Finding patents . . . oh what fun!

It is always thrilling to find a patent number on an old piece of jewelry, mostly because it often leads you back to the original patent application and drawings. That's what happened with this necklace. It dates to the late 1920s (or very early 1930s) and has a unique chain made of large, fold-over clasps. The chain design was patented in 1928. You can read the full application, and subsequent referencing patents, right here. The necklace itself is beautiful, with convincing matrix on the turquoise glass and silver plating on all the metal. I have only seen one other example of this chain in person, on a piece that I sold in 2010. It was a bracelet set with faceted pink glass. I still think about that one!

From this shop to the internet

This is a photo of the interior of Palmer Bros Jewelry in Baker City, Oregon, the shop where the crystal drop earrings I just listed were originally sold. I wonder if one of these fellows (or maybe the woman in the back) made the sale? The original box is nearly as desirable as the earrings inside. I found these earrings almost three years ago when I first posted about them. What a special pair!

Shop photo via

Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle ▴ Jewelry picks for the Gatsby women

sautoir ▴ bracelet ▴ compact ▴ earrings

hat pin ▴ bangle ▴ ring ▴ sautoir

hair ornament ▴ necklace ▴ earrings ▴ dress clip

Tonight is the big night! I know many of you will be off to see the new The Great Gatsby - how exciting! I just re-watched the 1970s version this week, which will probably remain my favorite because of the tawny quality of the filming, the sweatiness (yes, I love that) and the actors, including my girl crush Lois Chiles as Jordan.

I took the liberty of picking out a few things for the leading ladies of that film version. What do you think?

Daisy: ultra feminine, soft, classic, expensive, safe, vain

Materials: Diamonds, pearls, platinum

Jordan: young, athletic, self-assured, unmarried, stylish, sexy

Materials: cut steel, onyx, bakelite, amethyst

Myrtle: garish, colorful, desirable, desperate, doomed

Materials: Glass, celluloid, ribbon, enamel, paint

Coming soon . . .

I've got a date tonight with a mojito, my computer and about 300 freshly-shot photos of this collection of 1920s/1930s jewelry. Of course I was thinking of Robert Redford-as-Jay Gatsby while shooting these. I think he would approve of the eerie greens among these pieces, especially the ring.

These will all be available in the shop by Friday night. See something you love? Get in touch!

Gatsby-era earrings

Actress Mary Nolan

Some 1920s earrings in my personal collection

NEW IN THE SHOP ▴ Faux pearl flapper drops ▴ Czech glass 1920s drops

Short hair and long earrings go together. We see this for the first time in the 1920s when bobbed-haired flappers wore earrings dripping with rhinestones and pearls, sometimes reaching almost to their shoulders. Just as with sautoir necklaces and the heavily beaded chiffon dresses of the era, the more the earrings could *jump* and move while worn - and especially while dancing - the better.

I've just stocked two new pairs of flapper-era earrings in the shop, both of which could be very pretty on a bride!

P.S. I almost dropped my best pair of 1920s earrings down the bathroom sink once. You can see the play-by-play of that incident right here.

Seriously beautiful

     

There's just something about antique, black glass necklaces, non? They demand to be taken seriously. These four, which are all marked for or attributed to Czechoslovakia (ahh how I love that style), are newly stocked in the shop.

P.S. Do you recognize the necklace third from the left? It is the twin to the PAMPLEMOUSSE necklace that was in the shop almost two years ago.

"Fashion decrees a festoon necklace ..."

It's day two of festoon madness! Woo hoo! Well, I found these advertisements for costume festoon necklaces in my "Everyday Fashion of the Twenties" book and I loved reading them. A couple take-aways for me? Well, to start I'm going to address all of you as Milady from here on out. I'm also planning to incorporate the word tasty into as many jewelry descriptions as possible in the shop. Finally - $2.50? Where is my DeLorean?!

Blushing

I added two gorgeous 1920s/30s necklaces to the shop this morning. You can find them here!

1930s update

There are six new 1920s-1930s pieces in the shop this morning. How cool is that squiggly bar pin? Each photo is linked. Happy Monday!

Egyptian revival

I've never offered an Egyptian Revival piece in the shop, not because I didn't want to but because I couldn't acquire any. This stuff is *super* collectible and I think you can see why. Egyptomania + Art Deco design makes for some truly beautiful jewelry.

