US and as such, imported & distributed Schiaparelli jewelry prior to WWII.

Designer Urie Mandle joined Lisner as a full partner in the 1930's.  During this period Lisner began to produce jewelry in Providence, RI. Other companies actually manufactured the jewelry for Lisner, including Whiting & Davis.  In the 1950's and 1960's, the artistically designed Lisner jewelry retailed at an average of $3 - 5 per piece, making it a lower-end, but certainly not a lower quality, costume jewelry purchase.

In the mid-1970's, Lisner purchased the Richelieu Pearl Company from Joseph H. Meyers & Bros. and the company was re-named the Lisner-Richelieu Corporation. Victoria Creations bought Lisner-Richelieu in 1979. In 1984, the parent company, Victoria Creations, was sold to Jonathan Logan, and was subsequently acquired by United Merchants and Manufacturers. In 1996, United Merchants and Manufacturers went into receivership and Andreoli purchased Victoria Creations back from the bank. In 2000, Andreoli sold Victoria & Co., Ltd. to the Jones Apparel Group. According to Andreoli, Lisner jewelry has not been manufactured since the mid-1980's.

Lisner's resin oak leaf jewelry, particularly the red, is highly collectible and coveted.  PastGems has several Lisner pieces available at the present and always on the lookout for more.  Check it out here.

Okay, that's it for March!  I hope that wherever you are in the world you are having a fabulous Spring!  Get out there and enjoy yourself! 

xoxoxo,

Karen

February 2009 Four Jewelry Trends for Spring

Is it too early to think about Spring trends?  I don't think so!!  It's already mid-February (uh-oh, time got away from me again and now it's the MARCH!) In Northern California where I live, the daffodils have been in bloom for a couple of weeks -- certain trees are flowering -- we still need a LOT more rain, but Spring is definitely on the way...it will be here before you can say Easter Bunny!  So don't wait til it arrives to think about how you're going to update your Winter look.  Plan ahead and add a few "new" choice pieces now!

Who says vintage can't be trendy?  Hey -- in my opinion, it makes the trends even more interesting if you use vintage jools carry them off!  So, are you ready?  Here goes...

Stacks of Bangle Bracelets!

A few months ago, the trend was to wear a statement bracelet -- something dramatic, probably large, and eye-catching.  Well, now you want to keep that statement bracelet and add to it!  Put a whole stack of 'em on your arm. 

Make some noise

There is nothing more fun than the jingle of an arm full of bangles and the statement they make. Its all about the noise they create… both the sound and the impression. A great pair of shades and a stack of bangles is all you’ll need to create a buzz this summer.

No doubt about it, the go to accessory this Spring is a stack of bangles. Pick up any fashion magazine and see for yourself. Bangles are the “it” thing. If there is only one splurge you make this Spring, it should be a collection of bangles. Go for it! You won’t regret it.  Check our selection here!

Layer Your Necklaces!

The length of choice for necklaces has gotten longer. Really longer! The 16 inch choker we all grew accustomed to as our staple, has grown up. We are now looking at 18, 20, and 24 inches as that new perfect length. To add to that, try a super long chain with a stunning pendant like this stunner from Florenza:  That 70’s retro look is back. Long chains with a cool pendant is the perfect late winter sweater accessory, as we ease into Spring. This colorful butterfly even comes with matching earrings!  As the weather warms, you can pair them with your crew necks and tank tops -- perfect with a simple summer dress! PastGems has too many to show here -- browse our Necklace and Pendant sections to find your perfect layering pieces!

Super Long Dangle Earrings!

Chandelier earrings were first introduced in Western culture in the Art Deco Period (1920-1935) with the emancipation of women and the new short hairstyles. The bare space between the ear and the shoulder became a canvas for everything earring! Then in the Retro Period (1935-1945) the coolest thing was clip ons. Hard to imagine piercings as old-fashioned during this day and age, but modern ladies of this time did not pierce. Bows, curves and color were the thing. In the Modern Period (1945 through today), earrings have become about fun, fashion and making a personal statement.

Whether you like ornate Victorian detail, or clean modern lines, you can find a pair of long earrings to suit your tastes and make a statement. PastGems has a large selection in both Pierced and Clip on styles, whichever suits your fancy.  Simple or dazzlingly complex, sweep back your hair and let them shine.

Keep it Simple

Long earrings are stunning with off the shoulder or strapless tops. Whether it is drop earrings with an off the shoulder t-shirt or gorgeous chandeliers with a strapless gown, no need for a necklace. Earrings are all you need to complete the look.

