Spring hasn't sprung...

It's entirely my fault the weather is rubbish. I changed the top display in the Bonner's Jewellers shop window to a Spring theme (we had some sunshine and I got overexcited) and it completely backfired.



Celebrate Spring In Style?? What was I thinking??



A brief spell of sunshine at Bonner's Jewellers before the snow arrived...

Dad did try to warn me but I "thought" I was being clever. So now we have a shelf in the window dominated by flower earrings, silver animal pendants and bright coloured jewellery and no one has had time to notice as they are too busy picking their way through the snow.

I don't suppose anyone will want to celebrate Easter with new jewellery when they can snuggle infront of the fire with chocolate, and I don't suppose for a minute I'll be taking the Mustang out for a spin either judging by the forecast. Looks like I'll be forced to scour the internet for more things I can't afford and don't have space for.... Oops! I've started already...!!!

The Looking Glass, Bridgnorth - BARGAIN 1950's dress for sale on ebay.

Maybe the bad weather isn't so bad after all....... ;-)

Happy Easter!

Modern Jewellery; Souless self expression?

Just flicking through the latest edition of Jewellery Focus magazine and came across some really interesting cuffs made by Sheffield based designer Jessica Flinn.

There are several collections inspired by everything from antique lace to ceramics, and they piqued my interest as they looked different to anything I'd seen elsewhere (and yes, the bird motifs did catch my eye!)


Courtesy of www.jessicaflinn.co.uk

I've never been a fan of modern jewellery, but this is the fifth contemporary designer I've found recently who I really like so it got me thinking whether or not I need to change my perspective on new jewellery. I've been involved in antiques for so long now, dismissing modern jewellery as soulless and shallow - have I been missing out?

For Christmas, I must have been a very good girl because Santa bought me a Helen Noakes ring after I fell in love in the RBSA gallery just off St Paul's Square, Birmingham. Helen is based in Salisbury and among her handmade collections are pieces featuring miniature people and animals, set in acrylic and silver. They are charming, witty and really nicely made - and they bring an element of fun into jewellery which I feel is seriously lacking. I don't know about you but I really feel like jewellery has become far too pretentious of late - not enough buying because you like it, more buying because peer pressure dictates you must have the latest "Pandora" charm even though (in my opinion) they're overpriced and pedestrian. Am I the only person in the world who hates those things?? (If I knew how to make an eye roll emoticon on here, believe me you'd be seeing it....)

Courtesy of www.helennoakesjewellery.com

I have the penguin ring - it was just so quirky I couldn't help but covet and I would love to add the seaside bracelet and "Hound Dog" bangle to my collection! Pity Santa only visits once a year....

On a completely different theme, I discovered a designer called Sue Askew whilst visiting my favourite vintage shop in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. They had a small collection of pieces and I fell for this snake bangle:

I think there is one still available here: http://www.alexandramay.com/shop/category/askew-bracelets/ together with many other delectable items I'm drooling over. Sue uses gems and findings from original 1940's and 50's jewellery to embellish her designs meaning no two pieces are the same, and they are all limited in number and very bold in appearance! My bangle never fails to catch admiring glances, it's beautifully made and unbelievably heavy!

I'm also coveting some pieces by artists recently exhibiting at the RBSA; April Neate's and "Bug's" gorgeous handmade silver pieces are well considered, quirky and I love that they explore not only novel ways of wearing jewellery but also how everyday items can become jewels with a little imagination!

www.aprilneate.com

www.buggedup.com

I think the thing I've always hated about modern jewellery is the mass produced element. I'll never like mass produced jewellery. I know you could argue that mass production has been with us for 150 years, but at least with antique or vintage pieces their individual history gives them soul. No two pieces have experienced the same passage through time, and what was once one of a thousand is now possibly one of only ten surviving. Each piece remains only because of the affection someone else had for it, the care they took when wearing it, and the value they placed on it regardless of its intrinsic value. Maybe that's what I want from modern jewellery, because I'm a hopeless romantic and I don't want to invest sentiment in something pieced together by soulless machines. Perhaps that's why these designers appeal so much to me - because they love what they create and that makes me want to love it too.

