Jewelry
The combination of materials, design, technical expertise, and historical background determine the value of vintage jewelry. Jewelry production has changed little in form and fabrication techniques throughout history. The 19th century industrialization however brought revolutionary changes to the methods of manufacture with the advent of mass produced machine-made jewelry. Design quality, and technical standards suffered during this period however the inexpensive jewelry increased product distribution markedly.
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Canes & Walking SticksPrior to the sixteenth century, the word cane had not been applied to the walking stick. The introduction of walking sticks crafted from bamboo, rattan, cane and palm shortly thereafter were commonly referred to as canes. Eventually the word cane became synonymous with walking stick.
Costume Jewelry The first vintage costume jewelry was fashioned in the 1700’s by skilled gem cutters in Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic, who produced high quality imitation gemstones. Often constructed of base metals, antique costume jewelry was created to emulate passing fashion rather than to endure. As the 18th century progressed, silver plating techniques were developed in Sheffield, England; and in Providence, R.I. during the early 19th century the same methods were applied to produce gold filled or rolled jewelry.
Gems & PearlsStrength in stones is determined by degree of hardness, and skill of the cut. The most rigid stones are diamonds fallowed by sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, garnet, and opal respectively. Turquoise is relatively soft, porous, and easily breakable. When exposed to dry conditions, natural pearls can loose their luster and crack. Cultured pearls introduced at the end of the 19th century are more durable, and a quality example is barely distinguishable from natural pearls.
Precious MetalsUntil the 1800’s, gems were generally mounted in protective box settings, or high collets with a minimum of surface exposure. The open setting became popular in the 1850’s, and by the 1900’s the strength of platinum enabled settings to be so fine that the stones almost appear unsupported. Platinum is the hardest precious metal and does not tarnish; gold and silver are lustrous and non-corrosive although silver does tarnish. Both silver and gold are alloyed with other metals to increase durability, resulting in variations in color and strength.