Wardrobe Must Haves

So you have your basic diamond studs and your pearl buttons, what are you missing? Your classic studs are fine for that important business meeting or job interview, but what to wear for FUN?  Long dangly earrings look terrific with an up do or super short hair. Long, big, beautiful earrings are the perfect complement. Invest in something you love and round out your earring wardrobe.

And finally...

Yellow Gold is Back!

Yellow gold is everywhere. It’s bright sizzle is the perfect complement for every skin tone. It’s sunny color warms up any wardrobe. And if you generally prefer silver tones, don’t be afraid to mix metals. Layer. Sprinkle in a little yellow as an accent. Alternate yellow and silver colored bangles. Dare ya!

What’s Old is New

Again, anything with a retro 70’s appeal is in again. Remember the long chain on the turtle neck with the sculptural pendant? That’s whats hot again.Choose yellow gold with bold gemstones for major impact. Cocktail rings, earrings and pendants look great with one bold stone surrounded by sunny metal.Get geometric. Circles and squares of gold - shapes are in. Dig out an episode of ‘Laugh In’ and get inspired.  This Spring and Summer, go for gold!

So there your have it -- our take on Spring Jewelry Trends.  Have a peek at PastGems' offerings for stackable bangles, long necklaces, chandelier earrings and gold, too!  We have it all!

PastGems' Designer of the Month

Bogoff Jewelry operated from 1946 to the late 1950s or early 1960s.  Henry Bogoff and his wife started off by founding the Spear Novelty Company in Chicago in the 1920s.  In 1946 he began designing and manufacturing rhinestone jewelry, successfully competing with Trifari and Coro.  Henry died and 1958 and his wife, Yvette continued the business, moving the company to New York, but finally discontinued operations in the early 1960s.

Marks are "Bogoff" and "Jewels by Bogoff"

While Henry did create some design innovations in costume jewelry, he never felt the need to protect his work, so you will not find patent numbers or copyright symbols on any of his work.

Here is a fine example of a pair of Bogoff rhinestone pins: Unfortunately, this is the only Bogoff I have at the moment, but I always have my eyes peeled for more.

While not especially rare, good condition Bogoff pieces are highly collectible and command high prices in the collectible marketplace.  Happy Hunting! and Happy March!

Installment #2 of How to Start a Vintage Costume Jewelry Collection

Last month we talked about how to start a vintage costume jewelry collection.  Here is a recap of questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to purchase a piece of vintage jewelry:

•    Is it in good condition?
•    Do you like it?
•    Is it a good investment?
•    Is it signed by the designer? Is it well designed?
•    Are there any extras that make it more interesting?

We also recommended four designers for beginning collectors to focus on.  Those were

•    Coro
•    Kramer
•    Trifari
•    Weiss

Coro was our designer of the month last month so we gave a little history and showed some examples of designs.  I promised this month to feature Trifari, but first I wanted to address a question I got from one of my dear customers.  She wanted to know why on earth we didn’t include Monet in our list of recommended designers to collect.  She LOVES Monet and felt that they should have been included.

Well, I’d like to say this about that:  If there is a designer that you love – by all means, collect their pieces!  Don’t go by what I or any other so-called experts say. 

To answer her question as to why they aren’t recommended, one of the reasons is that Monet tends NOT to use glitzy rhinestones and consequently is not widely collected.  (This is precisely WHY my customer friend LIKES Monet – because she doesn’t like rhinestones!)  You should only purchase Monet jewelry that is in mint condition.  The most popular pieces are the large chunky Cleopatra-style necklaces and collars and chunky charm bracelets.  Monet Christmas pins are also good choices, but remember they are still being produced today.  If you want to collect vintage Monet, the best thing to do is study vintage advertising and then try to find the pieces in the ad.

More on Dating Vintage Jewelry

Last month I barely scratched the surface of this subject and I’m not going to go into much more detail here; like I said entire books have been written on this subject.  However, I did want to address the subject a bit more and recommend some research materials should you wish to delve into this more deeply.

One of the books I turn to frequently when trying to identify a piece of jewelry is Warman’s Jewelry Identification and Price Guide by Christie Romero.  Not only are there tons of wonderful photographs of jewelry through the years, but in the back there is a Glossary that includes line drawings of various types of clasps and a whole section on metal marks, divided by country.  So for example, there is a section on Mexican silver marks that is just invaluable. 

Collecting Costume Jewelry 202 by Julia Carroll is another valuable guide for identifying and dating jewelry from 1935 to 1980 with well-laid out charts of manufacturers and marks.

