Crucifixes, Angels and Faith

Sometimes we wear jewelry because we hope it will bring us good luck. Sometimes we think jewelry will give us power by protecting us or making our wishes come true.   There's another category of jewelry that can be said to more or less combine these two ideas as well as add a third dimension.  This is faith based or religious-themed jewelry.

Much of the religious themed jewelry I see in the U.S. relates to Christianity.  Many devout Christians wear a crucifix or other symbols as a sign of their faith, and perhaps because they believe that they are being watched over.  In fact many people of both sexes wear a crucifix at all times under their outer garments for this very reason.

Another common theme is the angel.  Angels have become very popular in the past few years as symbols of protection and love.  Many people believe that they have a guardian angel.  Although Bibilcal angels can't exactly be said to be warm and fuzzy, the popular media, such as television and books, have certainly toned down their image.  Now angels not only step in to straighten out people's lives, they can do it with a sense of humor.  So angels can be shown watching over babies -- or taking care of someone's heart.

A great deal of religious themed jewelry relates to specific holidays or events.  The Lily is the symbol of Easter.  The creche, or manger, is another symbol at Christmas time.  These symbols remind people that Easter is not just for a trip to Ft. Lauderdale or Christmas only about the gifts.  They remind us what these holidays are really all about.

Of course there are also items that are related to Christianity, but even more specifically to Catholicism.   Items such as St. Christopher medals, sacred heart medals, the head of Christ and miraculous medals are common. They may be combined with the The Lord's Prayer or the Serenity Prayer on he reverse.  Sometimes these items have been blessed by priests which grants them even more power.


Yes, most people and most jewelry is designed to be worn for purely decorative purposes.  It can be the latest fashion trend, such as statement necklaces.  But there's also a lot of hidden meaning behind the jewelry we choose wear that says a lot about the person wearing it.

Magical Thinking, Amulets and Jewelry

When I started writing about good luck jewelry, I realized that believing something would bring you luck was just a form of magical thinking.  If you stop to think about the origins of jewelry, you realize that it probably began when man first started wearing amulets to bring power and ward off evil.  The cave man who wore a saber tooth necklace was taking onto himself the power of the tiger he had slain to protect him from other animals and to aid him in his future hunts.  Shamans often wore a pouch of mystical items for curing and protection and other tribe members also wore protective pouches.  Thus, jewelry was born and even though we think of it as purely decorative today, it still reflects many of these earlier ideas.

For example, we save the wishbone after the Thanksgiving turkey. We believe that if we break it and get the larger side, our wish will come true.  Wishbone jewelry and has been around for years. Rhinestone wishbones were particularly popular during the 1950's and 60's.   I guess humans just can't stop wearing bones!  Of course, these examples are much more pleasing than a real wishbone would be.  These scatter pins also have the added element of amethyst, which is supposed to offer protection.

We can't forget magical themes either.  Magicians, sorcerers, fairies and other magical beings can be both good and evil.  Children in particular believe in these magical beings, perhaps because they feel a lack of power over their lives. Many children's books (Harry Potter anyone?) have magic as an important part of the story line.  A lot of little girls love fairies and especially adore Tinkerbell.  This darling little fairy looks a bit like Tinkerbell and is something that can be worn as a pendant or hung in a window.  Personally, I think she looks like she is playing basketball.  I wonder if she's a relation to Magic Johnson?

I think the most common magical piece is the star.  We are taught as very young children that we can make wishes on the first star of the evening.  One of the first songs we ever learn is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  Stars have always had an important place throughout the history of the human race.  We put them on Christmas trees, we award them as honors, we accord celebrities the title of "star" just to name a few.  So it's no wonder that they are one of the most common themes in jewelry.   Here's just a couple of examples, but I bet you have at least four or five in your own jewelry box.

Did you happen to notice the happy face on the blue star?  Another modern day example of magical thinking, wishing random strangers happiness.

I've just touched on a few items of jewelry that reflect magical thinking.  At a subconscious level I think that we often tend to migrate toward old themes that promise us luck, power and happiness.

