VINTAGE - Cameos

1880 - 1890 Amethyst Cameo with 14K Bezel by Carl Faberge - Asking price $5,900

Museum quality high relief coral cameo from Cobblestone Gallery. Asking price $2,895

BEFORE BUYING CAMEO JEWELRY AS AN INVESTMENT

1. Be sure to know the difference between plastic and stone or shell.

2. A stress line is ok but a crack in the shell can hurt the retail price of your investment.

3. An art cameo of full bodied people or several people well carved is known as an art cameo and will usually appreciate much faster and higher than a regular one profile person. Not always but usually.

4. The finest cameo jewelry is hardstone, a term that refers to a wide range of semi-precious and stone materials. Agate is the most popular.

5. Cameos carved from colored stones such as opal, lapis, emerald, amethyst and ruby will satisfy those with a taste for the exotic. However, these are even rarer and can be much more expensive.

6. Whether you're looking for earrings, broaches or rings, always look for an original setting.

VINTAGE - Parure

This Victorian Garnet Parure in Original Box sold at Aspire Auctions for $2,185.

The versatility of these sets allowed women to wear the smaller studs during the day for a more modest look and add the pear shaped drops for a more formal, evening look. 

An antique parure still in its case is twice as valuable as a parure without one—the cases are often as opulent and elaborate as the jewelry they contained. It’s extremely rare to find a parure from the 18th century in good condition, while 19th-century sets are slightly more common.

This rare pressed blue glass cameo parure sold at Christie's for $15,687

A parure is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in 17th century Europe. Beyond various items of matching jewelry, a parure is an entire wardrobe, or suite, of matching jewelry. Reserved for royalty and the wealthier classes, no woman was considered socially acceptable without a complete wardrobe of jewelry that defined her status, strength and political power. The parure was not static but modular and could be remade into more fashionable jewelry in order to stay au courant in the court and fashion-forward for the times. Members of court and higher social ranks vied for the best jewelers to create the most imaginative and elaborate collections that would astound one another and increase their status. Some necklaces could be worn intact or temporarily disassembled into bracelets, pendants, hair ornaments or brooches with smart interchangeable components and locking systems. From Old French, parure means adornment, from the verbparer, to adorn.

VINTAGE - Coro

Coro, a partnership between Emanuel Cohn (the "Co") and Gerald Rosenberg (the "ro"), began producing jewelry in New York in 1901 and continued through the 1970s under the marks Coro, Coro Craft (later Corocraft), and Vendome, among others. Although Vendome was the company's high-end line, some of the most sought-after pieces today are the Coro pieces, especially the Duettes, the company produced in the 1930s and 1940s. Among the most collectible vintage Coro pieces today are the Coro Duettes from 1931 to the 1950s. The Duettes utilized a frame based on one designed by Cartier in 1927. Like the Cartier frame, the Coro version had two openings in it, one for each pin. Pins could be attached to the frame to be worn as a set, or detached from the frame to be worn individually.

Shop Opulent Style for the most beautiful, ornate designer vintage jewelry.

VINTAGE - Miriam Haskell

Shop for vintage Miriam Haskell pieces at Morning Glory Jewelry, and Sassy Classics

VINTAGE - Chanel

Want to add some vintage Channel to your wardrobe? Check out Vineyard Vintage, Depuis 1924, and Very Vintage

GLOBAL - VSLA

We recently traveled with the Villages Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) team to Bobi, about 30 km outside of Gulu, to check up on one of their newly formed VSLA groups.

The members of this group have given themselves a name in Luo, the language spoken in northern Uganda, which means “It’s better than being idle,” when translated in English.  This group is anything but idle.  When we approached them they greeted us warmly with smiles and laughter, but when the VSLA meeting began, they were all business.

As members of a VSLA group, these community members meet weekly to save and loan money together.  Meeting as a group provides everyone involved with three valuable benefits:  a way to save money, a way to earn interest, and a way to access previously unavailable capital.

At the meeting we attended, the group managed to save 67,500 shillings (around $30).  Since they began saving as a group, they’ve saved over $600 – very impressive for a newly formed VSLA group!  Saving together allows members of the group to take out small loans to invest in their individual businesses, which they repay with interest.

Lucy, a member of the group, borrowed 20,000 shillings (about $8) to buy baking flour to make and sell bread.  She’s an experienced baker and is currently working on paying back the loan.  Based on her past investments, she expects a high return.

All of the group members are excited about their success – they each plan on keeping it a life-long practice.  “We will continue meeting because it is so good,” one member explained. “It’s really working.”

GLOBAL - Nomad's Way

Nomad's Way at Christie's New York in February

Bracelets (blezik) were usually worn singly or in pairs on both hands. Bracelets were solid and consisted of 2 or 3 parts attached by swing joints (topsaly blezik) or by means of folds (kakpak blezi). In most cases, the search for decorative effect in bracelets inclined towards emphasizing colour saturation, using inset stones, and texture, using grain, filigree, chasing, relief and relief stamping techniques as well as being attentive to the ornament’s harmonious spatial organization. 

Earrings were worn always, and there were many types and variations. Among these, ornamental flat earrings of various forms were particularly widespread. Very popular were lunette earrings (ai syrga), sometimes with star-shape cut from inside. Earrings composed of inset stones (kozdy tasty syrga) possess a colourful brilliance.

