|
Don't Miss It! |
|
Sunday, May 25
4pm
Designer Jewelry of the Mid-20th Century
Liz Lamphear will cover such designers as Miriam Haskell, Boucher, Schiaparelli and others
Bring in your own vintage costume jewelry for appraisal, identification and repair
Lectures are given at the International Antiques & Home Design Center and are always free of charge
June 21 & 22
Join Us in Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
The Antique Center at Historic Savage Mill is turning twenty and we'll be celebrating all week end with a complimentary wine tasting, gourmet treats, free appraisals, mini-lectures, some entertainment and more
|
| Quick Links |
|
Miss Something? Read Past Issues
|
| In Future Issues |
June: Meet Me at the Fair...a History of Carousel Horses
July: Collecting Posters and Propaganda from the World Wars | |
|
|
|
| Greetings~
May is here! Sunny days and gentle breezes carry the promise of Summer. It's just around the corner, but we're enjoying the beautiful Spring weather while we can.
This month, we've got a great article on antique jewelry for you, written by our very own Dan James of Antique Jewelry Specialists. Jewelry makes a great Mother's Day gift so be sure to visit us before Sunday to check out his beautiful inventory.
Speaking of Mother's Day...think it's just a "Hallmark Holiday"? Think again. Mother's Day has been around for a long time in various forms and it was made official in the United States in 1914. Far from being the commercial event it is today, it was originally intended to be a day dedicated to peace in honor of the maternal spirit. We've put together a little history of the day for you along with a traditional recipe from the same year for Strawberry Shortcake. Enjoy it with your family this weekend!
Our lecture this month will take you back to a more glamorous era as Liz Lamphear shares her extensive knowledge of Designer Jewelry of the Mid-20th Century...fun! And don't forget about our 20th Anniversary celebration next month...we're busy getting ready for quite a festive weekend.
Happy Mother's Day and Peace...Enjoy! |
|
Dan James
Antique Jewelry Specialists |
|
Dan James opened his first jewelry location in College Park in 1980. In 1986, he moved to his current shop in the historic district of Hyattsville, where he purchases antique jewelry, often for his own collection. He is a GIA graduate gemologist, earning his first certified gemology degree in 1988 and a second graduate gemology degree from GIA in 1995.
Dan's booth has been a favorite spot at the Antique Center since our beginning in 1988. He continues to display a large selection of authentic antique and vintage jewelry and our customers have come to rely on him for an inventory of high quality pieces. His knowledge of gems and precious metals combined with his passion for period jewelry and an eye for beauty and design ensure that you will always find something to love among his collection. And the Washingtonian magazine agrees! His booth at the Antique Center was featured in their December 2005 article as one of the area's favorite places for antique jewelry.
Bring your favorite jewelry to our 20th Anniversary Open House where Dan will be doing complimentary jewelry appraisals. You  can also visit his Hyattsville shop by appointment.
Dan can be contacted at
301-779-3696. |
|
May Lecture
Designer Jewelry
of the Mid-20th Century |
Sunday, May 25
4pm
Liz Lamphear will cover designers Miriam Haskell, Boucher, Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, Hattie Carnegie, Nettie Rosenstein, Hobe, K J Lane & Eisenberg, just to name a few.
Bring in your own vintage costume jewelry for appraisal, identification and repair. | |
The Romance & Mystique of Antique Jewelry
by Dan James,
Antique Jewelry Specialists |
|
 Antique and vintage jewelry is known for its unique qualities and can often reflect the artistic movements of the times in which it was made. Today, mass produced machine made jewelry predominates. Antique jewelry, known for its individualistic design, stands out because of its quality of craftsmanship and attention to detail. It isn't just because it is old and in limited supply that it is valuable and desirable; it is because it is a special piece from a time period now forgotten. If done well, antique jewelry is an artist's statement of the period.
Many people like to express their individual taste with distinctive pieces of antique jewelry as a wearable art form. This jewelry can be collected by anyone on any budget with prices beginning at less than $100. As demand grows and the supply of quality pieces decreases the values can increase dramatically for the sought after examples. Reproductions try to fill that void, but seldom do they match up to the quality levels of the originals they try to imitate. The good design and quality craftsmanship of vintage jewelry never go out of style.