Lucky Charms and Los Vegas

I recently went to Las Vegas to visit with my grandkids.  Naturally, I went through my jewelry box to pick out all my "special" pieces that I think will bring me good luck while I am there.  Some of these are items that I inherited from my mother, so to my mind, they offer a double whammy.

My mother absolutely loved to gamble and she had at least 10 different items that she would wear when she went gambling.  Apparently all these good luck charms worked, because at various times she won $25,000, $10,000, $5,000 and various other jackpots ranging from $500 up.  One year she was so lucky, that for the rest of her life the IRS listed her as a "professional gambler."

One of her favorite lucky charms was a small jade elephant on a gold chain she would wear under her blouse. "Upraised trunks," she told us, "always mean good luck."   I don't know what ever happened to that particular elephant, but now whenever I see elephants with upraised trunks,  I think of her and believe that they will bring me good luck too. With six elephants marching around with upraised trunks,  I'm sure that this bracelet has just got to be extra lucky.

Of course, I also always wear my lucky horseshoe ring.  The horseshoe has been a symbol of good luck for centuries.  As you probably know, you must always wear the horseshoe with the sides up, so the luck doesn't run out.  Horseshoes are one of the easiest shapes to find in jewelry.  Here's a lovely rhinestones piece that is exactly what I mean.  On the other hand, in case you need to be reminded of which way to wear your horseshoe and what it means, there's this necklace to fill the bill.

Another common lucky piece, for gamblers especially, is the four leaf clover.  Perhaps this is related to shamrocks and the concept of lepruchan's gold.  I remember as a child searching for four leaf clovers in the grass, assuming I would then always have good luck.  This particular four leaf clover is a very clever and sophisticated way to wear a lucky piece, even in a business setting.

Lots of people have certain pieces of jewelry that they believe will bring them good luck at gambling, a business endeavor or love, even if they won't admit it. 

What did I inherit from my Mom that I always wear?  A large, turquoise nugget ring that only fits on my middle finger.  I never go West without it.

Jeweled Insect Beauties for Spring and Summer

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I anxiously await summer every year.  This year we've been blessed with an early spring and I've been outside a lot, cleaning up the year and planting new flowers.  In fact, we've had to mow the grass twice already - in early May!  Honestly, that makes me very happy.

Of course, the other side to an early summer is the earlier onset of bugs.  We've had tons of flies and a few spiders.  And our intrepid hunter cat, Nikki, has been kind enough to nail a yellow jacket inside the house.  She's finally earning her keep!

Since spring is busting out all over, I just had to go through my jewelry stash and start listing flowers and insects.  I was amazed at how many jeweled and enameld items that I had.  It seems that jewelry designers have come up with a million ways to make some of these pests beautiful.

  
Flies for example.  I think they look a lot better covered in rhinestones that mimic the irridescence of their bodies. 

I certainly like this imitation pearl spider with his turquoise beaded legs a lot more than the nasty brown one I found in my shower last week.

Bees seem to get a lot of play in the jewelry world.  I guess their striped bodies make them more interesting to designers who like to use contrasting or complimentary colors.  These two examples, one in rhinestone and one in enamel certainly demonstrates the possibilities.

Butterflies of course are already beautiful and everyone seems to love them.  So it's no surprise that they are a favorite item of jewelry.  These two, although both very different, and certainly not colors that are found in nature, are both amazing.

I guess maybe the bugs aren't so bad after all.  That is, if they're in my jewelry box!

Vintage Mother's Day Jewelry (We Never Forget Mom!)

Whew!  Between taxes, a short vacation and eBay's changes I've been a bit busy, but now I'm back at it.  Someone called me looking for gifts and I realized that Mother's Day is coming up fast.  I checked through my stash and was surprised to see how many items I had that were specifically related to mother.  They cover a range of years, so I thought I'd share a few.

I think this is the earliest piece.  As you can see, it's not only dedicated to Mom, it has a religous theme too.  This piece still has it's original box, so I suspect that this was something Mom treasured and never took out of her jewelry box.