On ceremonial occasions, women wear temple pendants (shekelik) fastened to the headdress or hair. Temple pendants are generally composed of several parts, sometimes with pendants hanging on long chains. 

Jewelry as an art holds a special place in the history of Kazakh national culture. It clearly and incisively reflects the people’s ideals, tastes and the level of their artistic and material values. 

Kazakhstan’s state museums possess remarkable collections of Kazakh jewelry art, but the private collection of Imangali Tasmagambetov is also important for the study of the heritage of Kazakh applied arts. A part of Tasmagambetov’s collection is displayed in this exhibition, which reveals one facet of Kazakh culture’s spiritual richness.

GLOBAL - Union of Peasants

Artisans working with the Union of Peasants for Self Development (UPAP) make traditional Tuareg handicrafts. The Tuareg, nomadic herders of Saharan north and west Africa, now also work as traders or cultivate crops in fertile oases. Tuareg artisans of UPAP use income from craft production to supplement their subsistence farming and other livelihoods.

In 1993, young craftspeople in Terhazer, a village near Agadez, the largest city of northern Niger, organized to create leather handicrafts and silver jewelry. After traveling through France, selling from backpacks for several years, Illies Mouhmoud and his friends organized formally and began UPAP in 1999. UPAP now has shops in Niamey, Niger's capital, and in Agadez, and participates in local African fairs. UPAP also sells to fair trade organizations in France and North America.

Ten Thousand Villages purchases silver jewelry, leather goods and soapstone items from UPAP. Ten Thousand Villages has purchased products from UPAP since 2002.

GLOBAL - Gemfields

     

    

Gemfields is one of the world’s foremost coloured gemstone producers, and is found at the intersection of exploration, mining and marketing.

Natural gems are at the heart of the operation. Their focus – reliable and ethically-produced Zambian emeralds – uphold fair-trade practices while remaining in accordance with the highest level of environmental, social and safety standards. This mission holds true for every gemstone in their portfolio.

Gemfields strongly believes that working with the communities is crucial to improving their welfare. Thus they make efforts to engage the local community in their projects. The sense of ownership of the infrastructure constructed gives the community an additional incentive to preserve and engage in other development projects. 

GLOBAL - Invisible Children Bracelet

Humans have been shaping metal for thousands of years. Molding it into tools of construction and destruction. We are surrounded by it, from the frames of our buildings to the wires we use to communicate. But what you have here - this silver bracelet - is fashioned for something else. It has no function. It is not a tool. It is a symbol. Right now, there are young children being abducted from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war. They carry guns and machetes. Metal fashioned to destroy. This bracelet is shaped in the traditional African style, mimicking the reed bracelets worn for centuries. It is a symbol of protest: let these children lay down their guns and return to the culture they call home. By wearing the silver bracelet, you're spreading the story of Africa's longest running war. And the money you're spending is part of the rehabilitation of thousands of war-affected youth. Invisible Children has told the stories of those impacted by this war through our previous bracelet films. Each different color represented a child's story.

DESIGNER - Studio8

Love the Glass Globe Collection by Studio8.

DESIGNER - Photo Lockets

Artist collaborations can make some of the most interesting works of art. These photo lockets are joint works of wearable art between jewelry designer HeartworksByLori and photographer Irene Suchocki. Halle Berry has been spotted by People Magazine wearing hers.  This and various other photo lockets can be found here.

DESIGNER - Ampris Loves

Love the handmade rope bracelets by Ampris Loves. They are simple and chic. 

DESIGNER - Catherinette Rings

Steampunk Rings by Catherinette Rings for $30 - $50. 

DESIGNER - MaaP Studio

Beautifully designed wearable pieces of porcelain art. Get these and other designs by Maap Studio by visiting their etsy shop. 

DESIGNER - Frank Ideas

Simple, unique designs by Frank Ideas. 

DESIGNER - Two Feathers NY

Two Feathers NY creates simplistic jewelry with an organic feel. Designs incorporate Karen Hill Tribe silver, rough diamonds, tourmaline, amethyst, and various other gemstones.

DESIGNER - Miama Creazioni

Polymer clay, silver or gold leaf and wire are the main materials used by Miama Creazioni to create Roman inspired pieces of wearable art. 

DESIGNER - John Marchello

As an artist, I give myself two goals: first, to inspire people to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle and second, to reveal the hidden beauty that can be found in places that are often overlooked. I accomplish these goals by creating jewelry and art from 100% recycled materials. I hope to influence everyone who sees my work to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

I created my own tools that allow me to bend silverware without damaging the surface. The tools themselves are handmade from recycled materials as well. All of my work is made in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. 

The art of bending silverware began when my dad unrolled his napkin ring at Holiday’s restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI. Inside was a bent fork. This inspired the first fork angel. Over time, the process evolved and I was drawn to it. My dad taught me this art form and together we have developed it to what you see today.

DESIGNER - Natalie Frigo

Natalie Frigo's passion is creating unique, heirloom jewelry that celebrates the extraordinary beauty in every client.  

Sculpting all of the designs by hand in her lower Manhattan studio, Natalie personally attends to each detail using the ancient practices of metalsmithing and 'cire perdue' (also known as lost-wax casting).  The organic forms are then handcast and finished in New York City, marrying recycled sterling silver and 18K gold with personally selected, ethically sourced gemstones.