So what do you think? Should I get a grip and accept that the likes of Pandora will continue to thrive regardless of my loathing? Or should people want more emotion for their money?

Signing Off...

Mad Bird Lady

Did I really just post a video of my budgie on here?? It looks like cabin fever has claimed me already, so in the interest of relevance I'll try to justify how it relates to jewellery - here goes!

Aside from my general obsession with jewellery I do have a thing for birds and have done since I was very small. I particularly love peacocks, probably as they look so glamorous and flamboyant, and obviously I have a weakness for pesky budgies too...

Here's a few of my bird related pieces, including some vintage evening bags I've collected; 

It's still only a small collection owing to the surprising cost of budgie treats and the speed they are devoured by my little feathered hooligans. The three pieces towards the bottom of the picture are all Victorian; the peacock on the left is backed on mother of pearl and made entirely from tiny feathers - like a feather micro mosaic. I've never seen anything quite like it before so I'm hoping to do some research once it's back from the workshop. It was a brooch originally but it's going in to have a bale added so I can wear it as a pendant. I'll get some close up pictures as soon as I can. The peacock in the centre is Austro Hungarian, gilded and set with rubies and emeralds. The other pieces are a mix of vintage and modern which I've picked up in boutiques and online.

I'm always on the lookout for unusual bird jewellery and accessories, old or new so if anyone spots anything interesting I'd love to know. In the meantime, after all the naughtiness I've had to put up with so far today I may consider adding a life size stuffed budgie fascinator to my collection quite soon.... ;)



Marnie & Kevin; tiny little vandals.



 TTFN!

Snowed in!!

Ok so it has nothing to do with jewellery, antiques, vintage clothes or diamonds but I thought I'd share this as it made me laugh and cheered up a boring friday stuck indoors... :)

Marnie the Budgie does MJ

I think she's watched that pony advert once too often... ;)

TTFN!

Bloglovin!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Bringing Micro Mosaic into the 21st Century

When this locket came into our shop the central panel was full of decades of dust and lint which completely obscured the beautiful micro mosaic within.



18ct gold Micro Mosaic Picture Locket Circa 1860.



When we removed the panel, at best we were hoping to find an old sepia photograph but it became apparent quite quickly that we were dealing with something special! It took a lot of time and (careful) effort but we managed to gently brush the dirt away to reveal the intricate mosaic beneath and then carefully cleaned away the more stubborn grime. It sounds silly but I did feel a bit like an archaeologist unearthing a long lost artifact - like Indiana Jones without the spring loaded booby traps!

Anyway, here's the finished article in all it's glory!

The backing for the mosaic appears to be mother of pearl, and the design is just staggering in its intricacy. Most of the pieces are 0.5mm long, so it's difficult to comprehend the skill required in cutting each individual gem or stone to create this picture. These pieces are typical of those purchased as souvenirs by wealthy Victorians - this piece is 18ct gold and was more than likely made in Rome. The image is that of a bird with a fish in it's beak. I've tried to find what this may be symbolic of but am still unsure, if anyone out there would like to hazard a guess I'd be very interested!!

The faded picture in the back is the original; it could be replaced but I don't think that's our decision to make. I love it, but then (as dad tells me) I love most antique jewellery. Still, I don't think it's difficult to see why in this case. It's unique, beautifully crafted and very wearable. Personally, I think it would go fabulously with any of these current season outfits:

Although when it was made it was probably worn with something like this!



Who says Antique Jewellery isn't versatile?!

Signing off...

History of Hallmarks

It's another rainy day and we just bought some more scrap gold. Both a fairly common occurrence nowadays, but this was unusual as the lady decided to keep one of the band rings when we identified the date stamp and she realised it was probably her grandmother's! It got me thinking about the importance of the little stamps inside the band. They are quite important to my family, not only as they play a big part in our work but also as my paternal grandfather made dozens of the stamps over the years in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. He was a steel letter cutter and would diligently sit in his workshop, hunched over a desk with a magnifying glass, reverse carving the punches used for hallmarks out of steel plates.

