Animal Jewellery reviewed in style

Through out February 2010, we added some new categories or themed animal jewellery to make browsing easier on Jewels and Finery

One of those themes were antique and vintage animal figural jewellery.

Many people have a favourite animal. It can be a family pet or something more exotic

I buy many items that have black cats and German Shepherds on. However in jewellery, I have yet to find any.
Particular German Shepherd jewellery is not seen very often compared to poodles!!

Here are just a few photographs of vintage and antique animal jewellery that are both for sale at present or have been sold in the past.

Panther, leopard and big cat jewellery has been very popular since the twenties, when few people had seen these animals except in circus performances or in books. Both of these big cat brooches are vintage modern

Jonette climbing leopard brooch 1980s

   

Farm animals are a very popular theme in jewellery. From simple wooden cut brooches to metal and rhinestone-studded ones. Again this sheep brooch is a modern one. Pigs are a great favourite to collect.

Ceramic and pottery animal jewellery is available in a wide range of species.

Victorian and Edwardian antique jewellery often used horses within their design. Horses were part of everyday life, used in transport, farming and sport. The horse shoe has always been associated with good luck, especially at weddings. A vintage horse and shoe charm or pendant above. Below an Edwardian or Victorian men's fob compass in the shape of a horse shoe.  

 

Sometimes the jewellery designers use their imagination and the animals are very difficult to identify!

Fur was used extensively through out history as clothing, furnishing and jewellery. It is part of our heritage and something that happened. It is only in recent years that real fur is frowned at in clothing and jewellery. This brooch is of mink. Hollywood played a large part with stars wearing fur coats and rhinestone jewellery from the twenties onward. Today many of the film, TV and music stars produce their own ranges of clothing and jewellery. 

Dating Sarah Coventry Jewellery - Part 1

There are many ways to date vintage jewellery. One of the best ways is by reference through brochures, trade magazines or other paperwork produced by the jewellery company.

Last week I obtained a brochure produced by Sarah Coventry in Spring 1976. This magazine is from the US and the hostess lived in Iowa. I wanted to share the information and over the next few months will be producing the 63 pages for anyone to reference and any additional information. Starting with the first 4 pages. If you search "Sarah Coventry" in this blog. It should bring up all the blogs with the different brochure pages.

When I was about 13 or 14 I remember my mother attending a jewellery party hosted by my grandmother. I was not allowed to go. But afterward I had the pleasure of looking through a brochure and picking out a bird brooch. My mom brought the brooch for me and a birthstone ring. I still have the ring but the brooch sadly has disappeared in time.
When my grandmother passed away, I was given many pieces of her jewellery. I wore a beautiful brooch throughout my teenage years that was produced by Sarah Coventry.

C H Stuart Co was founded in 1952 in Newark, New York, they sold many different products including cosmetics, china, boats as well as jewellery. Sarah Coventry and Emmons jewellery had been started in 1949 and the companies tended to sell the same jewellery using the same numbers, tags, brochures and catalogues.

Home parties or fashion shows was the way the jewellery was mostly sold with some in department stores in the late 80s and 90s. From the US in the sixties the company expanded and started to have parties in Scotland, England, Canada, Belgium and Australia.  The peak was in the eighties when the company then declined. It had a brief revival in the nineties and 2000s but their website has now disappeared. Unsure of the state of the company now   

The hostesses were rewarded for holding the parties. In 1976 you would receive $1 credit for each guest up to 9 who buy the jewellery and £2 credit for each additional guest who makes a purchase. Also for holding a party $2 credit and if you had another party within 3 weeks another $3 credit. The credit allowed you to have free jewellery.

Page 4 showing the following jewellery:
Tassel Magic Earrings in a gold tone 7629
Tassel magic necklace/bracelet  in a gold tone 8629
Versatile jewellery was produced by Sarah Coventry. Here the necklace had a removable chain length that could be converted into a bracelet 

Page 5  (January 1976)

Exquisite Lady necklace 36" in simulated pears 8612a
Patricia necklace 36" pearl and gold metal chain 8118b
Exquisite Lady Earrings for pierced ears, small faux pearl 7614c
Patricia Earrings for pierced ears, small pearl bead and gold metal chain dangle 7118d
Exquisite Lady Earrings Clip style, faux pearl in a gold coloured clip finding 7612e

Page 6 (Spring 1976)

Golden Petal pendant 20" gold tone pendant and chain 8400a
Golden Petal earrings clip 7400b
Delightful bracelet, curved links in gold tone 9986c
Volcano pendant 24" dark blue/black stone pendant and gold tone chain 8191d

