Coco Chanel and Classic Style

Coco Chanel stated: "Innovation!  One cannot be forever innovating.  I want to create classics."  She certainly did.  Her influence, while perhaps not acknowledged as it should be, is readily apparent in today's fashions and jewelry. 

One of the Chanel's many innovations is the way in which she used accessories and wore jewelry.  She pioneered wearing multiple strands of pearls, or mixing long strands of pearls and long chains.  She also pioneered mixing up real and costume jewelry for everyday wear.

Today's jewelry trends reflect that style.  Statement jewelry, especially necklaces, or multstrand necklaces are back.  Actually, did they ever leave?  But there's really no need to break your piggy bank to stay fashionable.  Instead take a look at what vintage jewelry shops have to offer at a fraction of department store prices.

If you are crafty, why not find a single dress clip, shoe clip or brooch that can be turned into a showy piece.  Or, if you're not so crafty, there's lots of necklace options out there at a reasonable prices. Multi-strand chains are plentiful as are graduated strings of pearls in a large variety of colors.  They also have the advantage of being higher quality than a lot of the costume jewelry you find today.

Vintage jewelry is both thrifty and green.  You will the satisfaction of knowing that none of your friends can possibly guess where you got that original, fabulous unique piece.  And saved a ton of money and the planet while you were at it.

The Enduring Symbol of the Butterfly

Butterflies are one of the most enduring motifs in jewelry as well in life.  They symbolize renewal and rebirth.  And they are beautiful.  As well as often being used as a motif in jewelry, actual butterfly wings have been used in the making of jewelry.  Here are a few of the endless ways that butterflies have been used in vintage jewelry.

  

  

  

For Fear of Being Chi Chi

I've recently been perusing old magazines, looking for pictures of women wearing jewelry in the 20's, 30's and 40's.  I've always had problems finding good pictures, so when I came across this article in a 1942 Love Confessions magazine it game me a clue as to why.

According to the author, based in the input she received from "one of this country's greatest dressmakers", adding jewelry or ornament to an outfit is a fashion faux pas.   "You may not be aware of it, but that rhinestone pin in the V neck of your dress -- in addition to your string of pearls -- comes under the heading of chi chi."  I'm not quite sure what chi chi means, but I guess it's not a good thing. 

An appropriate daytime outfit for women of that era, the author states,  is a dark suit, trim shoes, matching hosiery, a simple hat and plain, washable gloves.  Regarding jewelry she says,  "If your dark suit or dress needs white touches, eliminate jewelry with the exception of a single bracelet  or wrist watch watch or a tailored pin or clip at your throat."  The article is illustrated with pictures of movie stars wearing absolutely no jewelry whatsoever, which is the preferred look.

How black and white all that must of have been.  But, the country was just coming out of the great depression and had moved into World War II.  Materials were hard to come by.  For example, pot metal, which had been used for so much jewelry in the 30's was no longer available because the materials were needed for the war effort.  It was a grim time. 

So now I understand why it's so hard to find good pictures of woman wearing jewelry in that era.  They simply didn't.  Necklaces, except for a small string of pearls, and apparently earrings, never mentioned in the article, were apparently unacceptable.  The only appropriate jewelry was a single discretely worn bracelet, cameo or watch. In other words, wearing jewelry not only  wasn't fashionable, worse yet, it was chi chi!

What's Wrong With Clowns?

Clowns are supposed to make us happy by making us laugh.  There have been fools, jesters and clowns as far back as Egyptian times.  We are all familiar with today's Western circus clown who generally wears white face, exaggerated makeup including a big red nose and wears large floppy shoes.

Historically, clowns were often people with some type of physical or mental deformity.  They might also adopt a costume or wear make up that would further enhance their differences.  However, superstitious people often believed these same clowns were evil because they were "different".

Some of that superstition and fear seems to have carried over into modern times.  There are actually numerous web sites and blogs created by people who actively hate clowns.  Presumably, some of that fear was caused by a too early introduction to clowns. That same fear is often extended to Santa Claus. Yet for some reason, children get over their fear of Santa, (maybe it's the gifts?) but they never seem to get over their fear of clowns.

Interestingly enough, this dislike of clowns seems to carry over into jewelry.  I find that I not only have difficulty selling clown brooches, I don't even get any watchers.  I honestly think that no one would take these off my hands for free even though they are attractive and well made.

