Michelle Obama Collects Vintage Costume Jewellery rooches

Michelle Obama is known to love vintage costume jewellery.  In particular, she seems to favour big brooches and very big necklaces.  This can only be good news!

She has her own unique way of wearing them, sometimes in groups of up to three at a time. As times are hard for many vintage costume jewellery sellers, the personal choice of the American First Lady is sure to give sales a much needed boost.

For months I have been seeing pictures of Michelle Obama with outrageously large brooches and sometimes two or three huge ones all worn together.  Whilst it is not the traditional way of wearing them, she seems to have made them into her own style and personal fashion statement.

 It can be said that this first lady is no follower of fashion.  Instead, she is creating her own style using vintage jewels of the past and putting a modern spin on them.

Many of her brooches could be called ‘statement’ pieces.  I have never seen an image of her wearing a small brooch.  The vivid green one you see in the images is in extraordinarily good condition considering it is made of papier-mâché some time in the 1960’s.

The First Lady seems to really like the big floral brooches, the bigger and the brighter the better.  When considering that she really does have the pick of jewellery to wear, it is quite something to realize that she loves vintage brooches and wears them in

the way she sees fit.   She is certainly an individualist and that is rare, especially amongst politicians wives.

 Michelle Obama does seem to have the uncanny knack of making a vintage brooch into a brooch of a very new style – and one all of her own.

Another rare way of wearing vintage brooches is to clip them on to the neckline of a simple dress to give it an instantly individual style. 

  

Michelle Obama is her own person and has a style completely her own, despite being married to the man who is arguably the most powerful man on earth.

Made To Foil Theft - Eisenberg Vintage Jewellery

Originally a women’s clothing manufacturer who started in 1914, Eisenberg started to make costume jewellery to decorate the clothes on show in their windows.

Then something strange happened.  The jewellery was stolen!  Time after time the jewels would disappear.

These jewels were obviously what the customers wanted, so Eisenberg tooled up to make their very own line of costume jewellery.

They became very well known for their use of Swarovski crystals as well as their superior craftsmanship with fantastic attention to detail.

At their peak in the 1930-1940 period, the company created replicas of famous jewellery of the 1700’s.  This line of costume jewellery was so good that it was authentic in every degree, including the special type of metal which looked like pot metal or pewter.

Some Eisenberg is marked but from 1952 – 1970 there was no mark at all.  Marks that were used include the stamp “Eisenberg Original” (about 1935-1945), “Eisenberg” and “Eisenberg Ice” were used from around 1945 to 1950.

Just to confuse the issue, pieces made of silver were made from 1943–1948 and were marked “Eisenberg Sterling”.

When hunting out Eisenberg jewellery, look for medallion type brooches and clips, some were made in the form of ballerinas or mermaids.

Animals were also popular in the form of birds, butterflies, horses and zebras.  But some brooches almost told a short story in itself, like the brooch of Puss from Puss in Boots.  Eisenberg created these for the Eaves Costume Company.

The collectors favourites of all the Eisenberg items are probably the sterling silver pieces which are studded with a type of quartz called citrine.  During the middle of the 1940’s Eisenberg also made some 14 ct gold as well as turquoise pieces made by artisans in Mexico.

There are also collectors of Eisenberg enamel items from the 1970’s and one to look out for amid the enamelled brooches of yellow sunflowers and water lilies is the 18kt gold brooches and earrings in the Artists Series.  Of course, these are now highly sought after by collectors worldwide.

How To Spot Fake Czechoslovakian Bohemian Vintage Jewellery

About twenty years ago, it was obvious what was genuinely vintage Czechoslovakian (more correctly called Bohemian), for it is almost instantly recognizable at a glance, or rather used to be.

In case anyone still thinks that genuine Bohemian crystal necklaces come in only topaz or dark topaz, I am including some of my rarer pieces to make my point.  

It used to be that antique dealers of 'smalls' (ie small items including jewellery) used to derisively refer to Bohemian crystal as 'brass and glass'.  They soon changed their tune when these pieces started fetching more than three figures in auctions.

Now the waters are rather ‘muddied’ with a whole bunch of 'crafters', buying vintage Czech findings (the metal parts) and the stones, and making up what most of them are calling ‘genuine vintage Czech’ jewellery.

What Is The Difference Between Toledoware and Damascene?

There seems much confusion about what is damascene and what is toledoware.  It turns out that with regard to jewellery making at least,  they are one and the same thing.

