The engagement is the first step into your committed relationship and purchasing the engagement ring should be taken equally seriously. It is a pricey undertaking hence you should be careful in your selection. It isn’t a simple purchase as it seems like and should be well researched for before narrowing on a selection. The engagement ring would be worn by your spouse all the time so it should be liked and cherished by your spouse.
Your purchasing capacity depends upon your willingness to spend on this lifetime investment. There are many types of engagement rings and you need to decide whether you want to make it a surprise to your spouse or buy it with her consent. If you want to surprise her, you need to know her likings and the type of metal she prefers or give something that she hasn’t possessed as of yet.
There are varied alternatives for an engagement ring but the most popular ones are the diamond rings, gold rings and platinum rings. The diamond ring is a perfect match for anyone and it jells up with any kind of mounting metal. The diamond looks stunning with platinum and also along with gold or any other metal, but it is logical to have a sturdy metal to hold the diamond.
It is important to know the diamond before you splurge into its investment. One has to consider the cut, clarity, carat and colour of the diamond, which are its keys elements. There are around 10 popular cuts but there are umpteen other styles designed by jewellery makers. You need to carefully choose your style of cut as it would determine the shine of the diamond and the fit in the ring design. The most popular cuts are the round, oval and princess cut but unique designs require different cuts.
It is always difficult to start with your search; hence online jewellery shopping website is a feasible alternative. Many websites offer to have your own individual designs and choose your style of diamond on it. This will give to a fair idea of your purchase. You can team up your diamond with your choice of metal and can have your design incorporated. This will make your purchase unique and it will be all the more special. Diamonds come in various price ranges depending upon their originality. You can choose the one that is appealing to your spouse and also isn’t heavy on your pocket.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Jewelllery
Jewellery enhances your attire and adds to your personality. Selection of proper jewellery with would complete your outfit. Jewellery can be found of varied patterns and metals. Studded jewellery with precious stones especially diamonds is quiet popular. There are many brands available which offer exclusive diamond jewellery and even offer customization. Diamonds have been in vogue since forever and are available in different shapes, colors and can be studded with any form of jewellery.
The sparkling diamond adds sheen to your jewellery and makes you stand out of the crowd. Diamond can be sported with bangles, necklaces, finger-rings, earrings, pendants and almost any other jewellery form. Diamond jewellery looks stunning and is sure to enthrall the onlookers. Diamonds are available in different cuts and styles. The worth of a diamond depends upon its cut, carat (mass), color, clarity and thus its cost.
Diamonds are costly and are hence mostly used in engagement rings, wedding rings and earrings. You can sport any mounting metal with diamonds but it has to be strong enough to hold the diamonds together. Diamonds are available in varied colors but the colorless one is a preferred choice. The pink diamond is the rarest one and the most costly. The yellowish ting diamonds are the cheapest ones available in the market. You can even buy a low price diamond and sport with a good supporting metal to enhance its looks.
Diamonds are cut in different styles to suit different designs. The cut is an important factor in determining the shine and the appeal of the diamond. If you are buying a diamond ring, it is available in popular cuts like the princess cut, oval cut, square cut etc. you need to choose according to the design of your jewellery. A good cut diamond will enhance the appeal of the jewellery and will bring out the desired satisfaction of possessing one.
You can shop for diamond jewellery from your retail jewellery shop or you can buy them online on popular online shopping based websites. With retail jewelers, you get limited choice but online shopping opens to you a design and variety galore. You can find diamond jewellery across budgets and can also avail customization.
You can team up your diamond with your choice of metal and can have your design incorporated. Online jewellery shopping is easy and simple with no compromises on your design. You can choose the diamond jewellery that you like fitting in your budget.
The sparkling diamond adds sheen to your jewellery and makes you stand out of the crowd. Diamond can be sported with bangles, necklaces, finger-rings, earrings, pendants and almost any other jewellery form. Diamond jewellery looks stunning and is sure to enthrall the onlookers. Diamonds are available in different cuts and styles. The worth of a diamond depends upon its cut, carat (mass), color, clarity and thus its cost.
Diamonds are costly and are hence mostly used in engagement rings, wedding rings and earrings. You can sport any mounting metal with diamonds but it has to be strong enough to hold the diamonds together. Diamonds are available in varied colors but the colorless one is a preferred choice. The pink diamond is the rarest one and the most costly. The yellowish ting diamonds are the cheapest ones available in the market. You can even buy a low price diamond and sport with a good supporting metal to enhance its looks.
