RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME
Issue 4
11
Retrospective A Look Back in Time
September 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
Growing the Business If you’ve been a fan of the shop for a while you’ve probably noticed some changes in the types of items I carry now from what was in the shop when I started selling on Etsy three years ago. It’s been a huge leap, but as I’ve gained some traction on Etsy and at shows, I’ve decided to expand what I carry to begin to include more precious metals and gemstones. I’ve been slowly building a collection of vintage and antique gold and sterling silver engagement, wedding and cocktail rings, as well as more art deco era pieces to bring to you. While I’m holding true to the brand identity I set up for the shop – being a reasonably priced, mid-range vintage seller that had affordable items for every budget – I’ve taken that identity and grown it to be the same style of business for more high-end pieces as well. Most of the gold and sterling items you’ll see in the shop follow this same model – they’re wonderfully beautiful and unique pieces, priced to be affordable for what they are. You’ll find 10k gold rings in price points from $100-300 and the most expensive
piece in the shop, a gorgeous 14k gold diamond engagement ring, is still under $500. In addition to these offerings, I’ve also been diligently adding to the Art Deco era pieces in my collection. This is a personal favorite era and quality, stunning pieces from this time period get me all excited and I’m thrilled to be able to share some of that excitement with you! I’ll always carry items in every price point; so don’t be worried that you won’t be able to afford things from the shop – more than 70 percent off our items on Etsy are still under $50. As I continue to expand the business due to wonderful folks like yourselves, I’ll use this newsletter to keep you informed and share explanations for the changes you see.
Hawaiian Diamonds
If you don’t know what a Hawaiian diamond is be sure to check out the feature article on page 2 for all the juicy details.
Mandy Heth Owner, Vintage Baubles & Bits
Swank – A History
Every man should own a piece of Swank in his jewelry collection. Go to the last page of the newsletter for the low down.
RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME | Issue 4
Hawaiian Diamonds – A Piece of Hawaiian Folklore August is a great month to talk about Hawaiian Diamonds. If you haven’t heard the term before, you aren’t alone! I discovered these gems after I bought a bulk lot at an auction and was doing research on a box of jewelry I found in the lot. In the box with a lovely pair of Hawaiian motif green stone clip earrings, a ring and a pineapple basket pendant I found a slip of paper on which was written, in very shaky handwriting, a description of the jewelry and the two things that stood out to me were the words "Hawaiian" and "Diamond." I have to say the word diamond really perked my attention, but I had never seen diamonds that looked like this. A few months passed with the box sitting in my studio untouched, until while searching Etsy for peridot items to feature in a treasury I came across a pineapple brooch that looked a lot like my set. I read the description for
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that brooch and it turns out that "Hawaiian Diamonds" are actually uncut olivine, the mineral that peridot is created from! So I started doing more research and learned that in the United States peridot can be found in Arizona and New Mexico and also in Hawaii, where it is known as "Pele's Tears" after the Hawaiian goddess. Olivine forms as certain types of lava cool, before it breaks through the surface. This type of rock is called basalt and from the basalt you can harvest olivine. Olivine gets it's color from the iron found in the mineral and the more pure the green color, the more it is worth. Today most of the peridot found in the United States comes from Arizona on
the San Carlos Reservation. However, larger amounts of peridot used to be found in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu. In fact if you visit the island there is a beach where the sand is green! If I ever make it to Hawaii, that beach will be top of my list! The set I found was most likely from the 1950s and was a very common design from Hawaii. The stones on the pieces are peridot that is uncut, but smoothed.