It is my understanding that damascene is the art of inlaying minute pieces of precious metal (karat gold, silver and platinum) into treated base metal, usually steel or iron.  

It seems that the Spanish City of Toledo was the first area of major production in Europe (in the fifteenth century) hence the European name of ‘Toledoware’.

This particular type of inlay also referred to as Damascene is so named after Damascus the capital city of Syria.  Damascus was known worldwide as a center of metalworking excellence in the Middle Ages but beautiful damascene items have been produced for centuries by the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians too.

Earlier pieces of damascene tend to be more intricate and with many more and smaller inlays.  Later, as the tourist market developed in Toledo, pieces became easier to mass produce with fewer and fewer intricate designs.

Here is a simplified guide as to how damascene or toledoware is produced:
 
1. First, the surface of the metal is scored often with slashes to show the surface pattern which will eventually be inlaid.  This leaves the pattern visible for inlay and indents for reception of the metal inlay.

2. Patterns are drawn on the scored surface in gold and silver lines.

3. The item is then punched or struck with a powerful hammer (or maceta) to fully inlay the precious metal.

4. The black background is created by oxidation of the unmasked surfaces of the steel or iron in a hot ‘bluing’ solution.

5. A light and delicate finishing process by hand, ensures that the piece is ready for mounting.

6. Lastly, the plate which has had the inlay treatment is set into its backing plate, thus forming the finished piece of jewellery.

It seems likely that much of the ‘Damascene’ or ‘Toledoware’ which is seen for sale on the internet could more correctly be described as having been made in the damascene or toledoware technique  -  but from what I have seen, even this is doubtful.

These confusing imposters often have the traditional black and gold look, but the gold is often painted on and more than likely the pieces inlaid are not gold or silver at all. 

It has been said that much modern Damascene available today originates in the Far East and a huge amount of it is die cut, thus doing away totally with the ancient art of inlaying fine metals into base and satisfying the markets for this type of jewellery.















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Vintage Costume Jewellery Owes Bohemia A Giant Debt

Without the contributions of the craftsmen of bohemia, the world of Vintage costume jewellery would be very different.  For five hundred years (probably longer) the greatest manufacturers of costume jewellery have been ignored, tucked away in the heartland of Europe.  Their work has not been credited and is conveniently dismissed by some.

I am talking about the artisans of Bohemia, that country of many names, who provided the world with designs and materials far ahead of their times and yet who today remain largely ignored and forgotten.

It is my experience that North Americans who are inordinately proud of their vintage costume jewellery heritage, pay little respect or waste little admiration upon the unseen heroes of Gablonz and the surrounding regions. Do any Americans know for example that Daniel Swarovski came from Gablonz?

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let us say that they do not know that findings, components and parts for costume jewellery, were shipped by the ton to highly respected makers of vintage costume jewellery throughout the world – including in large part the United States of America.

 Because the components (and the jewellery itself) was rarely marked, these providers of parts to the likes of the much revered Miriam Haskell (for example) remain ignored, hidden and little appreciated. 

 One would assume that North America, being such a very young country itself, would revel in the fact that the people providing the elements for their esteemed costume jewel makers were mostly from Bohemian glass dynasties who were around for centuries – hundreds of years (unlike America itself).

It is an even greater tragedy that the ‘authorities’ of Germany lead by the leader of what was called the “National Socialist Party” during World War II, deemed it necessary to expel these artisans from their homeland and disperse their expertise. 

Hitler himself derided the ‘trinkets’ produced by craftsmen of this area, which in itself showed him to be entirely ignorant of ecomonic facts since ‘bijouterie’ production made a huge income for the region.

The more I read about how the ‘National Socialist’ party of the Third Reich effected the production of costume jewellery, the more disgusted I am.   The company of Jakob Bengal was forced to carry on its trade ‘under the radar’ of the Third Reich for fear of retribution.  

The extermination camps of Nazi Germany were responsible for wiping out the Neiger family, Gablonzer craftsmen of the highest order and great contributors to costume jewellery.

Lovers of vintage costume jewellery should forever mourn the loss of these exceptional craftsmen and women, the like of whom the world will never see again.   

At the very least, they should accept and appreciate the huge contribution that the Gablonzers and artisans from Bohemia gave to designers of vintage costume jewellers worldwide. 

English Arts & Crafts Movement - Origins

The English style movement termed ‘The Arts & Crafts Movement’ is seen to have been developed as a backlash against the rise of heavy industry and mass market production of the late Victorian period.

