Taking Care Of Vintage Costume Jewllery: Stage 1: Maintenance

Taking Care Of Vintage Costume Jewellery.  
Stage 1 Maintenance.

1. Don't sleep in it, take it off before you go to bed.
There are many reasons for this, obviously a very delicate piece could just be destroyed  by the every day tossing and turning of sleep.

2, Don't shower or bathe in it, take it off before hand. Hot water will slowly erode any glue settings, rhinestones will be lost.

3, Never ever do hot tubs with jewellery on, this shouldn't even be for vintage jewellery, it should be a warning sign for ANY jewellery, the chemicals in hot tubs affect all stones, ( I cant' even, there's chlorine and bromine usually added to the general maintenance disinfect as well as many others) even precious ones if you love pearls, don't even think about it.  Pearls are really badly affected by hot tubs, keep in mind pearl jewellery is mainly hand strung the older pieces on natural fibers, you are slowly bleaching both the pearls and material used to string them.  They just cant stand up to it.

4. Perfume. Put it on before jewellery and give it time to settle, or just don't wear it in places where you are wearing jewellery.  Perfume natural or not is still just a series of scented chemicals you are applying. Spraying over vintage jewellery will leave a coating, some of the chemicals may interact with and damage your pieces.

4. If its a valued piece family piece, keep it that way, store it carefully, don't mix it up with other jewellery. And Keep any family history alive, by any letters, mentions in letters, of the pieces, photos etc. 

5, If you buy a vintage piece be aware what you have bought, a costume jewellery piece from the 1920's - 90's  will still decay quickly if you don't love and look after it.

6. Verdigris, the dreaded green sign of decay to costume jewellery.  If you notice this on a piece, separate it from the other pieces. Clean it thoroughly, if you catch it early you may be able to save the piece, but still keep it separated from other jewellery.  Think of it like a virus it can be passed on by touch, but between jewellery.


Hope these tips help, we''ll add some more practical maintenance advice soon as this list was mainly a ' Do Not Do section '

Whats the difference, between antique and Vintage? What actually is vintage.

In terms of jewellery and many other items, what is the actual difference between antique and vintage and not vintage?



Vintage:
In terms of jewellery, clothes, toys, household and pretty much all goods its commonly accepted that after 20 years of age an item becomes vintage , hence 80's and some early 90's  items are now considered vintage as are 30's 40's, 50's and 60's items. ( Wine and spirits are a whole different cup of tea when describing vintage ).

This lovely blue enamel flower bracelet is vintage, likely 1960's - 70's.  Formed in a floral design its a truly statement piece for its time. You can view more of our Vintage bracelets by clicking the link. Visit Bracelets









Antique
This is a industry standard, widely accepted term, for an item and that is 100 years plus, not just jewellery, toys, household items everything, if its 100 years plus its considered an antique.

If somethings 100+ years its an antique.

This brooch lovely Scottish brooch is an antique, it's formed from early electroplating of silver onto a base metal. You can check out more of our brooches antique and vintage Brooches by clicking the link.View the brooches










Vintage Style:
Does not mean its vintage, it is a term often used for items designed that show a nod to the past in their style and design. If unsure just ask the seller.

These stunning earrings by the designer Monet aren't quite vintage though they are made in a vintage style.
You can see more of our truly vintage and vintage style style items by clicking the link View Earrings







So if somethings an 80's thingy yes its vintage,  as is a 30's thingy, both are vintage.  If its from Ebay, or any similar site saying its vintage and they have 20 -30 of this item item in stock then its doubtful its vintage it more than probably a modern item made in a vintage style. ( Though it could be a dead stock item, that another discussion for another day )!!!
Don't be afraid of asking the seller if you are unsure!
But also have realistic expectations if you are buying an item sold as vintage item, don't think its an antique 100+ years, it shouldn't be, it has been described to you as vintage.

So in basic and the most important terms,  a truly vintage item is 20+ years up to 99 in age. 
An Antique is 100+ Years Or Older.

New Arrivals For August.

Sorry for so long delay between posts, we have just been super busy . As with all months, July had seen some awesome and unique new arrivals to the shop. ( I'm aware it August but these darlings hit in late July ) So I'll take this opportunity to highlight some of our new favorites.  Its all about earrings right now, here are some of our new faves.

These huge Swarovski clip on earrings are a true statement piece, they are clip on so can be worn by anyone.  The large deep purple amethyst crystal is truly stunning




Just because I love the over top decadence of Indian wedding,  Bollywood style pieces , I couldn't help but add these beauties.  Large, oversize they are just amazing.

Set with rhinestones, and blue beads, these large earrings are truly a statement item of jewellery.
Be brave to wear them, they are BIG.






We all love the art deco style, but during this period stunning naturalistic pieces were still being designed. These earrings sum up that style, probably produced from Europe rather than the UK.

Vintage Earrings

 These lovely screw back earrings are formed from pale aqua glass rhinestones and brass filigree, dating from the 1930's - 40's.
They are really unusual and add a certain ' Je ne sais quoi ' to any ensemble.

New Arrivals For June:

Sorry for so long delay between posts, we have just been super busy . As with all months, June has seen some unique new arrivals to the shop. So I'll take this opportunity to highlight some of our new favorites.  Its all about earrings right now, here are some of our new faves.

Unicorns, Pegasuses and horses are still so very much in and these whimsical clip on earrings from the late 40s - 50's tick all the cutesy boxes.

These lovely whimsical horse clip on earrings are from the late 1940's - 50's.
They are truly little cuties, clip on earrings so can be worn by anyone.







Sometimes everyone just loves showing off and  these lovely and very stylish drop tassel drop earrings by Swarovski tick all those boxes, dating from the late 70's - 80's, a lot of jewellery is sold as by Swarovski which only contains their crystals, Swarovski manufactured jewellery is extremely well made and is a designer brand well worth collecting.