Continued on Page 3
Featured Item of the Month Necktie blouses, also known as pussy bow blouses, women’s shirts with big floppy bows at the collar were huge in the 1960s. Women were beginning to entre the professional workplace more and looked to men’s attire to give them cues for how to dress in business attire and these blouses were a take on a men’s tie, with a feminine twist. Get this gorgeous blouse for 20% off with coupon code September20. Vintage Floral Necktie Blouse: http://etsy.me/1CW7xU7
RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME | Issue 4
TIPS AND TRICKS
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Hawaiian Cont’d
The pink flowers and pineapple bodies are actually cut coral and then the goldtone metal is formed around the stones for a very natural setting in the earrings and ring. So while Hawaiian Diamonds don't have the same value as actual diamonds, they have a pretty awesome story and history! Just for fun, facts about peridot: •
The next installment of the series on ways to repurpose vintage brooches focuses on a woman's most needed accessory - a purse! We've all done it, bought a purse or a clutch for one night only. Whether it be prom, a wedding, a fancy dinner out, etc. Well now's your chance to learn how to take an existing clutch or purse and spruce it up for your next special occasion! You'll save money and be pleasantly surprised by all the possibilities. I like to start with a basic - either a white, black or gray purse. From here you can make it fit any outfit based on the brooch or brooches you choose to brighten it up!
• • • •
Peridot has been found in ancient Egyptian and Grecian ruins Ancient peridot came from the Red Sea island of St. Johns Peridot forms during volcanic eruptions The largest cut peridot is 310 carats and located in The Smithsonian Institute It is thought that peridot brought power and influence to the owner.
Customer Appreciation
Here are a couple of options for where you can place the brooch to add some spice!
Every month I want to tip my hat to one of you wonderful people and your creative talents, whether it be in interior design or clothing and jewelry styling. Send me photos of your Vintage Baubles & Bits purchases for a chance to be featured here! This month’s featured customer is Caitlin. Caitlin used vintage suitcase shelves from the shop in her new home office. Adding to her already stellar vintage touches for a bit of inspiration as she works!
RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME | Issue 4
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Jewelry Item of the Month
Bohemia was once a region of artisans and glassmakers. The area had all the natural resources perfect for glass making and has been an epicenter for glass beads and art since the 13th century. After the first World War the area once known as Bohemia became several countries, including Czechoslovakia. During the 19th century glass making became more uniform, using molds and presses to create thousands of beads with many different patterns and styles. These lovely glass pieces were then used by jewelry manufactures to create substantial works of art, like these lovely yellow glass earrings from the 1920s. Use coupon code September20 for 20% off these stunning earrings!
Fashion Trends Fall is coming at full force – are you ready for the color trends that are going to hitting stores hard over the next few weeks? Pantone is at it again – this time listing the top 10 colors for Fall 2014 and red is back in a powerful way. One of the
top colors this fall is called Aurora Red and you should be ready for pops of bright, bold red to be showing up all over this season. Different from last Fall, color palettes are staying more gender neutral, so that both women’s and men’s clothing will be showcasing similar color trends. It looks like clothes this fall and winter will have bold, artistic elements that are really meant to make a statement.
FROM PANTONE: 1. Aurora Red 2. Radiant Orchid 3. Royal Blue 4. Aluminum 5. Misted Yellow 6. Mauve Mist 7. Sangria 8. Bright Cobalt 9. Cognac 10. Cypress
http://huff.to/1nO7O1D
RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME | Issue 4
How To – Ring Display Now that I’ve introduced many more rings into the shop it seems like a good time to bring back this tutorial on how to turn a pair of blown out heels into a ring holder. It starts with a pair of heels, cute fabric and a piece of seat foam! Supply list: • • • • • •
A pair of heels Fabric (about 1/4th of a yard) Foam cushion (1-1 1/2in thick) Fabric glue Scissors Pen
Step One - Foam Patterns Trace the toe of the shoe on the foam. You'll want to be pretty close to perfect on this, as this particular piece will slide down into the shoe itself. You should measure it to be about 1/2in longer than where the lip of the toe starts, that way it sticks out enough when put in the shoe to actually hold a ring. (See photos) Once you have traced out the toe of the shoe measure the width of the shoe every 1in or so. You'll need to cut out pieces in these lengths for the rest of the holders. I needed seven pieces for this pair of heels, but you may need more or less depending on the thickness of your foam and the length of the shoe. I made each of my foam pieces 1in wide and then the different length measurements I had taken earlier.
width. So if you have a 2in x 1 1/2in by 1in piece of foam your fabric square should be 4in by 4in. (Note, I did not cover the bottom of the foam pieces, the bottom of the cubes was left uncovered so it would be flat).
