Jewelry Making Outside The Box

Tiny Tin Challenge Blog Hop!

Michelle Mach invited us to join the Tiny Tin Challenge about a month ago:

http://www.michellemach.com/blog/index.php?/archives/442-Join-the-Tiny-Tin-Challenge.html

We were to take these two little silver-colored tins shown in her blog post, and decorate them however we wished..... to share with you, today:

When I saw the two little tins, it took me back to my art show days when I used to do a lot of bodacious, glitzy collage with brass filigree, stampings, beads and rhinestones.   I knew IMMEDIATELY what the two little tins would become:

I first did a layer of ivory primer over the tin, then I did a couple of light coats of copper.  They streaked a little, but I loved the look, a little ivory....

A little copper.

I used Old Rose Ox flowers, as shown on this page at B'sue Boutiques:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/old_rose_ox.shtml

I also used Russian Goldplated flower sprigs and some Silverware Silverplated  findings, too!  And there are also some Brass Ox filigree.    

The little Czech Bellflowers are a staple at our website:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/glass_flower_leaf_beads.shtml

To the mix are a few random old and new rhinestone buttons and some vintage tiffany-set rhinestones from the 50's.   We have rose montees at B'sue Boutiques  that would also work.....and flatback rhinestones in many colors, in case you'd like to try this.

I use E6000 glue and have used it for work like this---with great success---for over twenty years.  Here is a video about glues you might enjoy:

The Glue To Use

and a video about making collage jewelry:

Collage Jewelry Part One

I made this picture frame about 13-14 years ago and still enjoy it in my home:

We have many brass roses, leaves and petals at B'sue Boutiques  as well as a full stock of all kinds of no hole pearls and pearl cabs

Maybe I'll go and try and find some of my old collaged lunchbox and collaged denim coat photos... and scan them in to the computer, for a future blog post.

This was a great time for me to get in gear and think about little collaged boxes, frames and miscellaneous items as I'm moving my business to a storefront in July:

We're going to make a little gift shop in front to offset cost of the rent, and also, to get one-on- one customer interaction again. 

I did my last show in 2002....and I have to tell you, these last ten years I have truly missed the precious communication you get with people in your own community.  

While the storefront was procured primarily to house our day-to-day internet business, it will be a welcome change of pace.  The grand opening should be in October!  Subscribe to my blog so that you can stay posted as I'll be blogging about the move a WHOLE lot.

You might find it really interesting.

Meantime, if you'd like to visit us at B'sue Boutiques online, we'd welcome that anytime.  Maybe I'll do a tiny tins video one day soon and show you how easy it is to make a pretty little giftie like this.....and perhaps I will put these two in my new shop!

Don't forget:  there are many other participants in this blog hop, so please hop along down the line and visit them all.  If you have just a moment, leave them a kind word of appreciation; there are going to be some ingenious tiny tins!

Thanks to Michelle for offering us this opportunity.

1. Michelle - Beads & Books - Hostess
2. Amy - Amybeads
3. Brenda - B'Sue Boutiques
4. Dawn - Morning Glory Beading
5. Debbie
6. Jeannie - Jeannie's Blog
7. Kay - Palm Coast Art
8. Kim - CianciBlue
9. Mary - MLH Jewelry Designs
10. Mary Shannon - Falling into the Sky
11. Michelle - Firefly Visions
12. Molly - Beautifully Broken Me
13. Pamela - The Crazy Creative Corner
14. Patricia G. - My Life Under the Bus
15. Patricia L.
16. Robyn - A Ponderance of Things
17. Shelley - Fabric of My Life
18. Terry - Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry
19. Therese - Domestic Goddess Enterprises
20. Therese - Therese's Treasures

My Little Victorian Pins

Back when I bought and sold a lot of vintage jewelry, I would often find little pieces of Victorian gold-filled jewelry in boxlots, or among clearance other dealers would save up and sell to me, when I came by to see them at the market.

I was always so intrigued by those pieces.....and since I didn't have a lot of money into them, I started saving a few, here and there.

Here is one that is extremely special:

This piece is a real treasure.   Some folks like to collect 'Mizpah' jewelry, which has a sentimental verse from the Bible on it.   Actually the words were uttered by Laban, the father in law of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham....when he was about to go his own way with his two daughters, Rachel and Leah, now Jacob's wives.

