Today's Vintage Jewelry Word - Celluloid

Celluloid is a highly flammable early vintage plastic which contains camphor. One of the main characteristics of celluloid is that it is very lightweight. Celluloid was often used as a design material in the early to middle of the last century, but was later discontinued in favor of heavier more durable forms of plastic.

Celluloid was one of the first plastics to be widely used in making jewelry. The material is derived from a natural plant fiber. The original material was developed in the 1850s in England. Later, John Wesley Hyatt commercialized the use of celluloid. Vintage jewelry using celluloid dates to about 1900.

It was very popular medium during the Art Deco period from 1920-1935. Celluloid was used for a variety of objects, including hair accessories, and pieces were often set with rhinestones or other stones. Highly carved designs were often found on celluloid jewelry pieces, and flowers and leaves were common motifs.

One of the biggest uses of celluloid in vintage jewelry was to make brooches and dress clips, especially during the early 20th century. Celluloid looks similar to some other vintage plastics, but it differs in many ways. It is generally much thinner and lighter than bakelite. It is also much more brittle and can crack when exposed to high heat temperatures - sometimes even being flammable. Even though it can be brittle, it can still be twisted or bent into shape quite easily.

To test a piece of jewelry to see if it is celluloid, hold the item under hot water. it will smell like camphor or vinegar. Never use a hot pin test on celluloid because of the flammability factor.

Here are some photos of early vintage celluloid jewelry pieces:

July Birthstone - Ruby

The month is almost over and I still haven't had a chance to mention the birthstone attributed to July. Rubies are considered the traditional, modern, and mystical birthstone for those born in July. Some charts also show Turquoise or Onyx as the birthstones, but this was only during the 15th to 20th centuries.

Photos of gemstone are courtesy of ebay seller BangkokGemMart

The Ruby is also considered to be the stone of the Zodiac sign of Capricorn, and is often given as a gift for the 40th anniversary.

The history of Ruby mining dates back more than 2,500 years. Rubies are found throughout the world and have been mined in most areas, but Burma is generally considered the area for obtaining the most valuable and highest quality rubies with the deepest red color. The most important deposits are found in Myanmar, which is near Mogok in Burma. Although many rubies are mined, only 1% of them is of gem quality.

As with other gemstones, rubies have metaphysical attributes thought to be connected with them. Two magical elements are associated with red rubies: fire and blood, and they imply warmth and life for mankind. The ruby is also considered by many to be the gemstone which signifies everlasting love. Ancient legends state that one should not make faces at a ruby in a museum since this will make it grow dull. And ancient rulers even thought that a ruby would darken when it sensed danger, only to return to its natural color when the danger had passed.

For healing purposes, rubies are said to be a general health protection and a help for backache and toenail problems.

The color is so rich and regal. What a lovely stone to have attached to your birthday! This lovely Georgian poem aptly describes this birthstone:

The gleaming Ruby should adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they’ll be exempt and free,
From lover’s doubts and anxiety.

Jewelry Find of the Week - Hobé Green Glass Pendant

This week's jewelry find is a stunning pendant made by high end designer Hobé. The company was founded in Europe in 1886 and started manufacturing in the US in 1915. Their designs are extremely well made and very collectible.

This lovely pendant necklace features an oval pendant with a center green glass cabochon in a tooth setting with rolled goldtone edging and the traditional Hobé mess surround. The pendant is 1 x 1 1/4" on a 20" goldtone chain with a spring ring clasp. Signed Hobé © on the back of the pendant.

This pretty Hobé pendant necklace is available at my Ruby Lane shop at an unbelievably low price of $65. Hurry - it won't last at this price. You can click the picture or link for more photos of this special piece.

It's Christmas In July with Christmas Brooches and Christmas Tree Pins

I've noticed just recently that I am getting a lot of sales from my online stores with a Christmas theme. I guess that some customers really do adhere to the practice of doing their Christmas shopping in July. It makes perfect sense. There is always a good range this time of the year before the styles have been picked over and it makes budgeting in December much easier if a lot of the shopping has already been done.

Christmas jewelry was made by most of the well known vintage designers and contemporary jewelry designers bring out new lines every year. There is a wide variety of choices available, but the most popular style seems to be brooches or pins with various Christmas motifs.

Particularly chosen styles include the ever popular Christmas tree pin. This style of brooch comes in a myriad of materials and designs and is one of my biggest sellers in the months of November and December.

Here are a few pretty Christmas Jewelry choices for you to consider if you like to get your Christmas shopping done early. Just click any of the pictures for more details. Prices range from $7.99 to $50.00.

Vintage Jewelry Designer of the Week - Who am I?