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CALENDER OF EVENTS
Step Three - Glue Fabric to Foam Cut out your fabric squares and then we're ready to glue! This step is like wrapping a present. I put fabric glue all over the fabric, lined the edge of one of my cubes of foam up to the edge of the fabric (be sure to leave yourself the inch on either side) then rolled the cube so the fabric covers one side, then the top, then the second side. From here you'll create the little folds on the edges just like wrapping a box, adding glue as you need to hold down the flaps. Do this to both edges so that only the bottom of your foam cube is uncovered.
Chick Events September 13-14th Park Place
Do this with all of your foam cubes.
117th & Nall Ave., Leawoo, KS 66211
Step Four - Assemble
http://www.chickevents.com
Here I put glue on the inside of the shoe and began placing my fabric covered foam inside the shoe just like the pattern showed. First the pointed toe, then the longest piece of foam to the shortest piece of foam. You want the foam to fit snug, but not too snug that it bunches up. Let the glue dry and you're all set!
You won’t want to miss this event, combining everything handmade, vintage, refurbished, shabby-chic and ultra cool. Hand-selected juried vendors will offer unique and one of a kind products including accessories, home décor, furniture and more in a unique outdoor venue. Food and music will compliment this on-trend event.
Renaissance Festival Wine Chocolate and Romance Weekend September 27-28th 628 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, KS 66012 http://www.kcrenfest.com/winechocolat e Get your romance on at this special theme weekend! We’ll be there with Edwardian, Victorian and Renaissance-inspired vintage pieces, curated specially for this show!
Step Two - Fabric Pattern The next step is creating fabric patterns for each piece of foam. You want to measure each piece of foam and then trace a pattern on the fabric to match it. You'll measure the length of the foam and add an inch to each side, then you'll measure the height, double it and add it to the
See more details here: http://bit.ly/1lY8rub
RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK IN TIME
Issue 4
11
Retrospective A Look Back in Time
www.vintagebaublesnbits.com Kansas City, MO
For the Guys: Swank History If you’re a collector of men’s vintage jewelry and accessories then you’ve more than likely have a few (or many!) Swank pieces in your possession. Swank began creating men’s and women’s costume jewelry in 1897, when it went by the name of Attleboro Manufacturing Company, named after it’s location in Attleboro, Mass. The company was started by Samuel Stone and Maurice Baer. The company started making men’s pieces starting in 1908, but they didn’t begin focusing only on men’s pieces until shortly after World War I. During the war the company created dog tags for the U.S. military and it was this shift in manufacturing that led the company to specialize in men’s jewelry. The most notable pieces developed by Swank are cufflinks. The first line of cufflinks created by Swank were called Kum-a-Part, for their unique snap closure. Cufflinks started to become popular again in the 1920s when manufacturers started to develop pairs of cufflinks that were easy to insert and remove. Swank took advantage of these manufacturing changes and became a powerhouse in the cufflink market. During the 1960s when wearing cufflinks was at its peak in men’s fashion Swank was producing 12 million pairs a year. You can find Swank cufflinks in every shape, size and style imaginable! After the company had success with their Kum-a-Part line and experienced a huge manufacturing increase they changed their name, officially becoming Swank Products, Inc. in 1936. In 1941 they had a third company change and shorted the name to just Swank, Inc. Starting in the 1950s the brand began to acquire other companies and styles of manufacturing, expanding into leather goods and other men’s accessories. Making them a leader in men’s fashion and style. In the 1980s the brand had a change of heart and began offering women’s jewelry again, mostly under the label Anne Klein. This foray back into women’s costume jewelry was short lived and once again the company does not make women’s jewelry, making Swank’s women’s pieces a little more collectible due to the relative rarity. The company still operates their men’s line today and also creates private labels for designers such as Claiborne, Guess, Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2012 they were purchased by Randa Accessories and continue to produce affordable, fashionable men’s jewelry and accessories.