Diamonds are cut in different styles to suit different designs. The cut is an important factor in determining the shine and the appeal of the diamond. If you are buying a diamond ring, it is available in popular cuts like the princess cut, oval cut, square cut etc. you need to choose according to the design of your jewellery. A good cut diamond will enhance the appeal of the jewellery and will bring out the desired satisfaction of possessing one.
You can shop for diamond jewellery from your retail jewellery shop or you can buy them online on popular online shopping based websites. With retail jewelers, you get limited choice but online shopping opens to you a design and variety galore. You can find diamond jewellery across budgets and can also avail customization.
You can team up your diamond with your choice of metal and can have your design incorporated. Online jewellery shopping is easy and simple with no compromises on your design. You can choose the diamond jewellery that you like fitting in your budget.
Jewellery
With the financial crunch and instability getting intense by the day, finding fine jewelry that doesn’t cost you the earth while still living up to quality and purity standards, can be quiet a task. While every one in the market, from bricks and mortar jewelers to online retailers, is offering lucrative discounts, you need to ensure that deal is genuine and not marketing gizmos to rip you off your money.
There are many compelling reasons to buy jewelry from a discount site. Jewelry makes perhaps the best gifts for your loved ones. Fine jewelry has financial value attached to it, so if you gifting fine jewelry to a person you are actually gifting her keepsake. Buying these exquisite gifts is not an inexpensive hobby and you would sure want to know the art of buying fine jewelry at a discount without compromising on the quality and value.
So if you are buying jewelry online, look for a trustworthy site. The best way to find out if the website is trustworthy or not, is by looking at the trust seals on the website. Trust seals are the internet version of accredited stamps from certified and accredited agencies/authorities certifying the website, which essentially means you can trust the website.
To be on the safer side you can verify the trust seals from the respective agencies by personally getting in touch with the concerned organizations and enquiring them about the website. For a jewelry site the most commonly found trust seals can be GIA, AGA, AGTA, VeriSign, AGL etc. More the trust seals, better it is. To be extra sure, check out the media section or newsroom of the website. If you notice names of some reputed magazines and newspapers, go ahead and make a purchase.
If the jewelry sold on the website is certified, you can be assured of the genuineness of the jewelry and its quality. The certification though should be from a well known credible agency or it is not worth the paper it is printed on.
You could also look at the return policy. Any internet jewelry retailer worth its name should allow a decent return period. Or least the return should be allowed on quality grounds. Once you have found a website that stands tall on the above mentioned criteria, wait for a good offer. Websites offer heavy discounts twice to thrice a year. So when the opportunity comes, go grab a deal on your favorite jewelry.
There are many compelling reasons to buy jewelry from a discount site. Jewelry makes perhaps the best gifts for your loved ones. Fine jewelry has financial value attached to it, so if you gifting fine jewelry to a person you are actually gifting her keepsake. Buying these exquisite gifts is not an inexpensive hobby and you would sure want to know the art of buying fine jewelry at a discount without compromising on the quality and value.
So if you are buying jewelry online, look for a trustworthy site. The best way to find out if the website is trustworthy or not, is by looking at the trust seals on the website. Trust seals are the internet version of accredited stamps from certified and accredited agencies/authorities certifying the website, which essentially means you can trust the website.
To be on the safer side you can verify the trust seals from the respective agencies by personally getting in touch with the concerned organizations and enquiring them about the website. For a jewelry site the most commonly found trust seals can be GIA, AGA, AGTA, VeriSign, AGL etc. More the trust seals, better it is. To be extra sure, check out the media section or newsroom of the website. If you notice names of some reputed magazines and newspapers, go ahead and make a purchase.
If the jewelry sold on the website is certified, you can be assured of the genuineness of the jewelry and its quality. The certification though should be from a well known credible agency or it is not worth the paper it is printed on.
You could also look at the return policy. Any internet jewelry retailer worth its name should allow a decent return period. Or least the return should be allowed on quality grounds. Once you have found a website that stands tall on the above mentioned criteria, wait for a good offer. Websites offer heavy discounts twice to thrice a year. So when the opportunity comes, go grab a deal on your favorite jewelry.
Jewellery
While fashion trends keep changing, gold jewelry has remained a constant in the Indian culture. Traditionally gold jewelry has been an auspicious possession, heirloom, an investment, holy ornaments for adornment, social status and more; recently gold jewelry has started being used for the purpose of accessorizing. With the changing use, trends in design and style of gold jewelry are also changing.
