The Results Are In! Vintage Jewelry Survey

Vintage Jewelry Survey - Results Published June, 2008

What do other people who buy vintage jewelry collect? What kinds of designers do people enjoy? How many pieces do they own? Are their interests similar to yours? Here are the most popular answers given by our newsletter subscribers. (Join our newsletter now!)

Q. What is your primary reason for buying vintage jewelry?
A. I enjoy collecting it.

Q. What types of costume jewelry do you enjoy buying?
A. Rhinestone, designer signed and "Whatever I like."

Q. 3. Where do you like to buy your jewelry?
A. Antique malls and shops.

Q. Have you bought any vintage costume jewelry in the last year?
A. Yes.

Q. How many pieces do you currently have in your collection?
A. More than 100.

Q. What sources do you use for learning about vintage jewelry?
A. Mostly internet than books.

Q. How many vintage costume jewelry resource books and guides do you own?
A. 1-5.

Q. Do you have a favorite vintage jewelry designer?
A. No, I like many different designers.

Q. If you had to pick a few, who would be your favorites?

RESULTS (each list of designers is ordered from most to least votes within each category)\

Very Popular (Chosen by more than 20 people): Miriam Haskell, Weiss, Trifari

Popular (Chosen by 10-19 people): Coro, Eisenberg, D&E (Juliana)

Moderately Popular (Chosen by 5-9 people): Sherman, Kenneth Jay Lane (KJL), Florenza, Har, Sarah Coventry, Hobe, Kramer, Boucher, Various Mexican Sterling Designers

Less Popular (Chosen by 2-4 people): Mazer / Jomaz, Lisner, Joan Rivers, Joseff of Hollywood, Hollycraft, Demario, David Andersen, JJ, Chanel, Art, Heidi Daus, Matisse, Ciner, Vendome, Schreiner, Nolan Miller, Cini, Pennino, Kirk's Folley, Van Dell, Monet, Whiting & Davis, Panetta, Alice Caviness, WIlliam Kerr

Special Mention (Chosen by 1 person): Bogoff, Hattie Carnegie, Schiaparelli, BSK, Barklay, VRBA, Staret, Sandor, Sweet Romance, Lunch at the Ritz, Piddley Links, Miracle, Sphinx, Butler & Wilson, Selro, Christian Dior, Avon, Jensen, DeRosa, Laguana

So why do all these people like to buy vintage jewelry? What do they do with it? Some answers may surprise you!

The answers in no particular order are:
- to restore
- to wear
- to study
- for re-enactment purposes
- to frame for art display and keepsake
- to re-sell
- for gifting
- to appreciate
- to remind of a loved one
- to brighten up the day
- to capture art and beauty of the past
- to play with

Do you have an interesting collection? Tell us about it!

Favorite Finds in Vintage Costume Jewelry

Every now and then you find a piece that just grabs you for some reason or another. Sometimes it's just really glitzy or the style is one that really appeals to you. Here are some of my fave finds. What are yours? Post a link or a picture!

Unsigned Sherman Jewelry

Hello! I hope your jewelry finds have been good thus far this summer! I came across a doozy of a brooch and earring set in the most vibrant fuchsia color. The minute I saw it, my instinct said Sherman but I turned it over and no signature! So does this mean the set is for sure not Sherman? Not at all. There is some misinformation out there that all Sherman jewelry was marked. This is not the case. I have had two pieces side by side and not a difference to them and I do very thoroughly inspect my jewelry. Not only that but in the beaded parures with the necklace, bracelet and earrings you'll often only find one piece marked although they have the same workmanship and use the same components. I have a set like that right now that I'm struggling with as well. In addition, other dealer friends agree that they also have had unsigned Shermans.

So, what do you think about this set?

Here is my reasoning for attributing it to Sherman:

Back

• thick rhodium plating
• same circular mechanism as found in many Shermans
• earring backs and pin also used in Sherman jewelry
  

Front

• the stones are blinding (great quality)
• common circular design
• sprigs seen in other Sherman
• use of navettes
• all prong set stones

Leave your comments and have a great day! :-)

Vintage Jewelry Tip: Resource Guides

Vintage Jewelry Tip Of The Month:Most Useful Reference and Price Guides 05/07

There are so many resource and price guides available for vintage jewelry but how are you supposed to know which ones are most worth investing in? Our library contains over 50 of these books so we've outlined the ones we find most useful for identification, information, and pricing.

1. Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry: Identification and Values by Marcia Sparkles Brown: A collector favorite! - This book has many photos of jewelry of all different kinds. It's fun to search through or pieces you already own! The price guide is reasonable although consideration is not given to unsigned pieces that are known to be from certain manufactures which results in an under pricing for some items.

2. Collecting Rhinestone & Colored Jewelry by Maryanne Dolan. - We like this book not only for the pictures and price guide (most pictures are in black and white) but for the extensive section on designer trademarks. It will encourage you to search for designers you had never heard of before! Almost half of the large 399 page book is dedicated to this topic with images of each mark included.

3. Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry: Covers 1840-1950 by Jeanenne Bell - This book has information about jewelry and fashion specific to each time period with pictures and values to support it. If you are purely interested in costume jewelry, you may be put off by the amount of fine jewelry represented in this book. However, it is a valuable resource for learning about fine pieces and styles which costume jewelry you collect was modeled after.

If you have a more refined, eclectic taste for vintage jewelry, we strongly recommend the following three books. I don't believe "American Costume Jewelry" is being produced anymore so you may have to find it in the second hand market. Please feel free to comment on this if you know more.