These are by all means not the only guides and maybe not even the best, but I like them and turn to them frequently when researching estate pieces that I have purchased.  There is plenty of research available out on the internet, so just type your question into Google and go!

More on Metal

We just touched on metal last month too.  I try not to make my newsletters too long – I want you to read them!  So I’ll mention a bit more here regarding metal.

Jewelry that is marked 1/20 KGF means that a thin layer of gold has been joined to the metal.  This does NOT significantly increase the price of a piece, although some dealers will try to charge more for jewelry with these types of marks.  The value of a piece with a 1/20 KGF mark should be determined by the beauty and design of the piece, not by the gold content.

Many times there will be a wash of gold vermeil over Sterling Silver.  It gives the look of gold, but over time the vermeil will wear away; some loss of vermeil is expected and does not preclude purchasing the piece, provided it meets other criteria, such as design.  Here is a really good example of gold vermeil over sterling silver in this butterfly brooch from Coro.  This piece is valuable because it is in mint condition with no loss of vermeil and still has its original tag!

Hardware

For different types of clasps and pierced earring styles, I recommend both the Warman’s book mentioned earlier and Julia Carroll’s Costume Jewelry 101.  Identifying the type of clasp is an important clue in dating jewelry.

Ms. Carroll recommends walking away from jewelry if the hardware is not in good working order.  The reason for this is that most vintage jewelry was not designed to last for decades and performing a repair can be a risky business.  If you DO elect to attempt a repair because you just truly love the piece, be sure to develop a relationship with a reputable jeweler.  I have someone that I work with regularly and one of the things I like about her is that she will tell me if she doesn’t think a piece can or should be repaired.

Extras that Add Value

•    Sets.  If possible, buy sets of jewelry.  A demi-parure is 2 matching pieces of jewelry, such as a bracelet and earrings.  A full parure is 3 pieces or more, such as adding a necklace. 
•    Original Box.  An original box can increase the price of a piece of jewelry by 25% -- collectors love ‘em!
•    Original tags:  It’s always a thrill to find an original tag on a piece of vintage jewelry.  Just beware of paper tags with designer signatures attached to unsigned pieces of jewelry.
•    Provenance.  Sometimes an owner can provide dating information or anecdotal information about the jewelry.  This may not add value to the piece, but it does make it more interesting.  For instance, I have on my website several pieces of jewelry from my late aunt, who loved her bling – I’ve written about her in my blog in the past and also have included some tidbits in some of the listings.
•    Vintage Advertising:  If you can find your piece of jewelry in a vintage ad (or in one of the many books about costume jewelry), there may be some added value; in addition, it helps with dating.

Okay, I think that’s going to be it for me today on the subject of building a collection.

If you have any specific questions that I might be able to help with or any subject you would like to see addressed in future newsletters, please email me and let me know!

Trifari

Whether you’ve been involved with the world of vintage costume jewelry or not, you’ve probably heard of Trifari.  They are a dream come true for a beginning collector.  The jewelry is well made, beautiful and was often made in great quantity over their long history, so prices of many pieces are affordable.

Trifari & Trifari was begun in 1910 by Gustavo Trifari and his uncle, Ludovico Trifari.  In 1918, Gustavo left and together with Leo Krussman founded Trifari & Krussman.  In 1925, Carl Fishel joined the team and the company was renamed Trifari, Krussman & Fishel.  You may find jewelry manufactured during this time marked “KTF.”  These would be highly collectible.

In 1954, Trifari made a line marked KTF with a crown over the “T.”  These should not be confused with the early KTF jewelry.

From 1930 to 1968, Alfred Philippe was the top designer for Trifari.

In the 1940’s metal for costume jewelry was hard to come by because of the war.  Trifari made many pieces of sterling silver during this era.  They also patented a plating process called Trifanium which gave the jewelry a look of gold or silver and happily for collectors, helped to maintain the beauty of the pieces over time.

Also during the war years, Trifari created the famous jelly belly jewelry.  True jelly bellies are figurals, such as birds or fish with a clear Lucite belly.  Lucite was developed by Dupont in 1937. (Note:  the colored lucite "jelly bellies" are not considered true jelly bellies, although many designers refer to them as such.  True jelly bellies are clear lucite.