When you examine the account found at Genesis 31:48-53 the words take on a little different meaning, LOL   But the sentiment here expressed in jewelry is sweet indeed.  This is  an old-fashioned form of friendship jewelry.

It really is one of my favorite Victorian pieces!

Then we have this bar pin:

It has a little bit of damage to the top, but there is some sort of fantasy bird engraved into it and a lot of pretty imagery.    This is what the back looks like:

There is a patent number and everything....and I believe it says June 5, 1877?  Wow.   There's some damage to it as you can see....but take note of the clasp finding.   If you are learning about old jewelry, clasps are sometimes great 'tellers of time', you can really begin dating a piece, many times, by the sort of clasp that's on it.

The little bar brooch below is a piece of Scotch agate jewelry and again, is from the Victorian era...possibly something carried over from the 'old country' by an immigrant, or maybe a piece carried home from a tour.

The piece at the bottom has  taille d'Epargne... enamelling, which is found often in mid to late period Victorian jewelry.   Read more about it here:

http://www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/Taille_d%27Epargn%C3%A9   Be sure to check the link, there are some great pix.  Once you study this over just a bit, you'll get it in your head and be able to easily spot it in the future!

Here are all my faves:

This picture shows the back of the agate barpin, too. The metal is probably low gold, but I never had it tested.

Here is damage to the back of the other barpin in the photo:

That's a pretty nasty solder repair but I wanted you to see the clasp...it's a type of "C" clasp, and again, is typical in Victorian jewelry.   Another thing to keep in mind!

You might also have noticed how the pinstem sticks out beyond the pin....another time teller!  That's not a defect.  That's how jewelry was made, back before safety clasps.  ;-)

I hope you liked my little collection!

A Vintage Flower Garden

I've found the loveliest gardens.....gardens of friends who own pretty old flower brooches.

Some like to find them in flea markets and antiques shows; others find them at yard sales.  Most are from the 60's and we can remember our mothers and grandmothers wearing them on their pretty spring suits, along with pill box hats and sometimes, white gloves.

Those days are gone....but the flowers are still blooming.

They were made of brass stampings that were assembled by riveting on large commercial kick presses, or sometimes, soldered.  The color was applied by enameling, many times in what they called the old 'cold paint' style.  Cold paint was rather like a very excellent form of spray painting that held up very well.

Others still may have heat enamel, or even a bit of resin enameling.

Mary Deis of The Rose Sword offered up some fabulous photos of her collection at The B'sue Boutiques Creative Group:

Dunno bout you, but that blue one in the middle is calling my name....

See that stemmed rose at the bottom, the pink one?   We carry the flower head at B'sue Boutiques  You could apply color just like this, with some of the new Vintaj-Ranger patina ink-paints.   We carry those, too!

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/paints_pearl_ex_mica.shtml

Right now, I'm actually thinking I'd like to paint some with the Vintaj inks, which are more like enamels than anything....and make some charm bracelets with them!  Maybe combine with some of the other flower drops we carry:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/brass_roses.shtml

Here's another photo from Mary's garden:

I'm overthe moon for that cherries brooch at the bottom!  I bet it has a signature.  I love vintage fruit jewelry, especially cherries.   You know, you can take the inspiration from a piece like this, some old beads, some polymer clay beads and handmade leaves....and mock a look like this nicely.   Make it into a pendant, if you're not into brooches.

A sweet sea of yellows and ivories....so happy.   This set was a special treat:

Someone probably received this set as a special gift, once upon a time.  It still has the paper swing tag:  never worn.   Sigh.

Deb Beechy of Beetique  shared this little flower pin with us, too:

You know, I have bits and pieces of stuff like this on the website, and in my own personal stash, too!

Here's the back so you can see how it was assembled:

You know, you could so something like this with wire and crimps!  I did....sort of:

My friend, Wendy Baker, made me this necklace by wiring and pinning flower brooches and vintage parts she picked up here and there---some of them, mine!--to a series, or grid, of chains.   She does not damage the brooches:

Pretty spiffy!

