Blog
The second half of the 19th century was a time of unprecedented economic expansion in Europe and the USA, enriching both the aristocracy and the new business class who spent fortunes on luxury antique jewelry. It was therefore a golden age for the vintage jewelry, the established Antique Jewelry firms such as Tiffany in New... Read More
The Victorian period ended in 1903 with Queen Victoria’s death, and it was also the start of the shorter Edwardian period with his crowning. But as far as antique jewelry goes there was a time of overlap, where it is very difficult to tell if a piece of vintage jewelry is of the Victorian or... Read More
The end of World War 1 marked a new beginning for jewelers in America. Wartime controversy had given free publicity to the Estate Jewelry industry, and prompted people to buy platinum vintage jewelry, hoping that the dwindling supply of the metal would increase its value. In 1919 the business year for estate jewelers opened profitably;... Read More
One of and most would say the best-known American Jeweler was Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) son of Charles Tiffany. And just as Charles Tiffany had a penchant for knowing the needs of antique jewelry of his generation, so also did his son sense the needs of vintage jewelry for his contemporaries. And unsurprisingly as each... Read More
The Traditional Styles: Back in 1901 the Illustrated London News reported that ‘it is actually the fashion in Paris and therefore becoming so here to wear a large ring on every finger, with two or three on some fingers. As is still common with contemporary jewelry even back in the period of the early 1900’s the styles... Read More
Rings are unique among personal adornments. No other piece of jewelry carries such a weight of symbolism. Rings can be enjoyed for themselves as objects of beauty, with mountings of different designs, some classic and timeless, others with their own quirky characteristics, or with the beauty and brilliance of the gemstones they carry; but equally... Read More
At one time for the collector who wanted to purchase Antique Jewelry the place to go was the United Kingdom, over anywhere else in Europe. The reason the UK had so much early Vintage Jewelry was because if you go back in history we have both the French and later the Russian revolutions, where the... Read More
The popularity of antique snake jewelry started in the Georgian and Edwardian periods. In the Victorian period, Prince Albert proposed a serpent engagement ring to Queen Victoria. This sparked newfound and widespread popularity for snake jewelry that continues today. Here are some fascinating things to know about antique snake jewelry and its long history. Queen Victoria Wore... Read More
It was not that long ago we had the Oscar awards shortly followed by the Grammy’s and of course all that one thinks about at present is the infamous slap by Will Smith on Kid Rock, but if one goes back to the early years, the awards were just as much about the fashion and... Read More
When one thinks of antique Art Deco jewelry, one firstly thinks of Platinum and Diamonds. In the early 1900’s as Americans grew more wealthy, diamond jewelry again became very popular; and with the resolution of the political situation in S. Africa, then the biggest producer of diamonds, an all diamond style – whiter than ever... Read More