Jadeite at auction

These are just a few of the hundreds of extraordinary pieces showing later this month at Sotheby's "Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite" auction in Hong Kong (all images linked to full listings). Did you know that in addition to the most recognizable apple green, jadeite can be found in a variety of other colors? Lavender, black, yellow, red and even white are highly desirable and rare color variations for the mineral. I had no idea! Jadeite is one of two types of the gemstone jade (the other is called nephrite) and has been found in only about a dozen places worldwide. The most desirable, translucent jadeite specimens are only found in Central America and Burma.

Images courtesy of Sotheby's

Not a prude

Until now, I haven't had much time to spend reading the style section in the NYT, following blogs, etc. This means that I am about two years behind popular culture trends. Ex. I just started watching Mad Men this summer, I placed my first ebay bid last year, etc. In the case of jewelry designer Lulu Frost, I am more than five years out of touch. I'll be honest - I have mixed feelings about her pieces. I guess I'm kind of old fashioned when it comes to wearing vintage jewelry. Let's wear bar pins on cardigans, dress clips on necklines, and lockets on chains, shall we? And I usually think that less is more (i.e. one rhinestone accessory is better than seven). But now I'm not so sure! In Frost's collections, turn-of-the-century steel-cut boot clips look like they were always meant to be bracelets and deco dress clips are lovely as earrings. And I suddenly have the urge to drape a mesh curtain of vintage bobbles around my neck, so in the end I guess I'm not as prudish as I thought.

You can see more of Frost's Deco-Victorian collection (my favorite) here.

"12 photographs and 19 drawings"

I ducked into a used bookstore the other day hoping to find a book or two about antique jewelry. The relevant section turned out to be small but interesting. There was a paperback about collecting men's belt buckles, an eye-watering, huge book about Lalique, several old Christie's auction catalogs and - on the top shelf - a book called Collecting Antique Jewellery. I bought that one. I like it because it has almost no photographs or illustrations and the writing is great - written in such a good-natured tone that it borders on comic. Here are a couple of my favorite passages:

On Georgian earrings: "Dangling" would appear to be the operative adjective for Georgian earrings which were invariably long and free-swinging. Indeed, some were of such extravagant length that they reached the wearer's shoulders.

On how to locate "finds:" The car-driving collector is at a great advantage. For him it is possible to search in little village shops in hidden byways, often a rich source of supply . . . It can be a fascinating summer pursuit in leisurely tour of towns and villages with the ever-present hope of unearthing treasure-trouve en route.