I hope you feel inspired.  Some folks also gather up the old brooches and make bridal bouquets from them, by carefully wiring them.

When you find brooches like these, please don't just view them as a new stash of designer components.  Look for signatures, some may be valuable!

If you would like to rework them into a new design, see if you can't leave them intact and find a way to wire them into your work, rather then break off the backs and glue them.  ;-)

The brooches are part of American design history.   The parts that made very many of them, are also still made and not terribly expensive.   We carry many styles at B'sue Boutiques

Just think what you could do with the vintage style components, colorized your way....you're the designer! 

The Bling King: How To Start A Fad

There he is!

The Bling King.

And by now....you already know there's a story for the telling, there.

The year was 1993.   The Bling King's Mama was busy peddling her wares, banging her head trying to get noticed in the big old bad old wholesale world, not paying enough attention to school pictures, school clothes.....what the King was doing in school.

Not a great thing, that.   At the same time, Blingy had learned from Mama a bit about  how to peddle wares.   He had a big bushel basket full of old chains and doofus culled from all Mom's vintage jewelry buys.   Here and there, he'd take a little pin or two to school and sell it to the little girls who drooled when he regaled  them with tales of the things in his loot box.   His pals were jealous of his stash of goodies , and even more about the fact that  he could make money from them to buy....of all things....POGS.

POGS were hot stuff in 1993.   Pogs were actually milk bottle caps with advertising on them, but somehow they got turned into a trendy collecting hobby/game among kids when the Bling King was in third grade.   Of course, the one with the most pogs wins, so....... Blingy was determined to be THAT guy.

He realized that calculated raids on his pirate's chest of old jewelry would fund the Pog thing.

In order to develop more buzz for his stash of vintage goodies, Blingeroo decided that the best thing would be to have his picture taken, wearing this amazing 1960's go-go girl belt as a neck chain.

LOOK AT THAT FACE!!   Calculating.  Sly.   Savvy.....

After the photo, Blingy Boy determinedly searched out every big fat chain in his stash and anyone else's because NOW....all of his pals wanted them, boys and girls alike.

On the back of the Pogs craze, a sweet little vintage jewelry chain business was born:  one to support the other.

The lesson in that?   Bling-o didn't break up the chain, didn't rework it into something else, although, it would have been okay to do that in most cases.    Instead, he saw the wisdom in creating buzz and value in the item he had at hand....and I have to tell you, the kid was funded.  

He still has the pogs to prove it.

The end-story is that he didn't count on reaction when the photo was handed back to Mama. 

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" she cried.    "I can't give this to your grandmother, I can't give this to your aunt or our friends!!!   Didn't the school photographer say ANYTHING to you about that chain?"

The Bling King replied, "Yeah, Mom.  He said, hey dude, cool chain."

I rest my case.

More Fun With Charms....Thinking Outside the Box Again!

A charm does not have to be a charm, per se, y'know.

You could make it into a little tack pin, or brooch!

Back in my vintage days, one of my big joys was collecting up a whole bunch of cute little novelty pins, and then!  just coating a whole lapel on my jacket with them!

pins like these (belonging to Joan Williams of Lil Ruby at Etsy)

Or maybe, something like this:

 

These are old molded celluloid.....I've always loved this sort of thing.   Maybe you could do something like this with polymer clay, make your own mold, etc!

Here is a very collectable old Walter Lampl guilloche/dresden handpainted heart, from the Vintage Heart:

There are a lot more vintage examples at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group  and many thanks to all who have been sharing photos of their vintage pieces.  So much design inspiration springs from them!

What could you do with charms, etc, to re-vamp them, make them into an art charm, pin, or focal?

I always loved this example from Deb Beechy at Beetique:

She took a fave charm from B'sue Boutiques and turned it into a brooch.  You can find it here:

I Lock My Heart to All But You   and many others here:

Vintage Style Novelty Heart Charms

I was tickled to see what Robin Delargy did with this charm:

You will find the heart, here:

Lace Edged, Paintable Heart Charm

And LOOK!  At what Robin did:

She simply added to them, mixed the metals and made them her own, in her own LooLoo's Box style.

