As many of you know, in addition to designing my line of designer jewelry I also have collected and dealt in antique jewelry for years. My favorite aspect of the antique jewelry world is the hunt. You never know what will be around the next corner. In the search, I often come across pieces that I have never seen before, true one of kind pieces of jewelry. By touching and feeling these pieces I get a true sense of their construction, materials used, and design elements that I then apply to my vintage inspired designer jewelry originals.Antique pieces of jewelry are so unique when compared to fine jewelry of today. The general public does not even know how much of today’s jewelry is produced by machine. Diamonds bracelets that are actually pumped out by the dozens on a machine while never touching the human hands. Antique jewelry was often done entirely by hand. Stones were hand cut, gold was hand etched, pearls were hand wired. This puts antique pieces in a quality category that just cannot be matched today.
In my beaded jewelry collection I try to put that attention to detail into my line. All of my centerpieces are hand wired, a process that takes hours per piece. Although I do not hand cut my stones, they are hand selected one by one for placement. Whenever I can I also use vintage gems and beads which gives then another layer of care, detail, and connection to history. Patinas are hand finished on my metals and each is hand signed for originality. This is what I believe sets me apart from so many other lines of jewelry out there on the market today. This is also why my pieces are so limited and often one of a kind couture pieces.
Collecting antique jewelry is not an easy task. So many pieces that I come across are in unacceptable condition due to age and careless handling over the years. Some of these pieces can be revived through costly repairs, but others are not able to be saved. Some pieces have been redesigned over the years, which is fun to see how others have envisioned wearing their heirlooms. When I come across an interesting yet damaged piece I always consider whether it could be incorporated into one of my original designs. No matter what I do, I always strive to keep the original integrity of the piece and even if broken I try to keep it in its original form in case someone someday wants to reclaim these antique elements from my designer jewelry piece.
Above photo: Antique Art Nouveau 14K Diamond Brooch, circa 1890 available at www.your-antique-jewelry.com .