You can check out these three pieces in the shop (images linked). Tomorrow, I'll share some photos of a few of my favorite Egyptian Revival jewelry from around the web. Prepare to get your undies in a bunch, as my mom would say.

P.S. Check out this gorgeous Egyptian Revival soap ad.

Coolest. Locket. Ever.

 

Um, holy shit?! This Masonic Ball locket is maybe one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Folding parts! Secret symbols! A skull and crossbones! And when it is all closed up it looks like something you would want to wear everyday. Gahhhh.

via The Antique Jewellery Company

Tempted by the twin

I found the pink twin (well, almost) to my blue, 1920s Czech glass drop necklace the other day whilst wasting precious time on eBay. I am so tempted to add it to my personal collection. You can see the full listing here.

Locket Lundi

       

Here is a pretty 1920s monogrammed locket for today's update. It is from the Cheever, Tweedy & Company, (mark "C.T.") which is an American jewelry mark I hadn't seen until this piece. The monogram is R.E.K. done in a beautiful hand! You can find it here.

Hyacinth necklace

I bought this necklace for myself on ebay a while back. I love 1920s lariat necklaces and I had never seen one with glass ornaments like this one. Usually they terminate with briolette or trumpet-shaped crystals, like this one or this one.  I knew it reminded me of something but I couldn't put my finger on just what. Then I was out walking earlier this spring and I saw purple grape hyacinths in our neighborhood and I realized - That's it! That's what they remind me of. Don't you agree?

Togetherness

I just stocked these two beauties in the shop. Czech Peking and Dragon's Egg glass is always the brightest green, which is perfect for spring. And those little enameled accents, which are a signature 1920s-1930s Czech jewelry design, are my absolute favorite. Indeed, brass/glass/enamel is a jewelry combination that I dearly, dearly love. Here are a few more examples of that great trio from the Jean Jean Vintage archives!

Whipped Honey bracelet ✦ Cara Cara necklace ✦ Liatris necklace ✦ Bittersweet brooch

Three of a kind

Of all the jewelry that tempts me, I find glass pins to be absolutely irresistible. Especially little ones that look like candy. You'll have to pry these three beauties out of my cold, dead hands. And the glass is rose cut to boot! Do you think there might be an orange or green one out there in the world somewhere? I hope so. Just one more reason to love the 1920s . . .

Guest Post || Teresa of Bess Georgette

Welcome to Teresa of Bess Georgette for today's guest post! Teresa is a self-described "tea drinking, skirt wearing, graphic designer with a huge passion for vintage clothing." You can see her sweet mug and read all about her in this great interview. You can also follow her adventures on her vintage blog (she just moved to Hong Kong!) and shop her sweet, mid-century styles here. Thank you, Teresa! ♡ Duff

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I love losing myself in the various online archives of fashions past and the incredible Jalou Gallery has the entire L’Officiel de la Mode available for our viewing pleasure. It is a fabulous adventure in the world of fashion magazines and is a treasure of fashion printed and published. Dating from the 1920s, each issue can be viewed in its original layout (complete with images). You can even print them if you wish!

With such a fantastic resource at your fingertips one can be forgiven for not knowing where to start but I thought where better than the 1920s? Duff always has the most spectacular pieces of jewellery from this wonderful era and it seems only fitting to begin our journey there.

In issue 40 in 1924 we are shown a collection of beautiful dresses by Brandt. Swooning from the coppery velvet of the 'Frivole' to the navy blue charmelaine of the 'Frimousse' and the classical elegance of the 'Zig-Zag'.

Moving on to issue 46 in 1925 and I am completely in love with the beautiful illustration of a Molyneux hat and bag ensemble. Oh, and how gorgeous is the illustration of the lady sitting on the bench underneath?!

Yet another stunning illustration, this time of Miss Mabel Boll, 'The Queen of Diamonds', is found in issue 69, 1927. So whimsical! Did you know that Miss Boll was quite the American socialite and who was known for her great atlantic flying aspirations?

This really is a fantastic inspirational source for vintage fashionistas and designers alike, and it's one I plan on visiting extensively. Now that you've had a little peek I'm sure you will be hooked too!