Another common type of both "mother" and "name" jewelry were mother of pearl brooches generally shaped like leaves.  14K G. F. wire was fed through a hole and the word "Mother" or a name was spelled out on the front of the brooch.  I've seen these attributed to Victorian times, but I remember buying something similar at the Illinois state fair back in the 50's.

As sort of a take off of that  piece, I had this interesting sterling silver leaf with the word Mom stamped at the base.  I've never seen anything like it and would be interested to learn more about it.

In the 50's and 60's I remember these "mother" brooches were popular.  The brooches were either heart-shaped or circle-shaped and each stone placed in it represented the birthstone of a child.  Grandmothers also received them to represent the birth of grandchildren. Clear stones were used if there weren't enough birthstones to fill the piece.  As a result, the brooches themselves are common, but no two are alike.  While this brooch could have belonged to a mom with a very large family, I suspect it was actually given to a grandmother.

I guess as the years went by, Mom was often considered more of a pal.  I have an interesting "friendship" pin dedicated to Mom with a 1996 date on the reverse.  It's a very sweet sentiment.

 Lockets have also been a traditional Mother's Day gift.  An offshoot of early miniatures, they were intended as a means to carry pictures of loved ones.  I often come across lockets with children's pictures inside.  I can't help but wonder about those children and why this particular piece of jewelry came to be in my hands.  The romantic in me, I guess.

While most lockets are on chains they are also sometimes made as brooches.  I've come across a very modern brooch with a similar purpose.  But rather than hiding the picture of your loved one behind a hinged door, you can wear it proudly.  Old ideas revisited for the modern age.

Hope everyone has a happy Mother's Day!

Under the Sea, On the Beach, At the Shore

I live in the Northeast which has been inundated by massive amounts of rain in the past few weeks.  The threat of flooding brought to mind all the little creatures that live on or near the water.  Of course jewelry designers often take the inspiration from nature, so though I'd share a few of these with you.  In the meantime, I'm going to Google ark designs!  Otherwise I'm afraid I'm going to be visiting with the fishes soon.

Of course there are lots of fish down there.

And playful dolpins and sea turtles.

Don't forget about the starfish and sea horses.

The Atomic Age in Jewelry

It's not a surprise to learn that jewelry fashions often reflect what's going on in society.  We are all familiar with Goth jewelry, fantasy jewelry, love beads and ethnic jewelry that reflects certain tastes.  But I think one of the most interesting and unusual jewelry styles came about in the late 1940's and 1950's reflecting our interest in space.

The atomic bomb has been developed - and unfortunately used.  Atomic testing was common in the deserts of the Southwest and news of them filled the broadcasts.  And the United States and the USSR had joined in the space race to see who would be the first to put a satellite in orbit.

Jewelry reflected this interest in space and the atomic bomb. Small brooches and scatter pins were popular items at that time.  Many of them were decorated with rhinestones and depicted a sort of mini-explosion as seen from the top. These brooches often had several tiers, giving them a slightly mushroom look.

Variations of stars, comets and other space bodies were  also often used used as design elements reflecting our interest in the space race.  Sometimes all the elements would even be combined.

Even the hula hoop reflect the interest in space.  There we all were, orbiting the hoop around our bodies, entering contests to see who could do it the longest.  One of my most vivid memories is  standing in the back yard, gyrating and staring at the sky wondering if I could actually see Sputnik.

To Polish Silver Jewelry or Not To Polish Silver Jewelry

I was recently a part of a spirited discussion about whether or not one should polish silver jewelry. There's actually a lot of pros and cons on this topic and I think everyone has a strong opinion on what is the right thing to do.  It's also a matter of aesthics - do you like your jewelry polished, or do you like a vintage patina.

Highly polished silver is most likely to catch the eye.  It definitely provides more bling for the buck.  Most modern pieces of silver are also coated with a finish that keeps the silver looking newly polished for years.  A very light cloth polish is more than enough to keep the jewelry looking good for a long time. Museums use soft, untreated cotton gloves to routinely polish their silver and that would work fine on modern jewelry as well.  If you use silver polish and jewelry cleaners you are likely to take off the special finish and destroy your piece.