This is another in my ongoing guessing game series about popular vintage jewelry designers. I'll give you some clues and pictures and you see if you can guess which designer it is. Ready? Here are your clues:

• Dates of Operation - 1886 to the present day
• Design Techinques - no real specific techniques but made great use of floral designs
• Lots of use of marcasites for accents
• Owned Tiffany and Co in the early 1980s
• Many notable designers such as Kenneth Lane, Coreen Simpson and Louis Ferraud
• Changed the name of the company in 1939 to the name we know today
• Added jewelry to their product lines in 1971
• Believed in the door to door direct marketing approach for selling

Here are some pictures of some of my designs:

I am considered a lower end designer today. For more information and the answer to today's riddle, you can go to this designer page of the resource library on my website Vintage Jewelry Lane. (answer is also shown reading backwards at the bottom of this blog post.)

I'll be doing more of these riddles over the next weeks and months. Have fun with the series. Answer: (read it backwards) novA

Coin Jewelry - A Little Bit of History

Do you enjoy looking at old coins, thinking about Napoleon, or remembering a place where you have once traveled? Coin jewelry might be just the thing for you.

The use of coins to make jewelry goes quite a way back in history. It was very popular between the latter part of the 19th century and WWII to decorate or etch coins with floral motifs or initials. This type of jewelry became known as Sweetheart Jewelry, because sailors and soldiers would often brings these items back to their wives or girlfriends.

Other coins would simply be used as they were and made into earrings, necklaces, bracelets or cuff links. I've even seen some coins which started out whole, but ended up being cut into completely different designs such as animals, ships or the like. In this style, all that is left of the coin might just be a small part of the design.

Coin jewelry can feature coins from any country. Two countries which seems to be featured a great deal are Great Britain and the USA, with many real coins and tons of replica coins finding their way into a fashion statement. Napoleon and Julius Caesar are also often seen as figures portrayed.

Sarah Coventry had several designs of coin jewelry, but many other designers also made this style, including Freirich, Nelly Rosenstein and Ciner.

Here are a few examples.

Today's Featured Jewelry Designer - Florenza

Today's featured vintage jewelry designer is Florenza. The company was started in New York by designer Daniel Kasoff.

This jewelry company has a very interesting start up story. The story is told of how, as a young man, Daniel was in a restaurant in New York and had his coat stolen. Another customer at the restaurant who happened to be dining on the same day was the owner of the Speier Jewelry Company. He came to Daniel's rescue with money to purchase a new coat.

Daniel repaid his debt as soon as he could and was rewarded for his honesty with a position at the Speier jewelry company. He worked there for 10 years and learned the business from the ground up.

Daniel has saved enough in the following years so that by 1948, he was able to open his own business - The Dan Kasoff Company. The company sold his pieces to wholesalers around the world and his jewelry was found in department stores and specialty shops across the USA. The next 8 years proved to be an enormous growing period for his company.

In the 1950s, his son joined him in the business and the company introduced the name Florenza. They chose this name as an honor to Daniel's wife Florence. This is the line that became known for the elaborate old world designs with antiqued goldtone settings which were made to simulate fine antique jewelry.

Design characteristics of Florenza jewelry included antiqued goldtone settings, old world designs, and the creative use of novelty glass stones,. They also had a large line which included the use of genuine shell cameos.

Some of the company's noted customers were Weiss, Kramer, Hattie Carnegie, Coro and Revlon. These customers would bring in the instructions for jewelry and their instructions and ideas found their way into design pictures which then often resulted in the finished product with the well known designer's name. These designs were the property of the customer and carried their name - not the Florenza name.

Only original Kasoff creations carried the name of Florenza. These designs were marketed in many upscale stores as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor and Bloomingdale. The company closed its doors in 1980.

Florenza pieces were marked with the word in script (often on a foil hang tag) or in block, either on a cartouche, or impressed directly into the metal. Here are examples of some of the marks.

The prices of Florenza pieces have been undervalued but are rising on the collectibles market today. Collectors appreciate the varied use of glass stones and cameo collectors prize their pieces which use shell cameos. Since it is still relatively easy to acquire a nice collection at fairly reasonable prices, there is no need to sacrifice quality in your hunt for Florenza jewelry. Look for full sets, shell cameo designs and some of their ornate bracelets.

Jewelry and Astrology - Leo

This blog post is another in my series about choosing jewelry suitable for individual star signs. Today's astrological sign is Leo, which is the sign for those born between July 23-August 22. The sign is depicted as a Lion and it is a fire sign.

Zodiac Logo courtesy of zodiac-signs-astrology.com/

Those born under the sign of the Lion are said to be warmhearted, generous and enthusiastic. They are born leaders, very strong willed and tend to be extroverts. On the negative side, it is thought that they can be a little dogmatic and intolerant and somewhat bossy. Some Leos have quite an easily flared temper.

Thinking about buying jewelry for your Leo friend and don't know where to start? Let's examine some of these zodiac facts for a bit of inspiration.