I really had to smile as great minds run alike, as they say!   Back in the mid 90's when I had my store line, we had a whole series that revolved around this heart charm.  I would even engrave on them.  You would get the heart as a tac pin (you can easily nip the hanging hole off the top and file it a little---actually, I believe the piece can be made without the hanger, too--I will need to look into that again!) and then two other little dangle pins made of charms in a set of three, all in theme:  teacher, nurse, cats, cooking, eeeek......we had so many.

If anyone wants a copy of that old catalog, I do have a few left and could send it with an order, request it in the memo next time you visit us at B'sue Boutiques     You won't want to do the same thing I did, but give it your own personal twist, just as Robin makes everything she touches a LooLoo's Box piece---she has an identifiable style, just as I did, when I had my line.

That's your goal, y'know.

But just sayin', this is a really versatile piece.  Sometimes we tend to go for the stuff that jumps out at us, but the sleeper pieces are the ones that can really take what we do to the next level.

It's all about thinking outside of the jewelry box!

Responsible Repurposing

My journey has been long and very diverse.   I started out picking depression glass and paper ephemera from the fleas and markets back mid 80's.  Eventually that turned to old linens, and vintage clothing...

And then....jewelry.  

When I discovered vintage jewelry, I somehow felt as though I had 'come home'.  It felt so comfortable for me!   I loved the thrill of finding treasure, and I became engrossed in learning all I could about it.

When I began to MAKE jewelry, however....I turned to my boxes of ripped and shredded linens and broken jewelry.    This is the first piece I ever made:

It's kind of a sad little composition with no purpose or flow, except that I was trying to make something that was uniquely my own.   It started with a piece of cardboard that I covered with old moire taffeta in a peach color.  Then I topped that with a piece of tattered doily, which I sewed on. 

I then either glued or sewed on bits from my broken jewelry bag.  There is a Victorian gold filled breast pin that had no pinback, sewed to the top, and a tiny shell cameo, glued on.   It's not a good one, and the mount was lost.   The chain is old 50's simulated pearl rosary chain, broken in bits.

Everything I used on here was broken and could not be repaired in any other way.

That brings me to the purpose of this post:

I am PASSIONATE about responsible repurposing.   As the old farmer man says, " If it ain't broke, don't fix it"....that's how it is with a piece of old jewelry.

I'm just asking you to think before you take old, unused, unwanted, or found pieces of vintage jewelry and begin stripping them down and taking them apart:

 WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT THIS PIECE?

and then:  IS THIS PIECE BROKEN?

also:  CAN THIS PIECE BE REPAIRED IN A PRACTICAL WAY?

Here's a heartbreaking scenario:   Too often I see what might be a valuable piece, perhaps an unsigned Juliana, glued to the front of a cuff base by an enterprising artist, now on a website for 35-45.00.

If only that individual had checked before gluing, they might have realized that the brooch they glued on their cuff was worth 100-150.00...or more!  There are ARDENT Juliana collectors who would have gladly paid the asking for that piece. 

Think what that money might have bought the artist in findings and beads, while preserving a collectable piece!

But how to learn?   Sheesh....I get ya.  You just want to make some funky new jewelry.   Now I'm telling you to do research?   

Well, first of all it's fun to learn about the old pieces; it will truly make you a better designer.   And, it's not that hard to find information!  A great site  to go and see photos and read is Morning Glory Antiques   

Sites like Morning Glory do not give free quotes or offer themselves as available to you to help you identify pieces.   That would be   an appraisal and appraisals do not come without charge. 

STILL... the fact is, by looking at well known collecting sites you can get a real FEEL for what is valuable and what is not.   Never in all my collecting journeys did I approach another dealer and ask for an appraisal.  I was able to learn everything I needed to know from books and handling the pieces.  Now, today, with the internet, you can learn so much more even than I did, and really quickly.  Anything you want to know is available by Google Search.

There are any number of vintage jewelry websites on my links page at B'sue Boutiques, and these may also help you---some of them have reports and discussion boards:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/websites_of_interest.shtml

Let's ask again:  beyond knowing what you have....is the piece broken?  Does it need resoldered, is a key stone missing that cannot be replaced, is the plating shot?   Sometimes in a case like this, it would be okay to proceed and try and save whatever you can from it.  This would be responsible repurposing.  

Consider too:  can the piece be repaired? 

