Monet Silvertone Leaf Brooch

This neat brooch is made my Monet and is quite large, measuring over 3 inches wide.  It is done in textured silvertone metal with thin wires making up one side of the leaf design.  "Vintage Monet" usually refers to their jewelry made between 1930 and 1960.  I find some of their designs from the 1970s to be totally cool, and although less rare than older pieces, are well made and still desirable to collectors.  The general guideline for labeling any item "vintage" is 20 years.  So, that means items made in 1991 and older can be sold as vintage and possibly fetch a pretty penny.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Vintage Bliss. Retrieved 3/31/2011 from http://www.vintage-bliss.com/Monet-Jewelry.html

Small Glass Micro Mosaic Floral Pin

This is another beautiful micro mosaic pin I have in my collection, most likely from Italy.  I posted about a similar, yet larger piece on 2/15/2011.  This pin is much smaller, unmarked, and features red, white, yellow, black and green oblong glass slivers (known as tesserae) set in goldtone metal.  Some of the best micro mosaic designs actually contain approximately 3,000 to 5,000 pieces of tesserae per square inch!

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on www.rubylane.com is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Basic Patterns. Retrieved 3/30/2011 from: http://www.basicpatterns.com/Micromosaic/encyclopedia.htm

Saint John's School Of Law Sterling Silver Watch Key Fob

I do not usually collect men's jewelry, or "mantiques," but I do like charms, so here is an interesting sterling silver piece marked "HJ Sterling."  I could not find any information on this maker after extensive online research, but believe it is from the 1930s or 40s.  This item is a fraternal "key fob" that was likely attached to a pocket watch.  These charms were very popular during the Victorian Era of the late 1800s.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 3/29/2011 from http://www.collectorsweekly.com/pocket-watches/watch-fobs

Matching Black Americana Scatter Pins

These are an identical pair of pins that feature an African American woman motif.  They have a high gloss, soft goldtone finish with matte black enamel on the faces, matte red enamel on the lips, and sparkling green rhinestone eyes.  Black memorabilia is highly collectible and consists of any item that is made in the imagery of a Black person or attributed to a Black artisan.  Collecting these pieces can be very expensive and designs range from early, sometimes offensive slavery items to modern works like the beautiful "Legends" cameo pin by Coreen Simpson featured here on January 20th. 

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

About. Retrieved 3/28/2011 from http://collectibles.about.com/od/blackmemorabilia/p/blackmemorabila.htm

Miriam Haskell Glass Bead Clip Earrings

These summer inspired clip earrings were made by Miriam Haskell in the 1950s.  They each feature a large white glass bead (most likely imported from France or Italy) set in a unique goldtone pronged setting accented with green glass seed beads.  Like these earrings featured today, Miriam Haskell jewelry was known for its detailing, electroplated gold-finish, and handmade careful wiring. 

In the mid to late 1920s, Miriam Haskell opened a gift shop in New York City which would lead to the creation and sale of some the best costume jewelry ever made.  Frank Hess soon joined Miriam as her lead artistic designer.  He was a master in the latest and most complex jewelry production techniques at that time.  Over the years, Miriam and Frank proved to be a dynamic team, Miriam known for her business skills and Frank known as the actual designer. 

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Collectics. Retrieved 3/27/2011 from http://www.collectics.com/education_haskell.html

Illusion Jewels. Retrieved 3/27/2011 from http://www.illusionjewels.com/MiriamHaskelljewelry.html

Matisse Copper And Enamel Paint Palette Brooch

This bright, bold brooch makes me happy.  I love the artist motif of course, and as we know from previous blog posts, I love copper and enamel jewelry.  I was so excited to find this piece, as it is the first Matisse piece I have in my collection.  I do have a gorgeous Renoir necklace, made by the same company that I wrote about on my very first blog post on January 1st.  This brooch was made somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s by Renoir of California, but the "Matisse" mark was only used on their designs in copper.



Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Em City. Retrieved 3/26/2011 from http://emcity.com/renoir.htm

Japanese Glass Bead Clip Earrings

These cluster clip earrings were made in Japan in the 1950s.  They consist of opalesque gold, opaque orange, and translucent brown glass beads that are attached to the earring base with both pins and stringing material.  Japanese costume jewelry from this time period was very well-made and comparable to American fashion jewelry from manufacturers such as Coro, Trifari, Lisner, and even Miriam Haskell.  Most vintage Japanese jewelry, like the earrings above, was hand-strung in unique designs.  The Japanese designers were known to be extremely talented and this jewelry is highly sought after by collectors today.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Vintage Costume Jewels. Retrieved 3/25/2011 from http://vintagecostumejewels.com/Jewels/Japanese_Vintage_Jewelry.htm