New designs
The traditional intricately crafted hand made gold necklace gifted by your mother is now finding its place in the jewelry box, and being replaced by more chic and contemporary gold jewelry for daily wear. The designs are more modern complimenting the over all look of the urban professional woman. Chic styles, fashionable designs with supple elegance have become more popular. The trend is inspired from the west. Elaborate earrings are being replaced by simple gold studs. Gold stackable bangles are being replaced by sleek gold bracelets.
Two tone gold
White gold has recently gained more importance in our traditional Indian gold jewelry. White gold is made by mixing whiter metals to pure gold to make it appear white. White gold jewelry is further coated with rhodium, a white metal that gives a lustrous silvery shine to the jewelry. White gold is popular because it looks like platinum, the most precious metal on earth. The latest trend is two tone gold jewelry that combines the bright sunny warmth of yellow gold with the icy azure brilliance of white gold. Rings, bracelets, bangles, pendants, chains all types of jewelry has the fine combination of white gold and yellow gold. Most of the diamond jewelry is usually two tone; the setting around the diamond is often rhodium plated white gold that accentuates the white brilliance of the diamonds.
While white gold has become extremely popular, some jewelers are also experimenting with other gold tones like the rose gold. Rose gold has pink metals like copper added to give it a subtle pink tone. Rose gold has a pinkish hue that adds grace and elegance to the jewelry. Rose gold combined with white gold makes some of the finest in modern gold jewelry. Some exquisite designs also use three tones of gold, traditional yellow gold, chic white gold and rare pink gold, to make beautiful three tone gold jewelry.
With the changing trends, not just the designs and styles of gold jewelry have changed but also the entire outlook has changed. It’s no more about wearing more gold; it is about wearing enough gold to make the perfect modern style statement.
New designs
The traditional intricately crafted hand made gold necklace gifted by your mother is now finding its place in the jewelry box, and being replaced by more chic and contemporary gold jewelry for daily wear. The designs are more modern complimenting the over all look of the urban professional woman. Chic styles, fashionable designs with supple elegance have become more popular. The trend is inspired from the west. Elaborate earrings are being replaced by simple gold studs. Gold stackable bangles are being replaced by sleek gold bracelets.
Two tone gold
White gold has recently gained more importance in our traditional Indian gold jewelry. White gold is made by mixing whiter metals to pure gold to make it appear white. White gold jewelry is further coated with rhodium, a white metal that gives a lustrous silvery shine to the jewelry. White gold is popular because it looks like platinum, the most precious metal on earth. The latest trend is two tone gold jewelry that combines the bright sunny warmth of yellow gold with the icy azure brilliance of white gold. Rings, bracelets, bangles, pendants, chains all types of jewelry has the fine combination of white gold and yellow gold. Most of the diamond jewelry is usually two tone; the setting around the diamond is often rhodium plated white gold that accentuates the white brilliance of the diamonds.
While white gold has become extremely popular, some jewelers are also experimenting with other gold tones like the rose gold. Rose gold has pink metals like copper added to give it a subtle pink tone. Rose gold has a pinkish hue that adds grace and elegance to the jewelry. Rose gold combined with white gold makes some of the finest in modern gold jewelry. Some exquisite designs also use three tones of gold, traditional yellow gold, chic white gold and rare pink gold, to make beautiful three tone gold jewelry.
With the changing trends, not just the designs and styles of gold jewelry have changed but also the entire outlook has changed. It’s no more about wearing more gold; it is about wearing enough gold to make the perfect modern style statement.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Jewellery
Tanzanite is a zoisite mineral that is fairly new to the jewellery market. It was discovered in the 1960’s in Africa. Tanzanite is now a popular blue/purple gemstone in America and has even been placed in the same category as ruby, sapphire, emerald and opal in some markets. Its tremendous popularity, along with hand mining limitations, flooding, and government challenges, has created a shortage of this beautiful mineral.
Jewellery
This week we are going to take a look at jewelry trends in different cultures and countries. We will of course look back at history to see how it helped mold the jewelry fashion industry into what it is today. We will focus on specific countries throughout this week and then showcase of few of Gilbert and Frech’s uniquely original designs and see how the influence of style and culture helped to create them.