Older pieces of jewelry were not treated with a tarnish retardant.  As a result, you can get silver that has turned totally black.  When I got the rooster brooch, that was the case.  This particular piece has a lot of fine detail , so I chose to polish it so that the fine details of the rooster can be seen.  That way a buyer can either leave it that way or choose to polish it even more.

Keep in mind that if you polish silver with fine details, you are also rubbing those details away each time.  To prevent this, your best bet is to prevent the tarnish in the first place by using proper storage. Do not store the pieces in plastic bags or plastic wrap.  It's not good for the silver because it doesn't breath and moisture may build up.  Heat may cause the plastics to adhere to silver.  Instead, invest in special silver cloths or bags that are treated for silver to prevent tarnish.  I have my silver necklaces stored this way and I probably only need to polish them lightly once every 10 years. 

Of course, not all silver jewelry is silver color.  Sometimes a gold wash has been used over the sterling.  In these instances, you need to be even more careful of polishing, even with treated jewelry cloths.  Its very easy to rub the gold wash right off the piece.  I've seen many Coro retro pieces where the wash was either gone, or gone at all the high points because of rubbing.

As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of not over polishing.  I think these earrings look best because the delicate design has been accentuated around the edge and in the center by tarnish.  Furthermore, any type of polish or even a jewelry cloth might adversely affect the crushed turquoise in the design.  Add to that the fact that these earrings are signed pieces from Mexico, I know I want to be really careful so that I don't destroy the value.

Of course, sometimes the need to polish is called for.  These amethyst earrings just look dirty with the uneven tarnish.  The grooved design doesn't help either.  These need to be cleaned up quite a bit with a very gentle silver polish to look their best.  Then, if they are appropriately stored, they should look lovely for years to come.

Regardless of how you like your silver to look, there are two important things to remember.  First, think carefully about the products you use and what damage they might do to your pieces.  And secondly, tarnish prevention is always better than polishing.  If you keep these points in mind, your silver jewelry should always look lovely.

Roses for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is not as far off as you might think.  This year, rather than a dozen roses, how about flowers that will last a bit longer?  This year how about getting a rose brooch that will last for years and remind her of your love.  And in this tight economy a lovely brooch can be far cheaper than a floral bouquet.

Here are a few ideas for the perfect brooch.  For instance, here's a pretty bouquet in delicate pastels.

 

 Or a single delicate pink rose on this lovely filigree background.

 

 Something for the person who likes more dramatic color. 

This delicate gold color brooch would go nicely on any outfit.  

And this single rose bud in both silver and gold colors would look great on everything too.

Roses never go out of fashion.  There's a rose out there in any color you can think of (I even have black roses!) in many different styles to suit any taste.  You can't go wrong giving flowers for Mother's Day!

Is It Safe to Buy Jewelry On Line?

I think a lot of people ask these days if it is safe to buy jewelry on line.  There appear to be a lot of bargains out there, but are the sellers really legitimate and is the jewelry as advertised.  Well, yes I think to some degree you are taking a chance buying on line.  But if you use some common sense, you can minimize your risk to almost zero.

The first thing to decide is your comfort level.  Are you only going to be comfortable buying on line from known or large companies, or are you willing to check out sites such as eBay.  If you are only comfortable with larger companies, I think you will find most of them have their own sites which are safe and secure.  A lot of well-known designers also have their own sites where you can purchase their jewelry.  Just check these sites for their return policies and make sure they have a secure system for taking a credit card.  It's very unlikely you would run into any difficulties with these sites.