Restringing beads is not that hard; reconnecting clasps and jumps is very simple.  Yet, other repairs may be daunting.  Most modern day jewelers do not have the skills to affect a good basemetal repair expecially where plating is involved.   They are good with precious metal, but not basemetal.   A solder repair will probably take value down a whole bunch, even IF it is done well.   So if you have a soldering issue or a huge plating problem, IN THAT CASE, the repair would cost more than the value of the piece, UNLESS the piece were truly rare.

A good website to get replacement stones for costume jewelry is Mr. Stones   This website carries every sort of stone needed to repair designer costume jewelry, and Matthew Ribarich, the owner, has even very rare pieces.   The price is not cheap but, if the piece warrants, fixing it by replacing stones if done properly will not lower the value but salvage the piece.   Use hypotube cement sparingly when replacing stones.   We carry *some* replacement stones in bulk packages, but Matthew will have specifics for you.

In the long run....it's your piece of jewelry.  You can do whatever you want with it.  

I'm just asking you to consider first the rich history of jewelry design and what can be learned by investigating the vintage collecting world.    I'm proposing that you *not*  look at your neighborhood flea market as just another resource for crafts components but instead a place to investigate, examine and learn! about construction and the old pieces. 

This way, you may set yourself on a new journey that runs parallel to your own design sensibilities.

Responsible repurposing just makes sense.

 

 

Should I Repurpose My Sarah Coventry Earrings?

Hmmmm.

My creative pal, Jennifer posted that very question on my FB page this morning.   She'd done the research and discovered that the value on a certain pair of Sarah Coventry earrings in good condition is quite low, under 25.00 retail....meaning in the real world, they'd probably only sell for 10-15.00, tops.

Her thought was that, since they are currently worth so little, wouldn't it be okay to go ahead and repurpose them?  She has no sentimental attachment to them.

Okay, Jennifer!  You asked.....so my strong opinion is NO, it's not okay.

And here is why:

Sarah Coventry is still not, in the collecting world, a strong designer label.  It is, however, very widely collected.  Many people who are just getting started collecting designer jewelry start with the lower priced lines like these because it's a way to get their feet wet and then, over time, be able to 'trade up'.

 I'm not an expert on the brand but I do actually remember Sarah Coventry jewelry parties, from when I was a little girl.  My mother used to go to them, and she still has a couple of the large metal brooches with the pearl centers that were so popular in the early-to-mid 60's.

Sarah Coventry jewelry was made with substance, made in the US, and had decent plating that while thick and bright, did not usually fail.   It was a reasonably-priced line that most anyone could afford, and many ladies enjoyed getting the seasonal line catalogues and collecting the pieces.

When I began selling vintage jewelry in the later 80's, there were brands that got little notice, and Sarah was one of them, along with Emmons (a sister company, I believe), Lisa Jewels, Park Lane, and Avon.   Even if you found a big honking rhinestone brooch in glorious color, if you flipped it over and found any one of those names....it was going to be a hard piece to sell.   What I used to call, 'kiss of death!'

Over time, however, there was renewed interest in these lines.  One of the big reasons is that when Sarah Coventry, for example, designed a new line, all the bases were covered.  There wasn't just a brooch:   you could get matching earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, a ring.  Sometimes you could even get key chains and accessories....all matchy-matchy, all parts of the same design line.  

So....it's logical that true collectors would want **all parts** of a particular design line.   The one with the most pieces wins!   If you were able to collect all the parts of ANY designer's matchy-matchy line  you would have something of far greater worth than even the sum-total of all the individual parts.  INCREASED VALUE.

I have truly sold every piece of Sarah Coventry jewelry I have ever offered, and at a nice profit.   You can still pick up pieces of it at fleas and yard sales for a few dollars or even less.   I don't know what Jennifer paid for her earrings, but I wouldn't hesitate  to pick up SC earrings for a few dollars and then put them on Ebay when I had my store, or on Etsy, now, if I had some to offer.

I would put them on for 12.00 to 15.00, depending on what I paid for them.   My guess is that in a few weeks or even much sooner, someone would have purchased them.

The profit, of course, could be rolled over into other components I'd like to have.  AND....a collector who was probably desparately searching for those earrings to make a full set would have been most gratified that I offered them.