My grandad, Lawrence Bonner featured in a newspaper article in 1970.

Since the incredible growth in gold price, people are far more knowledgeable when it comes to their own gold and how to identify different carats and metals. And for the first time we are also seeing a real interest in hallmarks as more people have become aware of their use in charting the history of certain pieces. In the UK a full hallmark will not only give you the name of the manufacturer and the purity of the metal, but also the town it was made in and the date.

In light of this I thought you might be interested in a quick breakdown of the origin of the British hallmark!

1300 – Hallmarking first introduced into the UK. At this point the gold and silver standard marks were the same; depicting the Leopard's head which is the mark of London.
1363 - Makers marks became required, initially in form of a rebus or initials.
1378 - Town marks also required. Traditionally Birmingham has the anchor, Sheffield a crown, London the leopards head and a three towered castle for Edinburgh. Later additions included Dublin's crowned harp and Chester's three wheatsheaves.
1477 - 18 Carat replaces 19.5 Carat as Standard Gold
1478 - Date letters also required in England. Each town has it's own cycle of letters and styles to indicate the year of assay.
1575 - 22 Carat Replaces 18 Carat as Standard Gold
1798 – 18 carat reintroduced in addition to 22 Carat
1854 – 9, 12 & 15 Carat introduced
1932 – 15 and 12 carat discontinued, replaced by 14 carat.

Platinum was originally used by European Court Jewellers in the mid 1800's. Before this time scientists were unable to isolate the metal and produce it in it's pure form.
Until the late 1800's it remained too expensive for commercial use and only the wealthy could afford platinum settings. Until the late Edwardian period, it's colour remained largely out of favour for anything other than settings as yellow gold was so fashionable. However by the early 1900's trends were changing and the "new look" was being embraced. It remained the metal of choice for those who could afford it through the 20's and 30's until the effects of the War made it far too costly to produce, and with demand for jewellery falling it all but disappeared from jewellers windows for several years.
There was no legal requirement for marking Platinum until 1975, which set a single standard for platinum of 950. Earlier Platinum pieces may be stamped PLAT by the manufacturer.
Palladium has grown in popularity over recent years and the legal requirement for marking was introduced in the UK in 2010.

So next time you're rifling through your jewellery box debating whether to scrap that ring your aunt gave you, have a quick look for any marks inside - you might just be holding an heirloom!

TTFN!

Collecting Compulsions...

I have a theory that some people are born collectors and the compulsion will inevitably manifest in one interest or another. At least that's how I excuse my list of collections which currently stand at six and have poached all the space in my house. I've collected things for as long as I can remember and I'm constantly fighting the desire to begin new collections of items which are unrelated to my current obsessions! At the moment it's hatpins.

Hatpin Collection courtesy of leeleeclothes.blogspot.com



It started when I learned that my great-grandfather was a silversmith in Birmingham during the First World War and made several for my nan and her sisters. They've all been lost through the years (a silver bangle he made for my great-aunt is all we have left) but it piqued my interest and I started looking for examples which "could" have been made by him.

Sterling Silver Cuff made by my Great-Grandfather.

It's rare to see them in the shop and I never appreciated how varied and beautiful they are; like tiny works of art they can be intricate or bold, whimsical or imposing - each differing in intrinsic value and overall appeal.

For as long as ladies have been wearing hats, hat pins have been used as a form of expression even in times when society demanded conformity. Those made from expensive materials such as gold and silver, or those which required skilled craftsmanship to create (ie. enamelled and plique a jour) were obviously owned by wealthier ladies and worn to indicate their social standing. Forward thinking ladies would have followed the fashions of the day and plumbed for the latest styles (Art Nouveau, Art Deco etc) or examples of a more playful design. They may have been constrained by corsetry and convention but self expression has always managed to manifest itself through jewellery.