Following is a list of what collectors should look for when evaluating Trifari jewelry:

•    True jelly bellies are clear Lucite, not colored.  The colored versions are usually made later and may even be recast from the originals.
•    Look for moonglow stones.  Moonglow stones are cabochons of varying colors that seem to glow from within.
•    Look for figural pins – collectors love these.  Look for beautifully enameled pieces or with pastel moonglow bellies.
•    In the 1950s Trifari excelled at making choker sets of pearl and gold tone metal.  Look for sets of 3 to 4 pieces.
•    Jewels with molded or carved stones are becoming more collectible and increasing in value.
•    Look for pieces that feature both gold and silver tone metal.  This was expensive to process.

In 1975 Trifari was purchased by Hallmark.  In 1988 Crystal Brands Jewelry purchased the company.  In 1994, Trifari was purchased by Chase Capital Partners, Lattice Holding, a division of the Monet group, which was purchased by Liz Claiborne in 2000.  Trifari remains a part of the Liz Claiborne group today and the jewelry is no longer manufactured in the United States.

I hope this was helpful and informative – again, feel free to comment or send questions – I am happy to engage in discussions about vintage jewelry – there is always more to learn!

xoxo,

Karen

Upcycled Tee-Shirt Jewelry Pouches!

I just realized I haven't posted anything to my blog since December 17!!  So many distractions over the holidays and the distractions have continued into the New Year.  I haven't even published my January Newsletter yet and I apologize to those few who might actually look forward to it.  It will be coming soon I promise.

I hope everyone had a joy-filled and heartwarming holiday season.  Mine was mellow and wonderful spending time with my family.  A good time was had by all.

Anyway!  I am very excited about something new we're doing here at PastGems.com.  If you know me at all, you know that I am becoming ever more fanatic about reusing and recycling -- I'm for whatever I can do to make a smaller footprint.  Well, I got this idea to make little pouches out of cut up old tee-shirts.  Not an original idea -- I saw someone doing it on Etsy.  And I thought -- omigod -- I have a gazillion old tee-shirts and actually I had a box of them saved with the idea of someday making a tee-shirt quilt -- right -- like that's going to happen!  But this is something I could do right now!  And put to good use.

I ship a lot of my jewelry in cute little gift boxes with cotton and all that.  And they are nice.  I've searched and searched for boxes like these made from recycled materials and if they exist, I haven't been able to find them.  It seems like such a waste to buy them new.  So I also collect these from my friends and family.  You know how you save those little jewelry boxes whenever you receive a gift?  Seems like everyone has 'em.  But making pouches out of old tee-shirts just seemed brilliant to me!

Now you  have to understand that I've never held myself out as a seamstress.  My one shot at really sewing was when my daughter was born (almost 29 years ago!)  When the nesting instinct set in, I bought a sewing machine and made all her clothes for the first couple of years.  And then for several years after that I made the kids' Halloween costumes.  It was fun.  But I never felt accomplished enough to make things for myself or for the kids as they got older.  So the sewing machine is still languishing -- I keep carrying it around and just a couple of months ago I thought about getting rid of it, but now I'm so glad I didn't!

I have a customer named Pink (yep, that's what she goes by -- but her favorite color is orange -- so I don't quite get the Pink.)  Anyway, she is VERY creative and does wonderful things with fabric and other things.  We've become quite friendly over the past year or so, so I asked her if she would help me create these little pouches.  She loved the idea and invited me to her house on New Year's Day for a little sewing fest.  We whipped up a bunch of pouches that look like this:
These particular ones are tied with a narrow strip of silk chiffon from some fabric remnants.  I've decided I don't really like the chiffon -- a little too "stringy" for me -- so I'll be finding something else for future pouches.

So if you buy jewelry from me (and I hope you do!) you may receive your treasures in a little handmade pouch made from old tee-shirts.  They're soft and will be perfect for storing your jewels, protecting them from scratches and banging around -- perfect for travel, too.  And I hope you'll even use them to pass on to others. (Don't worry -- I ship in Priority Mail boxes, so you don't have to worry about things getting broken or smashed.)

Your pouch may or may not have parts of logos -- it could be any color.  They are fairly unstructured and may have some rough edges -- down the road I might try my hand at lining them.

Also down the road, I have this template for making really cool foldover pouches from Japanese fabric remnants, so you may be seeing those in the future too.  But I need Pink's help figuring out how to do it and we're both pretty busy, so finding time is a challenge.  But once I get the hang of it I hope to be offering some of those nicer, more polished pouches as well.