I know this, because I almost never sold a pair of SC earrings that the purchaser didn't tell me they were looking for them to complete a set.

Yeah, you're thinking, that's a bit of work that I'd rather not do.   And you would be  right, it's some effort to prepare an online listing and sell the item. 

Still....rather than break the jewelry down when there's nothing wrong with it, it truly would be better to let a collector have a chance at the earrings.

In the long run, however....it's **your** jewelry, and I have no real say over what you do with it.  Yet  if you ask how I feel about it, this is almost always going to be my opinion.  It's  based on my love of vintage jewelry, respect for the old manufacturers, and the joy collectors experience when  they find pieces in good condition, to add to their collections. 

Thanks to Jennifer for bringing up the topic!   And thanks to all of you for considering this side of it.

 

A Case for Repurposing

If you follow my blog and other internet ramblings, you may already have an idea of my position on repurposing.  Sometimes I'm for it.  Sometimes, I'm not.

Usually....I am not.

There is quite a trend among artists and designers to repurpose vintage jewelry.  It's not a new idea:   back 24 years ago when I did my first tenure 'in the trade' with my friend, Philomena, who'd been "raised in Europe in the trade, as ye'll have it, on me grand-mam's knee"  (her words)  we had people coming to the shop every day for loads of old buttons, old trims, broken this and that, shredded linens, whatever she could gather up.   So....it's been done for a long, long time.  Take something that's got problems, and make it into something clever and new.

Repurposing is not a bad idea at ALL when a piece is rendered useless, otherwise, and cannot be repaired.   My problem is that too many times artists who are unfamiliar with vintage collectable pieces view them as just another crafts component.  Too many seriously wonderful pieces have gone the way of the world, this way.   I was just reading in the bakelite book that a well known bakelite jewelry design company only made perhaps, a dozen of a style.  That's why *some* of those old plastic pieces are VERY rare.

What if you didn't know and cut one up, ruined the clasp or something, to make a new design?  It might be a piece that's worth enough to buy you bags full of new components.   SO!  you need to know what you're doing.

Here is a great case in point, however, for saying YES to repurposing:

This is Stacy Walden's bracelet inherited from her Aunt Marium.  She uploaded the photo to the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group, where we are also now sharing pix of our fave Five and Dime Style pieces (mid 20th century 30's-60's) for inspiration.

What would you do with this piece?

Stacy had mentioned that she thought it might be a good idea to solder a new clasp to it.   Are there any of you that could handle this repair?

First thing to keep in mind is that is this soft, cast metal, with an old form of plating on it.   If you put heat on this piece, it's probably going to melt, or get weird, and for sure the plating is going to be wrecked.

This is a signed piece, but the signature was not clear in the photos Stacy offered us....from the look of it, I'd say, Monet, Lisner or perhaps Coro.   Department store jewelry, not expensive, but not Woolworth's quality either.   This piece by itself in perfect condition probably has a top retail in the vintage market (like a book price) of 25.00.   As part of a parure (a set) it would make the entire ensemble worth more. 

But not in this condition.

Only a very skilled vintage jewelry repair person with much experience can handle a repair job of this sort.  Even then, most would walk away from this one, offering instead, a re-design.

You'll read that:  a repurposing job.  LOL   Stacy can handle that!

I would clip off the broken link----it won't be hard, a good pair of flush cutters will probably go right through it like butter.   I would also remove the clasp.  This clasp should not be reused, as it is signed.   If you re-use a signed clasp, it can lead newer vintage collectors to think that they have an original piece.   That's not fair to them.  

At this point, having removed the things you can't use, you have six good links.   You could make the piece into a necklace, or if you have a small wrist, you could perhaps find a way to add a new clasp and make it work as a bracelet (which has been altered).  You could use ribbon to tie it.  You could add charms and beady-baubles to the openings for funky texture and movement.  You could glue the motif to a cuff bracelet.  

You could also alter the color of the piece with Gilder's Paste, which I think would be your best bet on metal of this type, as it has plating already on it.  Patina products probably aren't going to work well in this case, and you don't want to apply dye oxides with heat because of the plating and soft metal.