I daren't buy one or that will open the floodgates (and quite possibly tip my husband over the edge) but I've seen many which have tempted me. I particularly like plique a jour examples or the extremely rare pins which have hidden meanings in their design. Add to that the exquisite Antique Silver hatpin holders you can use to display them and it really is just a collection waiting to happen! 

I fancy a selection to adorn my dressing table, and a quick scout on ebay turned a few nice examples up far too easily! So does anyone else out there collect them already? Maybe you actually wear them? If so I'd love to hear from you.

Signing off...

Gorgeous, lovely hatpins..... all easily found online!!

Tempted..????



Custard Factory Heaven!

I'm always on the lookout for interesting places with that old High Street feel and boutique stores. Alcester (where our shop is based) really has the traditional English village feel to it and has lots of unique little shops but we're lacking in the boutique clothing department which is frustrating. Luckily I discovered a doozy of a place this weekend!

I've driven past The Custard Factory in Birmingham lots of times and have been meaning to go for ages. This weekend my husband and I decided to stay overnight in Brum so we could do lots of shopping and eating and generally let our hair down so once we had dumped our bags at the Malmaison in the Mail Box we headed straight for Digbeth!

The Custard Factory, Birmingham (images courtesy of The Guardian - it was raining too hard to take pics when we went!)

I can highly recommend a jaunt to anyone interested in vintage and couture clothing and accessories. It's a truly eclectic mix of unique styles and innovation with a firm appreciation of heritage and bygone eras. I love it! :) There are lots of vintage and antique clothing boutiques, a gorgeous corsetry specialist and a couple of jewellery stores who stock one off pieces by Art College graduates. There are vintage record stores, a specialist musical instrument store, a fab tattoo and alternative beauty parlour as well as a 1950's inspired beauticians and a specialist artwork store. Like I said - I love it!

I did make a purchase; well two actually. Both from Burbo K'ture, an amazing designer who uses vintage fabrics and clothing to craft modern, one of a kind pieces you won't see anywhere else. All his items are hand made and really good quality and he's unbelievably down to earth with his prices. I couldn't resist buying two dresses and although he's a stylist as well as a designer he never once made me feel awkward while I ummed and ahhed in my bare feet with my hair all straggly from the rain outside. Lovely guy :)

(Pics courtesy of Burbo)

So now I need another weekend away to wear them both (although I have paraded around the house in them with my slippers on - hence no pictures going on here!)

Now if I could just convince him to open a shop in Alcester my life would be complete!! And I'd be poor... ;)

TTFN!

Life before Skype

We've had one ring in the shop for a while now. We bought it knowing it would take a long time to sell but it's beautiful and charming and is greatly admired by our customers.


Georgian Portrait Miniature Ring.

Circa 1820

It's a Georgian portrait ring, circa 1820 which contains a miniature painting of a young girl.

Lots of people have admired it, and a few have considered buying it but they have all decided against on the grounds that they can't wear it everyday.

The trouble is people expect different things from their jewellery nowadays. Most of our customers want maximum wear for minimum effort. They don't want to spend thousands on a piece of jewellery that they can only wear on high days and holidays.

When this ring was made life was very different. Everyone knows these portable portraits were the first incarnation of the wallet photo which has since been replaced by camera phones and Skype. We own thousands of pictures of our loved ones, but it's quite likely this portrait was the only image possessed by the original owner of this ring and would have been greatly treasured. Personally, I think it was probably a gentleman; mainly due to the size of the ring. It's possible that the shank has been replaced at some point but the size is still large for a woman of that era. The portrait was likely painted specifically to be set in this ring and may be 10 years or so later due to the style of dress the girl is wearing. The pink of the bodice is reflected in the blush of her cheeks and her blonde hair and blue eyes give her a charming appeal. It's also probable that the identity of the subject and/or the artist may be written on the back of the picture. Unfortunately it would be risky to tamper with the glass so we have left the secrets of the ring's history hidden within.