 Victorian jewelry was produced during Queen Victoria's time from 1837-1900. Even though jewelry started being mass produced then, skilled craftsmen doing hand tooling were required and the pieces were labored over with high levels of craftsmanship. Many pieces signified life events like a wedding, birth or death. There were friendship rings, love tokens, and even talismans to ward off evil. Sentimentality was exhibited in the jewelry. Lockets contained locks of hair or photos of loved ones. Miniature portraits were hand painted. Symbolism was expressed such as faith, hope and charity with the cross anchor and heart. Cameos had mythological scenes carved on them. Some thought gemstones had mystical properties, for instance, amethyst was thought to prevent drunkenness.
With the Arts & Crafts period, 1890-1923, simpler designs with less intricate detail were produced by hand and were often made in silver. Unusual gemstones such as cabochon boulder opal, turquoise and moonstones were used. The Art Nouveau period, 1890-1915, also often used silver and it incorporated the flowing curves of nature and often the female face and figure. Translucent colored enamel would be featured, sometimes instead of gemstones. When gemstones were used they were not often costly ones. Both periods were more concerned with the artistic effect than with the value of the materials used.
The Edwardian period, 1901-1914, relied more on diamonds, pearls and platinum in lacey configurations. It was both traditional and elegant in style. Art Deco, 1920-1935, reflected the cubist art movement such as Picasso, the age of jazz and the spirit of the city with its lively contrasting colors and geometric and angular lines. Unusual materials like bakelite and chrome were used. Sterling silver Art Deco jewelry with marcasites would imitate the appearance of the pricier Art Deco diamond and platinum or white gold jewelry.
But, no matter what period is chosen, true antique jewelry has a heart-a particular look that is unique and endearingly planned out and labored over. It can be a miniature masterpiece and an expression of one's style and individuality.
(all photos courtesy of Dan James from his personal collection)
|
Mother's Day in the United States |
 From the Ancient Greeks' celebration of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods, to the Early Christians' custom of dedicating every fourth Sunday in Lent to the Virgin Mary , there have always been celebrations to honor mothers. It wasn't until  President Woodrow Wilson made it official in 1914, though, that we had a national day for our moms in the United States and we have three women to thank for that.
A Boston woman, Julia Ward Howe, wanted a day dedicated to peace and began organizing annual meetings for mothers in 1872. That was as far as it went until a Philadelphia schoolteacher named Ana Jarvis began her campaign to establish a national Mother's Day in 1907.
Ms. Jarvis wanted to honor all mothers in memory of her own, Ana Maria Reeves Jarvis, who had started "Mothers Work Camps" in order to improve health and sanitary conditions in West Virginia. During the Civil War, Mrs. Jarvis declared her organization neutral and offered aid to soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
The younger Ana Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to have a special service on the second Sunday of May 1907, which was the second anniversary of Mrs. Jarvis' death. The next year, there were celebrations in Philadelphia churches on the second Sunday in May and by 1911 churches all over America were dedicating the day to peace in honor of mothers everywhere. Woodrow Wilson's proclamation made Mother's Day official in 1914.
|
Vintage Recipe of the Month:
Strawberry Shortcake No.2, 1914
|
from "Things Mother Used to Make", Lydia Maria Gurney, 1914
Cream together the butter and sugar and add the well-beaten egg and milk
Stir the cream of tartar and soda into the dry flour and beat all together
Bake in two Washington pie tins
Hull, wash, mash and sweeten to taste, the berries
Put half of these between the two loaves, the other half on top, with whipped cream on top of all |
|
The Antique Center
at Historic Savage Mill
in the Old Weave Building
An Antiques Marketplace Beyond Compare!
150 Select Dealers in 20,000 Square Feet |
Furniture~All Periods & Styles
China~Glass~Silver~Lighting~Books
Paintings~Prints~Oriental Rugs~Jewelry
Carousel Horses~Pottery~Coins
Sports Memorabilia~Military~Toys
Linens~Lace~Much, Much More
410.880.0918 ~ 301.369.4650
antiquec@aol.com
www.antique-cntr-savage.com
|
Home Design Partners at The International Antiques & Home Design Center present a wide array of home improvement services including landscaping and water features, fabric and wallpaper, faux finishes, kitchen refacing, closet and garage organization, sunrooms, metal restoration and refinishing and complete kitchen and bath renovations.
(click on a logo to visit our partners' websites) |
|
Daily 10 am-6 pm 410-792-4872 · 301-470-4373
| |
