There's fuzzies in there!

This is the most unusual necklace I've ever stocked in the shop - never seen before, probably never to be seen again - but it was too interesting to pass up. It is a 1930s celluloid and glass ball necklace. Normally, the balls are empty but in this case they are stuffed with fuzzy green bits! Whoah! This is a conversation piece if I've ever seen one. Here's how the dialog might go:

Person: "Wow! I really love your necklace!"
You: "Thank you!"
Person: "Hey, wait - what's inside there?"
You: "Bright green fuzzies from the 1930s!"
Person: "Wow! You are the coolest and most stylish person I have ever met."

Also, here is the yellow twin of this necklace just in case you want a pair of them!

An afternoon visit

   

Last Saturday Soren and I spent the afternoon with some family friends who live in the area. Their names are Wim and Gianna and they have the best love story I've ever heard. They met on a boat crossing the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Rotterdam in 1954 - Vim returning to the Netherlands from from Air Force training in Canada and Gianna returning to Italy to visit her grandmother. And that's not even the most romantic part! Maybe someday I can tell you their whole story here . . . anyway, they are a wonderful couple and we enjoyed a day of leisurely lunching (cheese, homemade rolls, tomato salad, fresh greens from their garden), visiting and looking at family photographs.

Pants and top || H&M hand-me-downs
Shoes || Lewré
Ring || 1940s glass and sterling ring
Earrings || 1930s Art Deco rhinestone drop earrings (saved from the drain)
Pin || 1910s rhinestone jabot pin

Sun-kissed

1920s faceted glass, enamel and brass necklace

1940s hand cut glass bead necklace || 1920s rhodium plated filigree pin with carnelian and glass

1930s carnelian, sterling and marcasite cocktail ring

1913 Orange Convention badge || 1940s Czech glass bracelet

I've been saving up orange-colored jewelry for a while waiting to do this update! It is inspired by the 1913 Orange/Citrus Grower's Convention badge that is included here, which is really something. All of these pieces will be in the shop this morning.

Going home!

After a day of travel, I've reached the great state of Iowa - my home state! I'll be spending the next few days with my family eating giant BBQ sandwiches, going for long walks around the neighborhood and doing some buying for Jean Jean Vintage. It promises to be a great trip. All Jean Jean orders will ship first thing Thursday, May 19th when I get back - thanks for your patience! I'll see you back here on Monday for a big (bright) shop update.

Until then, please enjoy this video by my favorite yé-yé girl, Françoise Hardy. The song is about going back home after many years, expecting to find the people and places of your childhood only to find that life has changed and moved on without you! I love the melody and I find myself singing it at least a couple of times a week. And man is she a fox!

If you have fava beans

When I lived in Morocco, one of my favorite things to eat was ful - fava beans cooked with tomatoes, a trio of spices and fresh herbs. I don't make it very much now because fava beans are sort of hard to come by in Michigan. But here in California they are in abundance! So when I spotted them at the Farmer's Market last week, I bought a bunch and dug out my sister Jouhara's recipe for Moroccan ful. It is easy, flavorful and good for you. Bssah'ha!

Jouhara's Ful
A big bowl of shelled fava beans (anywhere from 1-2# will work)
4-5 medium tomatoes, diced
6-8 carrots, diced (my addition, because I love carrots)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp + ground cumin
1 tsp + ground ginger
1 tsp + salt
1 big spoonful tomato paste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp + chopped fresh parsley and cilantro
pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients except the herbs and pepper in a big pot. If you have a pressure cooker, you may use that. I use a big Le Creuset pot and it works great. Add a bunch of water, at least to cover the ingredients and then a little more. The more water you add, the more sauce you get! Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a low boil for about 1 hour, or until the fava beans are cooked. If you are using a pressure cooker, it should only take about 30 minutes. Add the herbs and season with pepper. Serve in bowls with big pieces of bread for soaking up the sauce, or with homemade croutons.

To market to market

   

 CHERRIES and PINEAPPLE, Trifari 1941

CORNCOB and CHERRIES, Boucher 1941

 

 CURRANTS and PEPPERS, Boucher 1941

 RASPBERRIES and TOMATO, Réja 1941

 STRAWBERRIES and RADISHES, Boucher 1941

I've never actually seen a vintage 1940s fruit or vegetable brooch in person, but when I do you can bet I'll make a big commotion. Especially if I ever find those radishes! It seems that different jewelry companies favored different themes in their novelty brooches during this period - Trifari did a lot of flowers, Coro did a lot of birds, Boucher did a lot of fruit, etc. The insect-themed brooches from this period are especially interesting!

Images taken from American Costume Jewelry Art & Industry, 1935-1950

This really happened to me on Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moral of this story? Never fix your hair in the bathroom over an open drain when you are wearing the most beautiful pair of antique earrings that you own. If you do drop one in the drain, pray that it gets stuck halfway and pray that your husband has a headlamp. Then find your tweezers and try to rescue that sweet earring from the terrible, terrible drain. If you succeed, celebrate by putting the earring on again and screwing it on extra tight. Then wear the earrings all day and enjoy the feeling of having narrowly avoided a small disaster. The end.

Somber is beautiful

1930s vintage molded glass Art Deco necklace

1900s Victorian pocket watch style locket with sepia photographs

1900s antique cut steel button earrings with ca. 1930s backings

1940s vintage glass drop earrings || 1930s vintage costume cocktail ring

1890s Victorian mourning locket with black enamel details

Today's Jean Jean shop update is inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry, which is to me the crème de la crème of antique jewelry. I love it. The simple equation is this: black + gold + old  = the most beautiful jewelry ever.  Add a dose of fin de siècle malaise, a photograph and lock of hair to that equation and my heart crumples. I hope you find these pieces as alluring as I do!

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

These photographs were taken in New York City in 1969, when a massive (nearly 70 carat) diamond was displayed at a Cartier store. The diamond had just been purchased at auction by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor. Although the Taylor-Burton diamond (as it was renamed) eventually changed hands, Taylor's private collection remains a source of public conversation to this day.  Christie's just announced that it will be responsible for the auction of her jewelry, valued at $150 million, later this year.

Photos courtesy of the Life Image Archives