She is certainly very attractive and was undoubtedly a great love of the wearer although we may never know what form of love this was - either suitor, guardian or friend. The portrait has been beautifully and painstakingly executed. It is hard to imagine only having one image of your loved one when we are so used to uploading holiday photos on facebook and chatting to loved ones via webcam. How many times was this portrait gazed at? And how long were the owner and subject apart?

I must admit I'm slightly disinterested in galleries, but these tiny artworks really resonate with my hopeless romantic side. I could quite easily find a home for a ring like this (and consequently, no doubt others like it!) It survived this long specifically because it was treasured and not worn during mundane chores like shopping and washing up. So for the time being we have become it's guardians, until someone else falls as in love with it as the original owner did all those years ago. Pieces like these always find the right person the end.

Signing off...



Brooching an unfashionable subject?

Why are some pieces of jewellery less popular than others? Is it because they are generally less wearable? Or that people just don't know how to wear them and may even be a little afraid to experiment?

I don't think any item of jewellery is as misunderstood as the timeless brooch. For millenia they have been worn by men and women alike adorning everything from armoury to crinoline; sometimes a mark of status and for others a symbol of affection. Yet in the 21st Century they are the hardest to sell and the least worn item of all.

I have a particular penchant for the much maligned brooch - but maybe it's just me? Does anyone else wear them? And if so, how? Here's a few examples of how I wear some of my brooches; see what you think:



Vintage Silver Shotgun brooch worn on hip pocket

 


Silver, Marcasite & Citrine Fob Brooch worn on pocket



Antique Gold Peacock Locket Brooch. Worn as a pendant

 




Early Victorian Diamond & Enamel Brooch. Bale added to the safety chain loop to make it into a pendant








The brooch remains original but it's much more wearable.



I never go out without a big vintage costume brooch on my coat, and I've used them to smarten up handbags, harclips and even shoes. So am I mad or do you think there is a place for the humble brooch in the 21st Century? Either way, one thing is for sure; the likes of Edna Birch haven't done them any favours... ;-)



How NOT to wear a cameo brooch.


TTFN!







A visit from Santa!

You can usually tell a little something about an item from the box it arrives in, but yesterday a lady came in with a plain, small cardboard box which gave no indication of the treasure within:

Merry Christmas!

It was like Christmas morning in the shop when we removed the lid! Inside were these four really unusual vintage rings, all good quality but very individual in style. I personally like the Blue Zircon ring, as I love the detailing on the shoulders. You can see the late Art Deco influence as cubism gave way to more floral detailing and softer lines.
 

Platinum Set with Diamond Shoulders

 

Large Blue Zircon steals the show

 
 My dad completely disagrees and prefers the oval Amethyst ring due to the delicate basketwork setting and rope effect shoulders. The Amethyst also displays vibrant flashes of mauve which really catch the eye.

Bold Vintage Amethyst Ring

 

Unusual Basket Effect Setting

I'd wear the big Amethyst Matrix on my forefinger, the organic setting is so 1960's but looks completely modern worn that way. Well it would if it would fit on my large fingers.....!!



Vintage Amethyst Matrix Ring



Making Vintage Modern

 The catherine wheel ring screams 1950's glamour but was actually made in 1990. It would make a great statement ring on a night out.

Statement Sapphires

1950's Glamour

They're all heading to the workshop now to be restored and cleaned before we add them to our collection. That is, if I can pry the Zircon off my own finger.......... ;)

 Signing off...



Why should boys have all the fun?

There's that old cliche about boys and their toys - well I think it's time us girlies jumped on the bandwagon and re-discovered playtime!

Ok so maybe I want to justify why I'm staring at pictures of Barbie dolls despite turning 34 last week... but surely someone out there must agree that they are the most fabulously gorgeous dolls and provide the perfect opportunity to own a piece of vintage Hollywood glamour without worrying that it won't fit or is too expensive.

Please??? Anyone????

Oh well, here they are anyway;




Silkstone Barbie Dolls



Hollywood Glamour Scaled Down

 

Oh to be 12.5cm....

 They're about to go up for auction at McMasters Harris Appletree Doll Auctions if anyone's interested.

Ok just me then... ;)

TTFN!