If you want to branch out and look at sites such as Etsey and eBay there are many ways to determine how honest sellers are and how safe the transaction should be.  The best way to learn about seller's reputations is to check feedback and read the forums.  eBay gives a Top Rated Seller badges to those sellers who meet a certain criteria for standing behind their products and giving excellent customer service.  You can even use Top Rated Seller as one of your search criteria.  However, even though a seller has  a Top Rated Seller's badge, be sure to also take a look at their feedback.  Some large sellers can obtain Top Rated Seller status with a lot of negatives simply because they have such a high volume.  You may want to know the reason for these negatives.

Sites like Etsey, eBay and Bonanzle also have forums where vendors chat with each other.  This is an excellent place to learn about someone you may be thinking about making a purchase from.  Are they respectful of others?  Do they seem to know what they are talking about?  Do crafters give you some information about how their jewelry is created and the work that goes into it?  There are a lot of clues available in these forums.  Often you can find out what the vendors are saying on other sites as well by Googling their seller's id.  You may discover blogs the vendors are writing as well as where else they are selling.  Once you've learned a little about a vendor, you are more likely to have a pleasant transaction.

Of course, on any site, common sense has to play a factor.  Do you honestly think you are going to get a diamond ring for .99?  Does the item title match the description?  The title may say 18K gold, but the description might read 18K gold plated or gold filled.  Be very sure that misleading titles don't fool you.  Also, is the item being imported?  If the item is coming from another country and it turns out to be fake, do you want to go to the trouble of returning it?  Does the vendor even have a return policy?  Don't let greed or the desire for a bargain gainsay common sense.  Think before you buy!

Take a close look at the jewelry  photos.  Most good sellers will provide as many good close up pictures as possible.  Unfortunately, some store fronts don't allow more than one close up photo, so pictures should not be your only criteria.  A vendor may be 100% legitimate, but they are stuck with the limitations of their host.  You should always feel free to e-mail them and ask for more pictures via e-mail.  Any legitimate seller should be more than happy to provide these.

Lastly, you should be able to e-mail any legitimate vendor on the internet and receive an answer in a reasonable period of time.  They should be more than willing to answer any questions you have and clarify payment and shipping.  Just keep in mind that the seller may be in a different time zone and may only work regular business hours.  But, if you don't hear from them in a reasonable time regarding a purchase, how long would it take them to get back to you if there's a problem?

I believe buying jewelry on the internet can be 100% safe.  Just take your time, and learn which vendors are trustworthy.  Don't make any huge purchases until you've bought a few smaller items and feel comfortable with a seller.  If you exercise common sense and do a little background research, there is very little risk.

Shoe Buckles and Shoe Clips

Shoe buckles and shoe clips are really interesting fashion accessories.  Although in the strictest sense of the word they are not jewelry, they often end up in the jewelry category.  The other interesting thing about is that as early as the 17th century they were originally worn by men. But since that time fashion has changed and now they are worn by women.  And why not?  They are the perfect way to jazz up a pair of shoes!  Or a single vintage example can be turned into a one of a kind bracelet or pendant.

Buckles were in use on shoes until the early twentieth century.  The buckles were actually sewn onto a strip of leather which was then sewn to the shoe.  I'm sure you remember the large buckles on the  shoes of our Pilgrim fathers or George Washington.

By the Art Deco period, the clip mechanism had been invented.  This meant that the clips could easily be changed from shoe to shoe.  In fact, as you can see in this example, the clip mechanism has actually been placed right over the original shoe buckle.  The invention of the clip meant that the these new buckles could easily be changed from shoe to shoe.

Shoe clips, in a variety of materials were very popular during the flapper era, when women had begun wearing shorter skirts and dancing was very much in vogue.  They could be found made of glass, metal, ceramic and rhinestones.  The best shoe clips at that time were made in France.

In the 1960's, skirts became shorter again and shoe clips once again became quite popular.  With the resurgence of new, "wild" dances, shoe clips became a quick fashion upgrade.  Rows of shiny rhinestones enhanced plain pumps for dancing the night away.

Today you can still buy beautiful shoe clips at your local shoe store or you can find old and new examples on line if you want them for your shoes.  Or, if you are the crafty type, you can turn a single vintage shoe clip into a lovely piece of jewelry.