• Their primary color is yellow or gold
• Their birthstone is the ruby
• Their lucky numbers are 5 and 9
• Their gemstones are black onyx and peridot
• One of their flowers is a sunflower
• Their symbol is the Lion

Since Leo's often like to be the center of attention and their symbol is the lion, this wonderful charm necklace with a huge #1 and big lion charms might do the trick.

Tying in the gemstone black onyx is an easy one. Here are a few onyx jewelry items to consider.

Would you like to purchase something in their favorite color? How about any of these yellow jewelry items?

Have fun treating your Leo friend. All pieces shown are available in my online stores. Just click the photos to go to the item pages for more details. Prices range from $10.50 to $28.99.

Today's vintage jewelry word - Abalone

Abalone is a word which refers to the "pearly" interior shell-lining of a mollusk with the same name. It is frequently used for inlay - often seen as strips in bracelets and other types of vintage jewelry. There are a wide variety of shades of abalone, but a shade that is particularly prized is the small "green heart" abalone.

Abalone shell is found along coastal waters throughout the world. Due to environmental concerns, it is now illegal to harvest it in many areas, because of the dwindling numbers of abalone.

Most of the abalone that is used in jewelry making today is provided by commercial abalone farms. This has not always been the case though, and vintage jewelry made with abalone was more likely made from abalone collected in the wild.

To make jewelry with abalone shell, each shell must be broken, split open, and then cut and polished. After this process, it will show the varied blue-green-violet colors that make it so attractive for jewelry settings.

As with all types of stones used in jewelry, abalone has metaphysical folklore thoughts attached to it. Many people who do yoga believe that the many colors of abalone affect all of the chakras of the human body. It is also thought to be good for the heart and for cleansing fear, sorrow and other negative emotions.

It is easy to care for abalone jewelry. Since it is made from genuine shell, some care must be taken when wearing it, to protect it from hard blows, lest it may chip or crack the shell. As with any jewelry, always put it on after you have applied perfume, or hairspray, since these can be harsh on any gemstones.

After wearing, make sure to wipe it with a soft cotton cloth. Sunshine cloths are also wonderful to use, since many abalone jewelry pieces are set in sterling silver. You can used warm soapy water, if necessary, to clean any dirt or oils which may have accumulated. Once dry, store it separately from your other jewelry to protect it from any chipping of the shell. Never used harsh cleaners or chemicals to clean it, since this will damage the abalone.

Here are some examples of abalone shell used in jewelry. All items are for sale and you can click the pictures for more details.

Jewelry Find of the Week - Fabulous Poured Art Glass Brooch

I just adore vintage jewelry with unusual glass stones. When I first discovered this lovely pin, I thought for sure that it was an authentic D & E Juliana style. I submitted it to the Juliana Verification site, but alas, it's not one of theirs.

Nevertheless, the pin is extraordinary and has many of the Juliana design techniques and the stores are definitely on the unusual style, for sure.

The brooch is a layered style in a goldtone riveted back setting. The bottom layer consists of five pale green flowered art glass cabochons in bezel settings which are surrounded by a scalloped edging with medium green prong set rhinestones. I've never seen stones quite like these.

The next layer has five offset fruit salad glass marquis cabochons and more green rhinestones, and the center rises to a single dark green prong set chaton. The combination is so lovely and intricate.

This pin is my"vintage jewelry find of the week" and is available at my Ruby Lane Store - The Finishing Touch Vintage Jewelry. The price is $89 and you can even make me a reasonable offer if you would like to try and snag it for less.

Vintage Jewelry - Collections and Lots

I've recently purchased a very large estate collection of vintage and costume jewelry which is much more than I need for sales in my online locations. I've decided to break down part of the estate into smaller sized lots. If you don't like paying normal prices for individual items, this may be something you would be interested in.

I have listed several of these collections in my ebay store Carolina Collections Vintage Jewelry and will have many more that I'll be listing during the summer months.

I've grouped the items into different "types" of jewelry. Some are sorted by style of jewelry (Southwestern, copper, Thematic, etc) and some are sorted by price range (mainly costume, designer and rhinestone, high end, etc.)

Here are some that I listed last night, followed by a few overview photos. You can click the photos to go to the listing page. Many of these collections work out to $2-$4 for each piece of jewelry, and you can even make me an offer if one of the collections appeals to you but you would like to purchase it for a little less than I am asking. I'll consider reasonable offers on them.

• All New Rhinestone Jewelry (unsold dealer stock - never worn - shown in the picture above)
• All Flower Jewelry
• All Butterfly and Bug Jewelry
• All Copper Jewelry
• All Southwest Jewelry with some genuine turquoise
• All Christmas Jewelry (Think Christmas in July)
• All Thematic Brooches (three different collections)
• Plus several large collections of mixed vintage and costume jewelry in varying price ranges

Here is a peek at the collections. Photos show only a part of the collections and will take you to the listing page. Have fun shopping.