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Rare & Wonderful Old Natural Red Branch Coral Bracelet
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1900 item# 939080
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$130
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This stunning bracelet we recently lucked upon is a great match for our extra-long, antique branch coral necklace. (To see it, just enter branch coral in the search box.) If interested in both pieces, please e-mail and we'll work out special pricing.
As you know if you collect coral jewelry, almost all newer examples are dyed (and look it), because sources of truly good coral are just about played out. To get the real thing, you have to go back into antique, or at least very seriously vintage. Here we have honest-to-Pete Mediterranean stuff, as is also true of our necklace. The bracelet hails from a California estate, but would have originated in Italy, where red coral was harvested in profusion in the 19th century and earlier.
Based on the clasp, a sterling swivel hook, the bracelet was restrung around 1950. Changing to a Victorian gilded "beehive" screw clasp or small fish-hook would be well worth doing. Otherwise, this bracelet is simply superb, with all spezzati (coral branches) intact and showing natural variations of hue. Length is about 7.75 inches now, too large for many women, but a significant amount of length is in the oversized clasp.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Ethereal Edwardian Ice Blue Glass Bead Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1920 item# 939026
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$115
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Frosty whites and pastels captured the height of Edwardian refinement a hundred years ago. Not coincidentally, the Arts and Crafts movement had flourished for several decades by then, promoting excellence of design and workmanship, along with an artistic approach to selecting materials. This led to a passion for art glass that persisted from Late Victorian and Edwardian times through the transitional World War I period and the Art Deco 1920s.
Edwardians also adored daintiness and the shimmering beads here are as tiny as heishi, so they're light and comfortable to wear, despite the great number of strands and decorative orbs paved with them.
Condition of this necklace is simply superb. Without magnification, you can't notice any surface wear, even on the brilliantly gilded little tulip-shaped connectors. The clasp is of a slightly darker metal and may well be a replacement for an earlier fish-hook or barrel type; this could easily be changed, but you don't even need to use it. At about 30 inches long, the beads slip on and off over the head. The necklace reached us from a Pennsylvania estate and most likely originated in Bohemia, an area known for producing excellent glass for centuries. (Part of the old Austro-Hungarian empire, it became Czechoslovakia after WWWI).
This ultra-subtle blue looks beautiful with a wide range of colors, but I especially like it with the gray fashions so stylish today.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Beaded Necklace Beaded in Suffragette Colors
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1920 item# 935247
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$110
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When you see green, white and violet together on historic jewelry, this unusual color combination usually signifies that the piece was originally owned by a member of the Suffragette movement. To them, the first letters of these colors stood for Give Women (the) Vote.
Here that message resounds in a beautiful rope-like necklace, lovingly woven of white, violet and green beads -- hundreds or perhaps thousands of them. At 28 inches long, it doesn't need a clasp.
The necklaces drape beautifully and, despite its thickness, is very light and comfortable to wear. The beads look like celluloid, but may be some other early plastic.
Woven necklaces of this type were popular from Late Victorian through Edwardian times and into the early years of the Art Deco era. Ours comes from an Ohio estate in amazing condition. It can't have been worn much, probably because it was made very shortly before the vote was granted and then tucked away as a memento. I expect it was created between 1910 and 1920.
Suffragette jewelry has been rocketing in price since the 2004 TV movie "Iron Jawed Angels" revealed what those gals went through (arrests, hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they have serious investment value, too.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Art Deco Aquamarine Crystal Tassel Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 722715
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$210
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Both for heavenly color and liveliness in motion, this is among the most beautiful Art Deco necklaces I've ever seen -- the sort of dazzler that people just can't take their eyes off! The crystal is very fine and superbly cut to sparkle madly, seeming to glow from within. In the mix are four different sizes, from teensy crystal heishi on the tassel to whopping faceted teardrops nearly 1 3/4 inches long.
As you know, the Edwardians also loved jewels with drops to swing and sway, whereas later Deco necklaces became extra-long ropes much simpler in design, so we date this to early in the Deco period. Despite great age, its condition is superb, showing only miniscule fleabites under extreme magnification. The necklace has been beautifully cared for through generations, as it richly deserves and, for ongoing safety, I had the beads restrung by my favorite jeweler. Total length is 34 inches, including the 3 1/4-inch beaded tassel. Provenance is a Wisconsin estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. Priority shipping and glamorous gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique 80-Inch Rope Necklace of Sugar Crystal Beads
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 702976
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$85
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& Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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Almost seven feet long, this amazing antique beaded necklace is intricately woven into a thick rope to sway at knee level or trail slinkily down your back. Of course you can also knot it, wrap it around your neck several times or even wear it as a belt.
