We recently got in some new gorgeous vintage jewelry in the Wendy Mink shop- some of which sold within hours of having it in the window! Vintage jewelry has always been a passion of Wendy's, and you can see the influence it has on many of our jewelry designs. We love finding out where pieces came from, the design and construction behind each item, and how old it is. Here are some highlights on the latest arrivals to our boutique...
This necklace has a beautiful original chain, and has a pendant with an engraved buckle on it. Buckle jewelry is common in the Victorian era, but the engravings on this pendant are so unique!
This necklace has a beautiful original chain, and has a pendant with an engraved buckle on it. Buckle jewelry is common in the Victorian era, but the engravings on this pendant are so unique!
This beautiful whitby jet carved leaf necklace is so stunning! Whitby comes from Whitby, North Yorkshire, and is a semi-precious stone which appears matte opaque black. Jet comprises an unusually pure and hard form of fossilised wood. It is where we get the phrase "jet black" from!
Black jewelry was typically used as mourning jewelry in the Victorian era, as shown in this photograph.
These sterling silver and copper shield earrings are from Great Britain, they have the traditional British hallmark stamped on the back, the letter "B" symbolizing the year it was made, a lion symbolizing sterling silver, and an anchor symbolizing Birmingham.
This mosaic Italian heart necklace shows such incredible craftsmanship and detail...
There are two kinds of inlay techniques which have been practiced in Italy for centuries, created in two different cities with two different techniques:
Pietra dura, in Italian, means "hard stones", so the inlays originally created in Florence were conceived with thin slices of semi-precious stones- closely fit together so that the edges are flush and indiscernible.
Intarsia is mosaic work inlaid with glass tesserae, minuscule glass cubes, which imitate Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna and Venice, Italy. Roman artists were known in the 19th century for working with the glass smalti from Murano, producing jewelry which targeted the tourist trade.
Pietra dura, in Italian, means "hard stones", so the inlays originally created in Florence were conceived with thin slices of semi-precious stones- closely fit together so that the edges are flush and indiscernible.
Intarsia is mosaic work inlaid with glass tesserae, minuscule glass cubes, which imitate Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna and Venice, Italy. Roman artists were known in the 19th century for working with the glass smalti from Murano, producing jewelry which targeted the tourist trade.
This beauty is a Victorian necklace that features a long slide chain so you can wear it at multiple lengths. It also has a gorgeous black onyx pendant on one side, that flips to an amber stone on the other side.
This is a picture of a woman wearing long chains, which were popular. Some internet research taught us "Well-dressed ladies wore 'long chains', sometimes looped and caught on the bodice with a brooch, sometimes worn full length, and often holding a lorgnette or watch. Some had slides, which have become collectible in their own right. Today's collectors create bracelets from them, as well as from fobs, button covers and cuff link tops."
For questions on any of the above items, please call 212-260-5298 or email store@wendyminkjewelry.com
All vintage information is from this antique site.
Gorgeous and unique pieces. Are the British earrings heavy? They look it! And I think I'd look happier if I had such pretty chains to wear...but then again, the clothes and hair??
ReplyDeleteWhitby jet pendant-We are a small company that produces handcrafted jet jewellery from our workshop in Whitby, North Yorkshire. We only use the best quality Whitby jet which we either collect ourselves or source from one of a handful of trusted local collectors. This means we know the origin of every piece of jet before it is cut and polished.
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