|
variety
of collectible antique jewelryAs seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper,
September, 2005
|
Victorian 18k gold, enamel and seed
pearl brooch. Polychrome enamel depiction of a Raphaelite cherub. sold at
auction for $1,410. Photo courtesy of Skinner Galleries, Boston, MA |
The fascination with antique and
costume vintage jewelry just
keeps on growing.
Auction prices are all over the map.
Even more unusual pieces of
Victorian jewelry can
sell for under $1,500. Such was the case
at a September jewelry auction
at Skinner
Galleries. A charming Victorian 18Kt
gold, enamel and seed pearl brooch
with a
Raphaelite cherub motif sold over an
estimate of $800/1,200 for $1,410.
A novel
Edwardian hat pin designed as a whale
with freshwater pearls and
diamonds fetched $999
over it’s estimate of $400/600. Probably
feeding the frenzy are the
several new books on
the subject. A real beauty, identifying
and pricing costume jewelry is
“Costume Jewelry,
Identification and Price Guide by Leigh Leshner, published by Krause. It
covers Victorian
to the designer costume jewelry of the
1950s and 1960s. Eat your hearts
out if you gave
away or threw away your mother’s
sterling silver pins marked Georg
Jensen. Or,
rhinestone clips , marked Trifari. You
tossed several hundred dollars.
Costume jewelry designs follow the
trends of their era. Art Nouveau
pieces used floral
and nature themes in flowing lines. Most
popular, women with flowing
hair. The Art Deco
costume jewelry can be recognized by
zigzag designs, geometric shapes
and stylized
subjects. It introduced the use of new
materials including rhodium,
chrome, celluloid and
Bakelite.
CLUES:
The other book in Warman’s Field
Guide series, “Warman’s Antique
Jewelry”
by C. Jeanenne Bell, G.G., easily fits
into purse or pocket. It covers
almost everything a
collector needs to know. With all the
faking going on I found the
information on how to
test gems, metals and materials
invaluable. For example a needle heated
over a candle and
inserted into what looks like tortoise,
bakelite, and amber will give
off an identifying scent.
Amber will smell like pine; bakelite
like carbolic acid and
tortoiseshell like burning hair.
Reminds me of an experience a
collector told me about. She bought
what she thought
were real lapis lazuli beads at a fancy
antique show. Later, when she accidentally spilled
water on them the blue coloring dripped
off.
In their book, “Understanding
Jewelry” author-experts David Bennett
and Daniela Mascetti point out coral is often faked
using glass and porcelain.
Application of a small
drop of hydrochloric acid will cause
authentic coral, a carbonate, to
effervesce.
All of the books discuss the many
materials used during different
time periods. For
instance shells were turned into cameo
works of carved art from the
Victorian period into
the early 20th century. They have been
faked ever since. Now they are
mass produced in
plastic. Cut steel was used to make
costume jewelry in England. It is
still being
reproduced with the same riveted
rosettes of thin metal. Other
materials turned into
jewelry were human hair (hairworm) and
decorative garters worn on the
arm.
One clue to authenticity of supposedly old gems is the
cutting technique. The European cut, for example, was used till
advances in 19th century cutting techniques. And, they were not
set in white gold. This is a good way to decide on old diamond
jewelry.
Don’t buy old jewelry if you can’t see the back of the
stones...especially emeralds. A trick of the trade is putting
green reflective foil behind a pale opaque emerald...since color
enhances the value.
Among the many helpful hints in the Bell
book are terms, such as “gold
filled “. It can
confuse collectors when they see a Karat
mark , with G. F. beside it. When it comes to buying jewelry
with precious gems the authors
advise getting an
appraisal from a graduate gemologist who
is a member of the National
Association of
Jewelry Appraisers.
If you have any questions, you can Email us at
antshoppe@aol.com
The Antique Shoppe
"Florida's Best Newspaper for Antiques
and Collectibles
PO Box 2175, Keystone Heights, FL 32656-2175
Phone: (352)475-1679 Fax: (352)475-5326
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