VINTAGE Jewelry...

[fashion.fashoff]

i have been wearing these brooches a lot lately, either on lapels or as pendants. both are american sterling silver pcs from the 1880s





pix by me

[fashion.fashoff]

for those interested in vintage/antique jewelry, the site tademagallery.com contains stunning museum-quality pieces, mostly art nouveau, jugendstil, arts & crafts, etc.

[fashion.fashoff]

here are some more of my favorite brooches

^ german silverplate and enamel, ca 1905


^german silver, niello (a type of black metal inlay), and chrysoprase, ca 1905


^silver and coral, amsterdam ca 1905

pix by me

i'm obsessed with antique silver brooches

[chaneladdict]

That first brooch with the bat is so amazing. It's really interesting to see such a quirky piece from so long ago. Do you have any idea what the significance of the figures on it are?

[fashion.fashoff]

^the bat brooch is by an avant-garde maker of the period. neoclassicism was very popular in silver work in the 1860s but died out by the 1870s. this maker reintroduced neoclassical medallions in the 1880s but in a new, distressed context (notice the hammer marks around the classical profiles)--he wanted the designs, which he called "curio medallions", to seem like they had been dug up from the ruins of pompeii. the bat & crescent moon have more of a gothic influence, another victorian theme, but the style of the moon (jagged edge and an irregular surface) was also inspired by japanese theories of beauty (i.e. finding beauty in the "imperfect"), japan having recently (1867) opened to the west. the mixture of neoclassical, japanese, and gothic reflects yet another victorian theme--eclecticism.
this is another weird example of the same era by a different maker--it has a neoclassical medallion, feather, and crescent stamped with various strange motifs

[chaneladdict]

found a few cool pieces while trolling etsy.com







etsy.com

[chaneladdict]

a few more




etsy.com

[chaneladdict]

some more









ok I'll stop

etsy.com

[chaneladdict]

grandviewmercantile.com

[luluposh]

I have a few pieces of very very old Sudanese silver jewelry from when I was a child living there between 1985-1991 which I have wanted to wear, but have felt for sentimental reasons that I should not, in case something were to happen to them...

The other bracelet I picked up in Cape Town, it is also very old, made from animal bone. I love wood in my jewelry, and I like the details in vintage/antique pieces; I find they are so much sturdier than modern pieces.

[chaneladdict]

^ those are lovely, there is a store around here that sells vintage sterling pieces like that from all around the world. I love to go in and just drool at it all. I too have many pieces of jewelry that I won't wear because I don't want things to happen to them!

[luluposh]

^ thank you - i actually really enjoy browsing local markets for jewellery. i've spent most of my life in Africa, so have been able to get an insight into more unusual pieces, especially with ivory, wood, precious metals etc.

i actually have an interesting ivory necklace that i got in the 1980s, again in Sudan, that mixs ivory and gold. i thought someday i might wear it, but i've come to realise that i won't, and i am not sure that there is much point anymore hanging on to pieces like that. i would post a picture, just not sure how well ivory would be received here

[chaneladdict]

I have a few ivory pieces myself, I would love to see it..I am sure you could sell it for quite a bit of money if you don't think you'll wear it. I tried on the most spectacular diamond/filigree necklace today at the antique market, my husband didn't quite seem to get the hint that it would make a nice present

[luluposh]

^ Men I hope it wasn't something too unique!
Here is a photo of the necklace, I am definitely going to get it appraised this week and then take it from there, since I have far too much jewellery and not enough occasions to wear such a piece.

[chaneladdict]

that is quite beautiful. The necklace I wanted was I think 30's, it was crystal quartz, platinum with diamond...aaa it was amazing. I've been stalking it for about a year now.