These earrings have the swan stamp to the back dating them to before 1987.  As well as stunning emerald cut blue crystals, they have the so in vogue at the moment tassel drops.












These abstractly designed earrings by Trifari, make me think of discovered shells at with the children at the sea side and beach holidays in general.

Formed from polished and textured gold tone metal, they are stamped with the crown symbol and Trifari to the backs and make a statement without being too overpowering.

These were just a few of the earrings that have been recently added to the shop, please feel free to stop by and have a browse through some of the other designs available in our vintage earrings selection.

New Arrivals For February.

As with all months, February has seen some unique new arrivals to the shop. So I'll take this opportunity to highlight some of our new favorites. 

This lovely bracelet is fashioned from a chunky textured gold tone curb chain and is set with a charm of two lovers meeting on a bench, with a red rhinestone heart next to them. The charm is removable. Its such a lovely love and friendship themed bracelet, it really puts me in the mood for Valentines day.





Enamel and especially cloisonne enamel jewellery are some of my favourite pieces of jewellery, the art of cloisonne enameling dates back well over a thousand years so how could I not mention these.

Formed from cloisonne enamel, these vibrant daisy flower and bamboo earrings really are just stunning. Dating from the 1950's, with a screw back closure,  they can be worn by anyone.






Again biased, but I love frogs and these designer earrings by Mimi Di N tick every box for me.

I say biased they are actually an amazing pair of earrings by this collectable designer. Stunning attention to detail and just super cute at the same time.  Mimi Di N pieces or ( Princess Mimi Di Niscemi ) are super collectable, gracing the covers of vogue and Harpers magazines in the 60's and 70's.








These were just a small section of our new arrivals, be sure to check out our website for vintage earrings, vintage brooches and vintage bracelets.

Damascene And Damascene Style Jewellery.

A lot of jewellery is sold and advertised as damascene which is not actually damascene, hopefully we will clear up a few misconceptions here.

Firstly what actually is damascene?
If we use the standard typical and correct Wikipedia response,  Damascening is the art of inlaying different metals into one another—typically, gold or silver into a darkly oxidized steel background—to produce intricate patterns similar to niello. The English term comes from a perceived resemblance to the rich tapestry patterns of damask silk.

Damascene style jewellery is old, its evolution can be traced back to Damascus, hence the term ' Damascene ' The manufacture of damascene jewellery in recent history is focused in Japan and Spain and is still manufactured there to this date.

Things to note about genuine damascene
The back ground is always very dark, its formed from oxidized , bronze, steel or iron.
In true damascene the designs are etched and silver or gold foil is layered onto the designs. ( Usually 18k or 24K or high quality silver )
Faux Damascene is usually enamel coated for the darkened colours
Faux damascene usually has raised designs with a white colour wash.

Terms For The Buyer To Note:

Toledo Damascene
Whilst Toledo in Spain is actually a manufacturing hub for the production of damascene jewellery, Toledo damascene is often used as a byword for faux damascene. ( If you are after genuine damascene, be careful, ask questions any genuine seller will be more than happy top answer them )

Damascene style.
Does whats it says on the tin, so to speak. Its jewellery often made from where damascene jewellery originates but its not ' genuine or true damascene ' Its a great alternative and very cost effective for those just after the style ( We stock both, true damascene and damascene style jewellery, our faux damascene pieces are described as damascene style or faux damascene. )

Spanish Damascene:
Again this term sums up the product, its damascene jewellery manufactured in Spain.

Amita/ Shakudo Damascene:
It should possibly be referred to as Shakudo damascene, but its usually not. A popular manufacturer in Japan in the 19th century  led to this term been widely accepted in the western world. Both terms are commonly accepted.  The designs usually feature fans, mountains and Japanese style themes.

To help you out there is nothing better than seeing products before you so here are some examples.

This brooch is formed from faux damascene, set with faux pearls. Notice the raised white areas, its still a very pretty brooch, but its not damascene.

This brooch is genuine damascene in a Japanese Shakudo design, featuring a stork or crane bird, ( The crane was a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Asia )

Again Faux Damascene set with pearl and again the white raised detailing is prevalent.





Hope this advice helps, we will hopefully publish some more examples up soon.

Winter Jewellery Inspirations.

It seems like only the other day I was talking about autumn/fall themed jewellery and here we are with winter at our door already.  Time really does fly! 
Chandelier earrings are currently trending on many fashion runways and ones set with clear rhinestones, have a crisp, clean wintery vibe about them

These vintage earrings are set with a large rhinestone, leading to three symmetrical drops.  The drops are articulated catch the light beautifully as they move.  The earrings have clip on backs so can be worn by anyone.









Although winter is often associated with stark dark colours, bold reds, rich greens and golds.  Icy blues really make me think of the crunch of crisp frost underfoot on an early winters morning.

Both the shape and colouring of this brooch have a wintery feel.  Pale blue rhinestones are set in silver tone metal with light grey tear drop shaped lucite cabochons.








Chunky statement jewellery is back, in a big way! One thing the 50's had was serious bling.  Its a great era to currently select pieces from as not only will you have a piece that is currently on trend there less chance of someone owning the same piece. 

This chunky, expanding Empire made bracelet is set with large faux pearls  along its entire length.  Its a fun piece with a christmasy feel to it, the pearls really remind me of mistletoe berries.








Not one for cooler colours, then embrace the warmer red tones associated with winter/Christmas.

These vintage raised red seed bead cluster earrings have a very Christmasy feel.  The spiky design of the gold caps containing the seed beads give the earrings a Holly leaf and berry vibe.




More winter themed jewellery can be viewed on our dedicated Pinterest board.