Some people have asked me if there's any perceived advantage to wearing vintage jewelry over newer styles. So here's my personal take on the advantage of vintage.
1. Vintage jewelry has already been created. If you're like I am and you're trying to reduce, reuse and recycle, then wearing something that already exists helps to embody that mantra. Vintage jewelry adds very little to your carbon footprint and in my world, that's a good thing. Most new jewelry is made of plastic or man-made materials and they take energy and chemicals to create. Vintage jewelry may have taken energy to make or it could be made of plastic, but that footprint was created long ago.
2. Vintage jewelry is always "back" in style. Someone once said there are no more new ideas and I think that holds true for most things. If you look at today's fashions, there are almost always links to the past and vintage jewelry can always be partnered, as long as it's done with some style.
3. Vintage jewelry is made better. I was once married to a home builder and we often talked about how homes these days weren't as solid as ten, twenty or fifty years ago. The same goes for jewelry. There's something to be said for craftsmanship and you'll find that the jewelry made previous to 1970 (yes, technically the 1980's are "vintage" these days, but I think quality started to go downhill before then), is made much better than what's created today.
4. Go USA! Much of the costume jewelry we purchase today is made in China, India and Taiwan. And while it's nice that we send them some work, wouldn't it be better to keep those jobs here in the US? Buying vintage jewelry from local vendors or vintage jewelry re-worked by artisans here in the US does help our economy and helps to keep jobs here in our country!
So those are my thoughts on just some of the advantages of vintage jewelry. Feel free to go check out some of our vintage pieces at ElevenEleven Designs!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
What Constitutes Vintage Jewelry?
So what exactly is "vintage" jewelry? Estate jewelry or vintage jewelry is broken down into time periods. The following is from Fay Cullen as a description of what constitutes vintage jewelry by timeline.
Until the gold discoveries of the 1840’s in the US and the first appearance of Cape diamonds on the market in the 1870’s, almost all precious antique jewelery had to be remounted due to limited supply. Georgian jewelry brought with it romanticism, sentiment and symbolism. Cannetille work, chased borders and encrusted elaborate floral motif parures blossomed set with Rose-cut Diamonds and Old Mine-cut Diamonds.
Early Victorian Jewelry miniatures and shell cameos were popular, often in the form of snakes. Steam and gas engines were not widely used in workshops until the early 1860’s, making production slow. Mid Victorian Jewelery witnessed the peak of eccentricity in fashion and jewelry was worn in abundance in France and England. Eugenie, Napoleon's wife, favored emeralds, which were second to antique-cut diamonds in popularity. Late victorian jewlery felt the impact of the industrial revolution and victorian jewelry became affordable to the masses, the gold carat and quality diminished while women of the Aesthetic movement abandoned all ornaments.
Art Nouveau Jewelry illustrated the desire to break with tradition, restoring the desire for spontaneity of inspiration over the concern for intrinsic value. Snakes became symbols of life, eternity and sexuality and spiders adopted a shocking and sensual quality. Seen as a response to the Industrial Revolution, the Art Nouveau age was welcomed by some artists and not by others, Art Nouveau Jewelery enamellers rescued the skilled use of plique-a-jour enamel, led by Rene Lalique.
England reacted strongly to the mass produced jewelry that mechanization brought, resulting in the Arts and Crafts Jewelry movement led by John Ruskin and William Morris. Edwardian Jewelry was characterized by a lightness and delicacy incorporating garlands, ribbons, bows and hearts, encouraged by Louis Cartier for his royal, aristocratic and rich clientele on both sides of the Atlantic.
Art Deco Jewelry was in reaction to the end of the war, women favored a more masculine look as jewelry assumed more simple, geometrical and linear lines, abolishing unnecessary decoration and accentuated by dazzling outbursts of vivid contrasting primary colors.
Until the gold discoveries of the 1840’s in the US and the first appearance of Cape diamonds on the market in the 1870’s, almost all precious antique jewelery had to be remounted due to limited supply. Georgian jewelry brought with it romanticism, sentiment and symbolism. Cannetille work, chased borders and encrusted elaborate floral motif parures blossomed set with Rose-cut Diamonds and Old Mine-cut Diamonds.
Early Victorian Jewelry miniatures and shell cameos were popular, often in the form of snakes. Steam and gas engines were not widely used in workshops until the early 1860’s, making production slow. Mid Victorian Jewelery witnessed the peak of eccentricity in fashion and jewelry was worn in abundance in France and England. Eugenie, Napoleon's wife, favored emeralds, which were second to antique-cut diamonds in popularity. Late victorian jewlery felt the impact of the industrial revolution and victorian jewelry became affordable to the masses, the gold carat and quality diminished while women of the Aesthetic movement abandoned all ornaments.
Art Nouveau Jewelry illustrated the desire to break with tradition, restoring the desire for spontaneity of inspiration over the concern for intrinsic value. Snakes became symbols of life, eternity and sexuality and spiders adopted a shocking and sensual quality. Seen as a response to the Industrial Revolution, the Art Nouveau age was welcomed by some artists and not by others, Art Nouveau Jewelery enamellers rescued the skilled use of plique-a-jour enamel, led by Rene Lalique.
England reacted strongly to the mass produced jewelry that mechanization brought, resulting in the Arts and Crafts Jewelry movement led by John Ruskin and William Morris. Edwardian Jewelry was characterized by a lightness and delicacy incorporating garlands, ribbons, bows and hearts, encouraged by Louis Cartier for his royal, aristocratic and rich clientele on both sides of the Atlantic.
Art Deco Jewelry was in reaction to the end of the war, women favored a more masculine look as jewelry assumed more simple, geometrical and linear lines, abolishing unnecessary decoration and accentuated by dazzling outbursts of vivid contrasting primary colors.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Very first blog
This if my very first blog for on Into The Violet Hour. So, what is the Violet Hour, you might be asking. It's that time between day and night. Those few moments just before we're plunged into utter darkness and last rays of the sun disappear completely. It's not quite indigo yet. It's violet. And it's my favorite time of day.
I love when day turns to night. It's when we start thinking about getting all gussied up and hitting the town. And part of that gussying includes donning jewelry and in my case, vintage jewelry. It's one of my true loves. It's what led me to starting a vintage jewelry store. At the moment, it's an online store. But maybe one of these days, I'll have a brick and mortar store specializing in all things vintage jewelry. Until that day, I'll be down in my studio, building vintage rings, vintage cufflinks, vintage earrings and we'll see what comes up next. :)
So, this blog will talk about just that. Making vintage jewelry. Running an online vintage jewelry store. Selling beautiful things to great people. So, stay tuned.
Wendy
I love when day turns to night. It's when we start thinking about getting all gussied up and hitting the town. And part of that gussying includes donning jewelry and in my case, vintage jewelry. It's one of my true loves. It's what led me to starting a vintage jewelry store. At the moment, it's an online store. But maybe one of these days, I'll have a brick and mortar store specializing in all things vintage jewelry. Until that day, I'll be down in my studio, building vintage rings, vintage cufflinks, vintage earrings and we'll see what comes up next. :)
So, this blog will talk about just that. Making vintage jewelry. Running an online vintage jewelry store. Selling beautiful things to great people. So, stay tuned.
Wendy
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