Extra-long necklaces like this were favorites from Edwardian into Art Deco times, when clothing became much lighter and less restrictive and people liked their jewels to move freely, too. Based on its subtle coloration, this is an early one. The Edwardians favored muted pastels, even at night, celebrating the fact that flickering candles and gas lamps had been replaced by electric light and colors no longer had to be assertive to be seen. Here clear beads add extra dazzle to silvery pink beads of a shade that will be breathtaking with the gray fashions so stylish now.
The necklace reached us from a Midwestern estate, but it almost surely came from Europe. Teensy "sugar crystal" glass beads of this type are most closely associated with France, but could also be Bohemian. The necklace's condition is frankly miraculous, with original stringing that still looks perfectly strong.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Art Deco Beads 21 Inch Necklace of Heavy Cut Crystal
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 556874
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$99
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Sparkling glass jewelry was so popular in the Art Deco era that fashion editors worldwide declared 1927 "The Year of Crystal." This gorgeous necklace certainly dates from the 1920s, so is already antique by American 75-year standards. The crystal beads are much heavier and more finely faceted than is customary today, and age-appropriate patina is evident on the elegant gilded filigree clasp. The clasp is original to the beads, which reached us from a West Coast estate.
The largest central bead is a whopper -- 5/8 of an inch round -- and this necklace is an ususually long one. Most of its type measure just 16 or 17 inches long. Condition is so lovely that high magnification is required to notice any surface wear to the glass. To make sure these beads can be worn safely for another 75 years or so, we had our jeweler restring them in the most luxurious manner (using pale silver-grey silk and knotting each bead individually to protect them from abrasion). Depending on rates where you live, that saves you about $40 to $60, since you won't need to have them restrung, yourself.
Obviously this is a necklace you can wear beautifully with every color and with anything from jeans to a cocktail dress. Nothing is more versatile than clear crystal.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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1950s Vintage Necklace of Faux Jade & Gold, Like New
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1960 item# 553766
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
At auction to benefit Netroots Nation.
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Jewelry in mint condition after more than 50 years doesn't come along every day, but this vintage necklace has never been worn. It's from old store stock in a long-retired Utah jeweler's estate.
These sensational vintage beads are a double strand. The inner strand measures 16 inches, within an outer strand about 20 inches long, for an overall look that's incredibly opulent.
Obviously, the necklace would cost many hundreds of dollars if genuine, since the beads look like the finest emerald jade (not a bit sage- or olive-colored). It's possible the beads are of real jade dyed to that color -- even my jeweler couldn't tell for sure -- but more likely they're thermoplastic. Judging by weight, the 9 large ornamental golden plaques are gilded plastic; they're great pretenders, though. The pretty filigree clasp is gilt metal.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Victorian Angelskin Branch Coral Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Jewels:
Pre 1900 item# 527737
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$95 (Reduced from $125)
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Angel skin coral, varying from white to the softest shades of creamy pink, is so rare today that a kilo sells for $170,000. That makes this strand of pale branch coral as impressive as it is versatile. These shades will go with anything and flatter any complexion.
Necklaces such as this were popular christening gifts in Victorian times, when every baby wore coral. It was believed to foster good health. As little girls grew, more coral was added and their necklaces grew along with them. Ours measures about 16 inches long, so it was worn in adulthood, too. I imagine the final additions were the longest of these irregularly shaped "branches" ranging in size to 1 1/2".
Provenance of this treasusre is a Midwestern estate and probable dating would be late 19th century. Condition is lovely; even under a loupe, I can't tell whether a couple of branches have chips at the ends so, even if they do, nobody will notice. The barrel clasp, an early 20th century addition, is well-made and quite heavy for its size.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking.
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Fabulous 1920s French Jet Flapper Beads with Tassel
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 510528
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$175
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Want some classy flapper beads in the most versatile color of all? Here they are for you in black, measuring about 35 inches long plus a tassel that adds 4 1/4 inches. French jet, as you know, is a type of opaque black glass that can be faceted to shine like crazy. Most likely this elegant strand was made in Czechslovakia and certainly it dates to the 1920s. Beads range in size from teensy to whopping, the largest being 1 1/2 inches long. Under high magnification, you can find age-appropriate surface wear, but nothing serious. Provenance is a Midwestern estate.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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2 Vintage Shell Bead Necklaces in Candy Pastels
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1970 item# 509089
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$14 SALE (Reduced from $20)
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Cute worn as bracelets, too, these luscious necklaces -- each about 17 inches long -- probably date from the 1960s. Irregularly shaped beads of natural materials were very popular in the hippie boho era. Dyes were no doubt used on the shells that show the richest pink and aqua colors. They'll be lovely with the pastel "baby doll" fashions so stylish now. Provenance of these pretties is a Gulf Coast estate.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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