This type of mass marketing where each item was exactly the same as the other, devalued the production of individual artisans who took great care in their work and produced one off items of artistic merit created by craftspeople rather than by massive industrialised factories.

 Members of this design movement were also trying to lift the standards of design evident in the last half of the nineteenth century – from around 1850 onwards.

As early as 1836 the government of the day had issued an official report concerned with the decline of British design and how it had been badly effected by industry. The complaint seemed to be that late Victorian design was over producing items which were over-worked and too ornate.  This was the general consensus of opinion by the time the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 was held.

With regards to jewellery making – mass production had found its place in jewellery of the 1800’s  which was made with the help of machines such as lathes, but still the better jewellery was often hand finished.

Whilst the English Arts & Crafts movement focused on hand made items, it was equally important for them to find a new English style of design.

Most people have heard of William Morris and this man was considered by many to be the spearhead and catalyst for the creation of the English Arts & Crafts movement.  Morris fell under the influence of teaching by John Ruskin as well as the well known Gothic architect, A W Pugin.  Ruskin supported Pugin who professed that craftsmen  should be masters of their own business and their own fate, rather than simply a cog in a giant industrialised machine.  

John Ruskin also suggested that a return to the Middle Age system of Guilds would highly benefit English design and craftsmen alike.

William Morris held a fondness and fascination for medieval times from a very young age.  It is hardly surprising then that he would be the catalyst for a new design movement which would use concepts from the past to create new designs.

 

Vintage Bohemian Satin Glass Costume Jewellery

Here is another term which seems often misunderstood and seems to means different things in different places and to different people.

First it may be easier to tell you what it is not.  In North America, ‘Satin Glass’ seems to mean glass which has had a treatment to remove the shine from the surface of the glass so it is translucent rather than transparent.  If applied in only a small part of a pane of glass, then apparently it would then be called ‘etched glass’.  This would be the type of window glass used in restrooms or bathrooms to provide privacy.

The satin glass which I am going to try to explain today is classic Bohemian glass, used in making beaded necklaces, brooches and ear rings or locally called ‘bijouterie’.  The glass appears to have a non-transparent look but that is not due to any surface treatment.  Rather, it is due to millions of tiny air bubbles being trapped within the glass itself which I have always rather thought of as ‘whipped glass’.

Whilst trawling my reference books for information, I find that one source states categorically that “It came in white, pink, green and yellow”.  Since I own several pieces of other colours (including blue), I know that this list is not all encompassing but it is a start.

 It’s probably better to get other misconception out of the way too, that is that white satin glass has ground mother of pearl or mercury added to it.  It is true that the white version of Bohemian satin glass does look a little like mother of pearl.  It is also sometimes called ‘Moonstone’ coming from the German for that word, being ‘mondscheinglas’.  But it most certainly does not have mercury added nor ground mother of pearl.

 Another source says that “Generally the glassworker uses special satin glass canes which include an opaque half and a transparent half”.  Somewhere else someone states that the canes (one opaque and one transparent) were twisted together to produce unique combinations of swirly opaque coloured glass.  This does sound probable for press moulded items, such as pendants of pressed glass which may have a design stamped into the glass.

 But this explanation does not seem to hold true for individual beads.  Unless the lampworker takes a gather (or blob) of molten glass from the molten end of one of these twisted canes and then proceeds to wind individual beads from that cane.

By using the word ‘generally’ the person quoted above seems to be saying that this is not the method in every case.  Which would lend credence to the individually wound beads which are so obvious in the images I show here.

This same author credits the artisans of Gablonz with the creation of this specific type of glass, which they called ‘seidenglass’ (Satin Glass) in the 1800’s.  My feeling is that this glass was developed by the Gablonzers long before this time, but as yet, I cannot substantiate it.  Given the bijouterie makers in that region went back to the 15^th century, it seems unlikely to me that they had not discovered or even stumbled upon this form of glass.

According to the same source, it was in the late 1800’s when satin glass was financially the most successful for the economy of Gablonz.  Perhaps illuminating the earlier generalisation, the author goes on to state that almost all of the large composition makers went on to develop their own type of satin glass.  The varieties were apparently so different that patents were taken out as protection.

Some of the businesses who held patents for satin glass include the Brosche company (1910), as well as the Konrad Dressler and Eduart Redlhammer companies who each successfully produced their own version of satin glass.

One thing is for certain.  Bohemian satin glass beads, brooches and vintage costume jewellery are very misunderstood by many people.  Fortunately that does not detract from the sheer beauty and tactile look of this exquisite form of vintage jewellery.