If you use Gilder's, seal it when cured with matte acrylic spray lacquer.   Diamond Glaze might work, but we know how funky DG can get with some metals and plating finishes.   Dunno if you'd like the result.

Feel free to add your ideas on this one!  But Stacy should definitely repurpose this bracelet, as she would then have a lovely memory piece to wear for her Aunt Marium.

Five and Dime Style: Bringing it Into the 21st Century

What is Five and Dime Style?

In a nutshell:  Five and Dime Style pays homage to the inexpensive jewelry enjoyed by every day people back 30's to 60's.   That's when the Five and Dime STORES were king----you could get some things for the house, a coke and a burger at the lunch counter, 'unnecessary plastic objects'---as Nanci Griffith once mentioned in her monologue for the song Love at the Five and Dime .

They were also a great place to pick up inexpensive little pieces of jewelry that made you smile, gave you a little lift for the week...and always evoked conversation when you wore them.   You could spend as little as a quarter or fifty cents!  I how I know!  I frequented the Woolworth's, Kresge and Grants jewelry counters back in the day when I first got my allowance.  I spent most of it there......

I've done videos, challenges, discussed and have written about Five and Dime Style a good deal over the last couple of years.    In time I realized that it was a concept that a bit difficult  to convey to today's artisans.  We still are riding the crest of the repurposing trend.  Many frequent local fleas and shops looking for pieces to tear apart and redesign, without having much idea of design era, provenance or collectability. 

I've nothing wrong with repurposing parts of old jewelry that can't be repaired in a practical way, to original or near-original condition.   Let's not waste, but of course!

But let me ask you....what do you KNOW about that piece you are deconstructing?  Any idea of how it was made originally, why it was made, the fashion sense of the period?  Do you have any idea when it was made?   Or..... are you simply looking at it with an artisan's eye, viewing it as another crafting component, thinking about what you can do with it NOW?

Five and Dime Style research might be a good way for you to find balance between the two sides of the coin.

Recently the Group Criteria at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group  expanded.   As before we ask for uploads of your designs made with the brass stampings we carry, sari ribbon, polymer clay, ICE resin, et al...but!  we are also encouraging  upload of photos from personal collections or photos obtained by permission, of vintage  jewelry.   

It's been really refreshing for our members (and you could be one, too, we'd love to have you!) to share pieces they've found, items left to them by dear family members, stuff that makes them smile, all these years later.

Recently Joan Williams of Lil Ruby, at Etsy  shared quite a few pieces with us.  I'm enjoying the commentary of the others as well as able to share my background, having dealt very actively in collectable costume jewelry, back before I began to make my own.

This photo came from Joan and is a PERFECT example of a Five and Dime Style vintage piece.   It's molded celluloid-style plastic and probably is vintage 50's, probably made in Japan in the late occupied period or just after.  Back in my days in the trade, these sort of pieces were easily found at flea markets....and now, have a decent---but still not high--value.   A figural of this type would be coveted. 

Why?

Because of the sentimentality, sweetness, and good feelings that come up into your heart, when you look at it.   It would have a higher collectability, for example, than the piece below, which is a more random design:

This is another celluloid molded-style plastic brooch sent by Joan Williams.

The plastic is molded and tinted.   Again, I'd circa date this as early fifties, probably Japanese during the end of the occupied period or just after.  If you have one that is marked "made in occupied Japan"  it is worth more, as there is double collectability---both to jewelry collectors as well as Occupied Japan goods collectors.

Honestly, I'd be happy to have a large collection of pins just like this.   They are still out there to be found, as well as deeply molded bangles and necklaces made of pendants of the same material.   To be sure, I have had MANY of these old 50's molded components not yet made into jewelry,  at B'sue Boutiques over my years in business and they have not always been great sellers.

Again, I think it's that among today's jewelry artisans there is little knowledge of what the parts are, or how they could be effectively used.  

This is a marvelous example of Five and Dime Nostalgia....Joan had this little set of scatters on the original card....purchased at Woolworth's the better part of a lifetime, ago.