Page 7

Tempo bracelet faux pearls and oval links in a gold tone 9291a
Snowdrop necklace 18" faux pearl teardrop bead enclosed in a gold tone frame 8359b
Moon Beam pendant 16 - 18" adjustable pendant and gold tone chain. Pearl cabochon set into a pointed diamond shaped gold tone frame 8594c
Sabrina necklace 19" and 34" chains. small pearl bead and ornate gold tone stamping pendant on a chain with alternate links of gold tone stamping and three pearl beads.8292d
Sabrina earrings for pierced ears matching pearl and gold tone 7294e  

Click on the photographs to enlarge further

Sarah Coventry vintage jewelry

Have just brought my March jewellery book about Jacob Bengel and Art Deco vintage jewellery. Will write a review shortly. That is if I can find it - one of my family has moved it from the middle of the ironing board some where safe....

Happy Mother's day

  

Good Morning.Mothers Day 2010.The sun is shinning here in the UK and it is actually fairly warmer than late.Spring I think is appearing at last!
Not jewellery related, but thought you might want to see the large heron that sits on one of the trees in the garden almost every day at about 5pm.

I am five foot three inches and this bird is as tall as my waist. Yes caught him once in the garden just after we moved in. He was walking around our small garden pond. Since then our ponds have been heron proofed.
Bit of a shock as did not expect to see a heron in a suburbia back garden. Unable to photograph him with his wings out, as couldn't hold my arms up long enough. Not been too well lately.

This is what he is looking at and there is another pond next door.

We often have dragonfly appear in the summer in various colours and sizes. Just amazing how they find the ponds. One spring we moved the small pond at the bottom of the garden and found a dragonfly flitting over the old pond site in the summer. It must have been there before!
I have several dragonfly brooches that I love. We have added about 4 different ones last week to jewels and Finery. Along with a few insect or bug jewellery 

Green dragonfly brooch - large- pre owned

Vintage jewel bug brooch

We are slowly adding more items to our site. We have vintage necklaces, bracelets, earrings. Vintage beads, finding and buttons. Also vintage patterns ready to add soon.

Cameos Old & New Anna M Miller - Book Review

At the beginning of this year, I decided to buy a book a month. Each book would be to increase my knowledge about antique and vintage jewellery. So far I have brought 2 books a month - okay so I can't count LOL

The truth is I love book and can not wait for my latest purchase to arrive. So when the 4Th edition of Cameos Old and New by Anna M Miller which has been revised and updated by Diana Jarrett caught my eye - It just had to buy it.
I already have the 3rd edition and was very pleased to find the latest books on cameos contained more excellent information

The book is for anyone new to cameos, experienced collectors, cameo jewellery dealers and also curators.
It is a fully comprehensive reference guide to:

• Where to hunt for cameos
• How to recognize - old from new, imitation and newer synthetic materials from original shell or stone cameos
• How to differentiate between ultrasonically produced and hand-carved cameos

 The book has loads more pages of photographs than the last, with the new cameo's illustrated that are being made today. Extensive and well-written chapters on cameos from their history, materials past and present to today's worldwide cameo designers 
Overall well worth buying if you are interested in cameos.
Taken from the book three examples that are included in the list of the twenty most common subjects of cameos:
The three muses, Medusa and profile of an anonymous female; the lady cameo that is mass-produced in stone and shell.

My interest in cameos has included the twentieth and twenty-first century costume jewellery type.
Particularly the one profile that is seen most often, I have christened her the popular goddess!
She does differ across productions as some vintage and second-hand ones tend to be plainer, whereas someones she is moulded more beautiful with flowing clothes, hair and flowers.  Some of the ones produced have a point at the end of her nose instead of round.

 

Seventies vintage cameo earrings clip-on style

Notice the profile of the popular goddess is quite plain

Again the cameo on this choker - she is plain in detail

Estimate the choker is the sixties to early seventies.

 

  

 

  

 

Note the last three have a sharper point to her nose

These cameos have been produced in all different types of jewellery with a variety of coloured backgrounds. From bracelets, necklaces, brooches, earrings and scarf clips. Even on the heel of a shoe or front!

http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/collections/themes/2333/theme/2440/object/2685#2685
Elegant shoe produced by Wedgwood and information on their cameos 

Jewels and Finery Vintage Cameo Jewellery
Selection of our antique and vintage cameo jewellery. More cameo jewels to be added soon as we have them photographed and ready to list

Just have fun collecting and wearing cameos whatever they are made of or age.

Next book review will be one about Kenneth J Lane's jewellery and life, so please feel free to bookmark this blog