Some of the earliest pieces of jewelry that were created out of precious metals and gemstones were found in the country of Egypt. Egyptians mainly used gold and fashioned many items out of this very malleable metal such as armlets, bracelets, head adornments, rings, earrings and even collars. Greece also was making their own fashion trends during the BC era and the trend at that time was using beads and designing them into shapes that represented nature such as flowers, shells or beetles. Greece was wealthy with raw materials and started adorning their jewelry with precious gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and pearls. Pearls became the most prized and precious gemstone in jewelry. The most rare and beautiful were found in South India and the Persian Gulf. During the 17th century is when jewelry became an adornment that was acceptable in everyday use. France was a great influence on the jewelry industry during the early 1800’s. Victorian jewelry became popular as Queen Victoria reigned and it began to be massed produced and sold all over the world. During the 1950’s America made its mark with what people would refer to as the Hollywood influence.
Over the years many countries had their influence over the style and trends of jewelry. As it was created and shipped to different parts of the world, other cultures added their own unique flare. It will be fun to take a look this week at specific countries and see what the popular jewelry trend is in their culture today! Will it be similar to what is popular here in America or will it be completely unique and different? The world has become smaller with the birth of the internet. Every kind of information is available to us know with just the tapping of our fingertips. Just like that, we can type in and order whatever kind of jewelry we like from whatever country or culture we want. It is truly an amazing thing.
Some of the earliest pieces of jewelry that were created out of precious metals and gemstones were found in the country of Egypt. Egyptians mainly used gold and fashioned many items out of this very malleable metal such as armlets, bracelets, head adornments, rings, earrings and even collars. Greece also was making their own fashion trends during the BC era and the trend at that time was using beads and designing them into shapes that represented nature such as flowers, shells or beetles. Greece was wealthy with raw materials and started adorning their jewelry with precious gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and pearls. Pearls became the most prized and precious gemstone in jewelry. The most rare and beautiful were found in South India and the Persian Gulf. During the 17th century is when jewelry became an adornment that was acceptable in everyday use. France was a great influence on the jewelry industry during the early 1800’s. Victorian jewelry became popular as Queen Victoria reigned and it began to be massed produced and sold all over the world. During the 1950’s America made its mark with what people would refer to as the Hollywood influence.
Over the years many countries had their influence over the style and trends of jewelry. As it was created and shipped to different parts of the world, other cultures added their own unique flare. It will be fun to take a look this week at specific countries and see what the popular jewelry trend is in their culture today! Will it be similar to what is popular here in America or will it be completely unique and different? The world has become smaller with the birth of the internet. Every kind of information is available to us know with just the tapping of our fingertips. Just like that, we can type in and order whatever kind of jewelry we like from whatever country or culture we want. It is truly an amazing thing.
Jewellery
I have been collecting Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry for over three decades. Most of what I bought was from the Saturday and Sunday flea markets at the local drive-in theater and at a once a month massive open air antique market held in the mountains near where I grew up. I never paid much, a quarter here, a dime there and sometimes a few dollars however over the years until I really became a serious collector, I probably had no more than $500.00 in an amazing collection of over 2,500-3,000 pieces.
Over the years I have collected many types of jewelry. At first it was bracelets, then rings and when I got out of college and pursued my career as an interior designer, I found pins and earrings to be practical and suitable. In the mid-60’s to early 70’s I bought a lot of colorful and heavy “plastic” pieces and most were bracelets. I just loved the dull clunk they made when they hit against my desk… well I am sure you know where this is going… you’re right most were Bakelite. One in particular is a wonderful art deco black, red, orange, yellow and green fins clamper bracelet and it is like having a carnival on your arm. It fits great and feels sturdy andit brings me joy. It wasn’t until I received Harrice Simons-Miller 2002 third edition Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry, that I realized the bracelet is called “Philadelphia” and has a market value of up to $5,000 making it the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry.
I also became quite passionate for the charm bracelets made in the 1960’s by Napier. At one point I had over 30 of them and I rarely wore them I just loved holding them. I had the colored fruit, the Asian theme, and my favorites was the marine theme with seashells and seahorses. Over the years I paid between $1.00 - $5.00 each for them and in early 2000, I sold them individually on eBay for $125.00 and up to 245.00 each. What a great return, right. Well yes but a day does not go by that I regret selling them. They gave me more happiness than the monies they brought.