A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA by Carla and Roberto Brunialti

AMERICAN COSTUME JEWELRY by Carla and Roberto Brunialti

EUROPEAN DESIGNER JEWELRY by Ginger Moro

What are your favorite books on vintage jewelry? Let us and others know by leaving a comment.

Take Our Vintage Costume Jewelry Survey!

Share some of your collecting habits and find out what others around the world are doing with vintage jewelry. Results will be posted on our web page and blog when they are ready.

Go now!

Wendy Gell and VintageCostumeJewelry.com

VintageCostumeJewelry.com has been working with jewelry designer Wendy Gell to create a new webpage to showcase and sell her work! You can read about the talented Ms. Gell below.

Vintage Jewelry Tip Of The Month: Jewelry Designer Wendy Gell

Wendy Gell is an artist and jewelry designer located in Oregon with world wide clientle who specializes in handmade, one of a kind, designer jewelry, art and gifts. She is well known for her famous wristies and collectible Disney themed jewelry which are encrusted with jewels, rhinestones, brightly colored Swarovski Austrian crystals , small antique toys and objects, fabric, cherubs and religious artifacts, inlaid bits of Pop Culture or the playful icons of retro-Americana. Her pop art jewels have been worn by the famous & celebrated by collectors for over 20 years. It is some of the most fun and whimsical jewelry available. To get a feel for the style of this jewelry, visit our Wendy Gell page at VintageCostumeJewelry.com or visit the newly opened WendyGell.com!

Some New Jewelry Finds in San Francisco

I've been shopping! If you ever go to San Francisco, be sure to visit Haight Street. There are lots of fun and eclectic stores including the following:

Information from The San Francisco Neighborhood Guide.

Urban Antiques: It's easy to pass the garage door that serves as the entrance to this shop, but inside is filled with 2,700 square feet of antiques. Turn-of-the-century music boxes and clocks are the specialties, though Urban Antiques also offers good deals on well-preserved furniture. Old phonographs and other musical items, such as a mahogany piano stool, are inside as well. 1767 Waller St., (415) 221-0194.

Off the Wall: While one side of Off the Wall focuses on colorful concert posters, mainly limited editions and signed, numbered and silk-screened specimens, the other half spotlights vintage French posters, black-and-white photos of old movie stars and fine-art prints by the likes of Van Gogh and Monet. All posters are in mint condition and can be purchased with the frame or custom-framed at the gallery. 1669 Haight St., (415) 863-8170.

La Rosa: This upscale vintage boutique focuses on clothes and collectables from the '20s to '50s, though there are some items from the '60s and '70s in stock. Dinner jackets, formal dresses, feather hats and other accessories come from all over the world. While shirts range from $65 to $265, some carry as much as a $1,000 price tag, while gowns can cost up to $2,000. 1711 Haight St., (415) 668-3744.

*Photo Information (All images and content Copyright © 2007 VintageCostumeJewelry.com. All rights reserved.

1. Jomaz Star Shaped Earrings

2. Celluloid Link Necklace

Vintage Jewelry Tip - Vauxhall Glass

Here's our tip of the month for January. Do you know anything about his type of glass or have photos? We'd love to post them here!

Vintage Jewelry Tip Of The Month: What Is Vauxhall Glass?
01/07

Vauxhall glass was so named from a mirror glass which was made in Britain in the early 1700's at a glassworks which was located in Vauxhall, London. It was most commonly made in a deep burgundy color but other colors existed as well. It is considered quite hard to find because much of it became damaged in wearing. For more information, see A Collector's Guide To Costume Jewelry: Key Styles and How To Recognize Them by Tracy Tolkien and Henrietta Wilkinson. You may also want to check out this information on Vauxhall.

Vintage Jewelry Tip Of The Month - November 2006

Vintage Jewelry Tip Of The Month: Testing Pearls
11/06

Can you really tell if a pearl is real by biting it? Well, not really but you can tell a few things about a pearl using just your senses. First off, do not bite, but rub the pearl against your front tooth. If it feels gritty, not dirty but more textured, chances are that it is a cultured or genuine pearl. If it feels smooth, it is likely glass or plastic. Distinguishing the difference between cultured and genuine pearls is more tricky and it is recommended that you take your item to a jeweler to have it identified. If the pearl is drilled, look at the hole to dee the thickness of the nacre. If it appears thin, it is a cultured pearl. But how do you know if your synthetic pearl is glass or plastic? The teeth come into play here again. Tap the bead against your tooth. if it makes a "clunk" sound, it is likely plastic. If it makes a "clink" sound, it is likely glass. Test this with other items you know to be glass or plastic first to get a feel for the different feels and sounds. In addition, glass tends to be cold to the touch as opposed to plastic so temperature can an indicator of material as well.

Jewellery Party!

We had our first jewellery (CDN spelling) party on November 5th and another on the 12th and I have to say it was a huge success and a lot of fun! We had a door prize and a draw which allowed two people to pick out $50 in free jewellery!

What People Bought

It was interesting to see that brooches are still a hot commodity although most people seemed to like to buy them to put on their coats as a more permanent item. Many were bought for Christmas gifts.

To my surprise, the most sought after items were my handmade jewellery like the bracelet in the picture.

As for vintage, rhinestone pieces were sold, one pair of clip earrings and honestly not much else. This crowd liked their jewellery new. Oh, two brooches went. One was a Christmas pin.

Have you ever had your own party for selling jewellery or have you ever been to one? Post a comment about it!

That's all for now. :-)

Jo-Ann