So there's my latest effort at reducing, reusing and recycling!  I hope you all like them!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
XOXOXO,

Karen

22 Suggestions for the Holiday Season

1. Feast on Harmony as well as food.
2. May you be filled with loving kindness.
3. May you keep the fun in fundamentalism.
4. May you embrace an attitude of gratitude.
5. May you find joy in simple pleasures.
6. May smiles increase your face value.
7. May your smiles burst...so that they become laughter.
8. May you have long laugh-expectancy, without relying on the use of laughsitives.
9. May you use mental floss to fight truth decay.
10. May self-discipline be the bridge between thought and accomplishment.
11. May you take an esteem bath daily.
12. May you give as much as you receive.
13. To all holiday recipes, add 2 cups of milk of human kindness.  Sweeten with generous portions of love.  And, do everything with relish!
14. Before eating fruitcake, check for "ant-tracks."
15. In a world full of conflict, find beauty and choose peace of mind.
16. May you embrace, respect and learn from all religions.  God is too big to fit into only one.
17. May you make a positive difference in the lives of others.
18. May you follow your dreams so that your reality becomes your best fantasy.
19. May you not take yourself too seriously.  And may you weave a playful, creative spirit around the spiritual fiber of your life.
20. May you truly enjoy tomorrow's past.
21. May your Holiday Season be wholesome and complete.
22. May you be HAPPY!

Happy Whole-a-Days!
xoxo

Karen

22 Suggestions for the Holiday Season

1. Feast on Harmony as well as food.
2. May you be filled with loving kindness.
3. May you keep the fun in fundamentalism.
4. May you embrace an attitude of gratitude.
5. May you find joy in simple pleasures.
6. May smiles increase your face value.
7. May your smiles burst...so that they become laughter.
8. May you have long laugh-expectancy, without relying on the use of laughsitives.
9. May you use mental floss to fight truth decay.
10. May self-discipline be the bridge between thought and accomplishment.
11. May you take an esteem bath daily.
12. May you give as much as you receive.
13. To all holiday recipes, add 2 cups of milk of human kindness.  Sweeten with generous portions of love.  And, do everything with relish!
14. Before eating fruitcake, check for "ant-tracks."
15. In a world full of conflict, find beauty and choose peace of mind.
16. May you embrace, respect and learn from all religions.  God is too big to fit into only one.
17. May you make a positive difference in the lives of others.
18. May you follow your dreams so that your reality becomes your best fantasy.
19. May you not take yourself too seriously.  And may you weave a playful, creative spirit around the spiritual fiber of your life.
20. May you truly enjoy tomorrow's past.
21. May your Holiday Season be wholesome and complete.
22. May you be HAPPY!

Happy Whole-a-Days!
xoxo

Karen

Thinking About Abundance

Last night when I was driving home, there was an ad on the radio from a local Bay Area car dealership and he was droning on in the usual way about buying or leasing a car today.  Not real high on my list right now.  But what caught my attention was that he went on to say something to the effect that while we would really like it if you bought your car from US, please just buy a car.  From anyone.  Keep the economy moving.

That got me to thinking about money and the economy (who isn't these days?) and the flow of abundance.  And it's true.  What creates abundance and prosperity is the flow of energy.  You buy something, somebody in the store helps you, they get a paycheck so they can go home and feed their children and pay their bills, someone else helps them and the cycle continues.  If we all hold on too tight, the flow stops.

I know someone who right now is doing a very, very expensive renovation to an already very, very expensive house.  Now granted, this individual has a LOT of money.  Really a lot.  But what I like is that she's keeping probably 100 or more people employed for at least a year while this renovation is going on.  She's helping to keep the flow going.

I've been talking to my friends and many of them are saying how their gift-giving at the holidays this year is going to be very, very small.  And I've been saying the same thing.  But at the same time, I'm thinking of the things my loved ones need or would like to have and I'm doing my best to scrape it together and get these things for them.  I'll probably end up spending as much as I usually do.  Just cause it's hard not to.  And cause I love my family.

Listening to the news about Black Friday and the poor man who was trampled to death at Walmart just sickened me.  Imagine hundreds of people so intent on getting a "good deal" breaking the doors down to a store and trampling a 6'5", 275 lb. man to death just to get in the store!  This is not the sort of rabid consumerism I'm talking about.  Not shop until you drop.  But just not holding on too tight.

Keep the flow going.  Do some judicious shopping and buy some lovely things for your family and dearest friends.  And even for yourself.  Don't hold on too tight.  Be cautious and exercise wisdom, but get out there and spread the wealth around a little -- it will all come back to you. 

Be safe and happy this Holiday Season!

xoxo,
Karen