As I became more sophisticated in my jewelry search I began to love all things Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino and Boucher. All of these names seemed to come with a higher price but still affordable and all quite luxurious. Then there came Staret, McClelland-Barclay, Schreiner, Dujay, DeMario, Reja, Deja and Alfred Philippe and Alfred Spaney’s extra special pieces made for Crown Trifari. Needless to say I was smitten and would never turn back. After a while and as I was getting older, I started to understand the beauty of 19C Victorian and Art Nouveau and in particular the mourning pieces made during and after the Civil War. The Art Deco period pieces also caught my attention because of their architectural angled designs. Well enough about me…
Throughout the years it was truly guesswork as to what I should pay for a piece and then the harder part came when trying to find out how much a piece was worth. As a result I found that the public library had many jewelry price guides and I poured through them all for days on end and would pick out my next piece I was obsessing for. Through this research, I found three authors who stood out as being the best at giving the right information for just about anything you might need to know as an antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry collector or dealer.
The first is Jeanenne Bell. Jeanenne Bell has been on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser and is one of America’s leading authorities on antique jewelry. She has written many books and the first book I bought of hers was “How to be a Jewelry Detective”. This book is filled to the brim with priceless information about the clues to solving jewelry mysteries. She gives easy to understand tips for testing materials, gem cuts, hardware and findings throughout the ages, marks and a whole lot more. I have recommended this book to literally 100’s of my buyers on eBay who may not be sure what gutta percha is, or is it ivory or bone and what is a briolette cut stone. She answers them all and she even has a small pocket size field guide to take along to the shops and flea markets.
My favorite book of hers is Collecting Victorian Jewelry which is a real treat for the eyes and is beautiful enough to be left out for others to peruse. In this book she shows an amazing range of incredible museum quality pieces of Costume and Fine jewelry. Each piece is a work of art and each has an easy to understand description and value assigned. She imparts the history associated with the Victorian era and who all of the main characters were. She enlightens the reader about this period in time that was all about romance, passion and heartache. Very good read and a very good aid to the serious period piece collector.
My next favorite author is Harrice Simons-Miller. I have two of her price guides, Costume Jewelry 2nd edition and Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry 3rd edition. What I love about her books is that she knows her stuff as it relates to costume jewelry dating from early Art Deco up to the present. Her books are very good for identifying the major players in the costume and fashion design industries. She really clarifies what each jewelry designer’s signature look is and her photographs and descriptions will give you an edge when you are out in the field. Her values are truly representative of retail in fine antique or jewelry boutiques and give the reader the parameters as to what to spend to get your jewelry collection “fix”. She has bought from me on eBay on a couple of occasions and each piece she purchased was always a little odd and unexpected, making me think she knew of or was creating a trend which others were yet aware.
My third favorite author is Roseann Ettinger. She has a series of price guides that are not only about jewelry but other vintage collectibles with a lot of concentration on fashion and the fifties. Her jewelry price guides include her “popular” series and include “Forties and Fifties Popular Jewelry”, “Popular Jewelry of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s” and my all time favorite of hers “1840-1940 Popular Jewelry” the revised 3rd edition. Her price guide covers jewelry pieces that you actually might come across and be able to own for not a lot of money. Unlike Bell and Simons-Miller who are showing museum quality and hard to find pieces, the pieces shown in Ettingers are really quite attainable and I have actually had many of her pieces that she has described. Her photographs are quite large making it easy to see the details of the pieces and she doesn’t dwell on the glitzier side of jewelry but the real down to earth stuff that most of our mothers and grandmothers would have worn.
There are many great costume jewelry price guides out there from Nancy Schiffer, Lillian Baker, Christie Romero for Warman’s, Cheri Simonds, Ronna Lee Atkins and more, but my first three will give the beginner or even well seasoned antique and vintage costume or fine jewelry collector or dealer a well rounded wealth of knowledge and pricing guidelines.
Over the years I have collected many types of jewelry. At first it was bracelets, then rings and when I got out of college and pursued my career as an interior designer, I found pins and earrings to be practical and suitable. In the mid-60’s to early 70’s I bought a lot of colorful and heavy “plastic” pieces and most were bracelets. I just loved the dull clunk they made when they hit against my desk… well I am sure you know where this is going… you’re right most were Bakelite. One in particular is a wonderful art deco black, red, orange, yellow and green fins clamper bracelet and it is like having a carnival on your arm. It fits great and feels sturdy andit brings me joy. It wasn’t until I received Harrice Simons-Miller 2002 third edition Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry, that I realized the bracelet is called “Philadelphia” and has a market value of up to $5,000 making it the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry.