Kathy Flood in the Warman's Guide to Costume Figural Jewelry comments on this also.  She points out that in jewelry, especially European jewelry, clown can be very sinister.  Sometimes they are even mistaken for devils.  This results in a lot of great pieces of jewelry being overlooked by collectors.  So maybe it's time to start thinking differently - and "Send In The Clowns" to your collection.

More Mystery Jewelry Items

Today I have a couple more mystery items.  I'm not even sure that these are jewelry or fashion accessory related.  I also have an item that I had totally misidentified to share.  It just goes to show that things aren't always what you think they are.

 I don't have a clue what this first item is.  Victorian paperclip?  Napkin holder?  Money clip?  This looks a bit like it could be worn as a pendant.  Perhaps this was worn and then items were tucked into the clip at the bottom.

The next item is clearly German, based on the tag inside.  It reads SRberauflage over the BSF and Super-Veralegelung below.  It appears to be either a Greek god of perhaps a sign of the Zodiac.  But is this a napkin ring or somethings else?  Clearly not a bracelet.

 

This last item is one I had assumed was a tie clip.  Of course, you know what the say about assume!  However, someone was kind enough to send me an e-mail to set me straight.  This is actually a napkin clip.  Seems that during Victorian times meals lasted so long that people had to occasionally leave the table.  Napkins were clipped to the clothing so that one could stand and the napkin would not fall to the floor.  As you can see, the clip only has teeth at the very front and does not clip as tightly as a tie clip would.

  

You never know what you are going to find at estate sales and auctions.  And sometimes you still don't know what it is when you get it home!

Mystery Items - Do You Know What They Are?

There used to be an old television show where a mystery item was brought out and given to a panel of celebrities.  Each celebrity made up a story about what the item was, but only one really knew the correct answer.  A contestant had to guess which one was right to win money.  It was a fun show.  Little did I know that one day I'd be trying to figure similar mysteries out on my own.

Of course, some of this is my own fault.  I often see things that look interesting and buy them at antique malls and auctions.  And sometimes I just acquire them as parts of other lots.  So do you have any idea what these items are?

I purchased this piece at an antiques fair in a jewelry booth.  I think that it is possibly a belt buckle from the Victorian era.  It appears to be made of brass.  There are shallow prongs inside and a clasp at the bottom.  However, when you open the clasp, the back is hinged at the top rather than from the side. 

My second mystery of the day is possibly another buckle from the Art Deco era.  It's made of pot metal and covered with rhinestones.  The item is in three pieces and the central oval is hinged on each side.  On one side the rectangle has loops or bails where is appears that the item would be sown or attached to something.  On the other side, there are closed C-clasps, for want of a better term.

Any clues?

Hat Pins, Stick Pins and Hat Ornaments

Did you ever wonder what the difference was between hat pins and stick pins?  Are you familiar with hat ornaments?  Well, not much mystery here.  The difference between a hat pin and a stick pin is the length.  Stick pins are generally under 3" long. 

Hat pins tend to be 5" or longer. Because of their longer length, hat pins also tend to be much more elaborately decorated than stick pins.  A chain is sometimes added to keep the parts together.

The original purpose of hat pins was, of course, to hold one's hat in place.  In the 19th century in particular, hats and hairstyles were very elaborate.  A hat pin was the perfect final touch to one's toilette and kept everything in place.  Multiple hat pins may have worn and designs were very ornamental.   During the Victorian era, simpler hat pins were in favor for daytime wear and you can find many examples of Victorian pins with only a single bead or decoration at the top.

Hat pins are still worn today.  However, they are also a wonderful collectible. A cluster of interesting hat pins can be placed in a small vase on a dresser or in the master bath.  Modern examples of hat pins are easily obtainable and relatively inexpensive.

Another wonderful way to display them is in an antique hat pin holder.  During the Victorian era, these holders were very common as a part of a dressing table set.  They look like a small vase with a "salt shaker" type top.  The holes in the top keep the pins upright and separated so that they display well.  They can be found in a variety of materials to match any bedroom or bath and are affordable.

Hat ornaments were popular primarily in the 20's and 30's and look a bit like stick pins.  Both ends are  decorated and one end unscrews so the pin can be placed through the hat.  These were popular when hats fitted close to the head and a hat pin wasn't really needed.  They were simply used as a piece of jewelry.  Brooches and dress clips were also worn on hats at this time. Good examples of hat ornaments are harder to find since the fashion lasted so briefly. 

Below is a hat ornament of pot metal and hand set rhinestones.