I also became quite passionate for the charm bracelets made in the 1960’s by Napier. At one point I had over 30 of them and I rarely wore them I just loved holding them. I had the colored fruit, the Asian theme, and my favorites was the marine theme with seashells and seahorses. Over the years I paid between $1.00 - $5.00 each for them and in early 2000, I sold them individually on eBay for $125.00 and up to 245.00 each. What a great return, right. Well yes but a day does not go by that I regret selling them. They gave me more happiness than the monies they brought.
As I became more sophisticated in my jewelry search I began to love all things Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino and Boucher. All of these names seemed to come with a higher price but still affordable and all quite luxurious. Then there came Staret, McClelland-Barclay, Schreiner, Dujay, DeMario, Reja, Deja and Alfred Philippe and Alfred Spaney’s extra special pieces made for Crown Trifari. Needless to say I was smitten and would never turn back. After a while and as I was getting older, I started to understand the beauty of 19C Victorian and Art Nouveau and in particular the mourning pieces made during and after the Civil War. The Art Deco period pieces also caught my attention because of their architectural angled designs. Well enough about me…
Throughout the years it was truly guesswork as to what I should pay for a piece and then the harder part came when trying to find out how much a piece was worth. As a result I found that the public library had many jewelry price guides and I poured through them all for days on end and would pick out my next piece I was obsessing for. Through this research, I found three authors who stood out as being the best at giving the right information for just about anything you might need to know as an antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry collector or dealer.
The first is Jeanenne Bell. Jeanenne Bell has been on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser and is one of America’s leading authorities on antique jewelry. She has written many books and the first book I bought of hers was “How to be a Jewelry Detective”. This book is filled to the brim with priceless information about the clues to solving jewelry mysteries. She gives easy to understand tips for testing materials, gem cuts, hardware and findings throughout the ages, marks and a whole lot more. I have recommended this book to literally 100’s of my buyers on eBay who may not be sure what gutta percha is, or is it ivory or bone and what is a briolette cut stone. She answers them all and she even has a small pocket size field guide to take along to the shops and flea markets.
My favorite book of hers is Collecting Victorian Jewelry which is a real treat for the eyes and is beautiful enough to be left out for others to peruse. In this book she shows an amazing range of incredible museum quality pieces of Costume and Fine jewelry. Each piece is a work of art and each has an easy to understand description and value assigned. She imparts the history associated with the Victorian era and who all of the main characters were. She enlightens the reader about this period in time that was all about romance, passion and heartache. Very good read and a very good aid to the serious period piece collector.
My next favorite author is Harrice Simons-Miller. I have two of her price guides, Costume Jewelry 2nd edition and Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry 3rd edition. What I love about her books is that she knows her stuff as it relates to costume jewelry dating from early Art Deco up to the present. Her books are very good for identifying the major players in the costume and fashion design industries. She really clarifies what each jewelry designer’s signature look is and her photographs and descriptions will give you an edge when you are out in the field. Her values are truly representative of retail in fine antique or jewelry boutiques and give the reader the parameters as to what to spend to get your jewelry collection “fix”. She has bought from me on eBay on a couple of occasions and each piece she purchased was always a little odd and unexpected, making me think she knew of or was creating a trend which others were yet aware.
My third favorite author is Roseann Ettinger. She has a series of price guides that are not only about jewelry but other vintage collectibles with a lot of concentration on fashion and the fifties. Her jewelry price guides include her “popular” series and include “Forties and Fifties Popular Jewelry”, “Popular Jewelry of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s” and my all time favorite of hers “1840-1940 Popular Jewelry” the revised 3rd edition. Her price guide covers jewelry pieces that you actually might come across and be able to own for not a lot of money. Unlike Bell and Simons-Miller who are showing museum quality and hard to find pieces, the pieces shown in Ettingers are really quite attainable and I have actually had many of her pieces that she has described. Her photographs are quite large making it easy to see the details of the pieces and she doesn’t dwell on the glitzier side of jewelry but the real down to earth stuff that most of our mothers and grandmothers would have worn.
There are many great costume jewelry price guides out there from Nancy Schiffer, Lillian Baker, Christie Romero for Warman’s, Cheri Simonds, Ronna Lee Atkins and more, but my first three will give the beginner or even well seasoned antique and vintage costume or fine jewelry collector or dealer a well rounded wealth of knowledge and pricing guidelines.
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