Also worth a good, hard look is this brass brooch:

Back in my days in the trade, it was easy to find the old unlaquered jewelry made of brass stampings.  Some of the stampings that were used in those pieces are STILL made to this day....although, sadly, the ones in this brooch, also offered by Joan, are not.  The bunches of grapes are hollow....a dual stamping bent back on itself and usually riveted through the top hanging hole.  Hollow stampings of this sort were very common 30's-50's. 

Although not shown in the photo, Joan reports that this piece has the old C style catch, without a safety.  That really helps to date the piece.....the safety catches came into vogue on costume jewelry in the later 30's.  This piece is PROBABLY late 20's-30's and my feeling is that it came with the purchase of a dress.   Did you know that's how the Eisenberg jewelry became so well known?   Eisenberg was first a *dress manufacturer*; they purchased stock designs from wholesale jobbers, had them customized a bit, and then pinned the brooches to their dress line, as an add-on value for the buyer of the dress.

The brooches have survived and are amazingly collectable...and valuable.

This brass piece, however...is not an Eisenberg.  ;-)  It's an unmarked piece of unlacquered, unplated brass jewelry made from stampings much like the ones we carry at B'sue Boutiques

Lastly, I have a piece from my own collection, made by Kim Jewelry in the 60's:

The stones are vintage Czech and were probably already vintage when they were put into the bracelet.  The stampings in the piece are still made in brass.   This design is a common 'hippie chick' type piece that came into vogue mid-to-late 60's, up into the early 70's.  I had stuff like this when I went to high school.   The design is showy, and yet easy to understand....and duplicate.

And that's where this post flips over to the 21st century.  How can *you* take the sweet, sentimental Five and Dime feeling and make it current with today's findings, beading and mixed media techniques?

A few ideas that I feel are right on point:

This excellent example is provided in this before/after shot by polymer clay artist, Laurel Steven... of Rue's Daftique at Etsy

Her 'after' photo is amazing.....I love how she was able to show us the inspiration piece, and then her well-done 'take' on the original.

Another piece that evokes Five and Dime Feeling while using current findings and mixed media products is this bezel bracelet from Terry Matusyk of Pink Chapeau Jewelry at Etsy

Lovely vintage style images embedded in resin.  When I posted this photo at FB, there were many oooh's and aaah's.   The sentimentality and style of the genre is completely captured, but today's popular techniques were utilized to the full.

Another piece that Terry made and shared with us a is perfect marriage of old Five and Dime with new:

The central motif is a hand painted 50's vintage molded resin star flower, mounted to a chocolate brass filigree ring shank.   We brought the resin star flowers back from a buying trip last year, I will have to search and see if we have more.  Meantime, there may be something here that will help, if you want to try this Easy-Peasy ring idea in the Five and Dime Style:

vintage and new resin flowers

The ring shank is sold in the Ring Shanks section  at B'sue Boutiques.

Here's a ring made by Ruth Crawford of Ravin Jewelry at Etsy, using all new parts but totally Five and Dime in feeling:

I would have been delighted to have found a ring made like that back when I was a kid, perusing the Five and Dime counter.  To be sure, I did find earrings made like that....I'll have to see if I can still find them.  LOVED those earrings!

Let's play Five and Dime a bit forward, though....here is another ring that Ruth made using brass components made from 50's tooling (from B'sue Boutiques) but employing 21st century mixed media design techniques:

The center stone is old molded Czech topaz glass; the flower, little bead cap (used as a mount) and ring shank are brass made from vintage tooling in several plating shades, to give you the very current mixed-metals look.   The flower is covered with tissue decoupage, which is a very of-the-moment technique to add a new look and texture to a brass stamping.

Here is a video on how to do it:

Decoupage, Stamping Techniques on Brass by B'sue

Here is a necklace I made using these techniques (from the video) with 60's style flower power stampings and a vintage-look  German-made 18mm Mona Lisa cabochon, as well as wire-wrapping techniques:

The parts on this necklace could EASILY have been used in 50's-60's jewelry, the feeling is inexpensive but compelling, and the making of the piece....well!  What can I say?   It was JOY.

In the long run, Five and Dime Style *is* about JOY.  There is SUCH joy  in discovering the old pieces, joy in treasuring the memories that come with them.   You'll find joy in learning about them and preserving their heritage. 

Best of all, I hope you discover, as I have, the joy in the INSPIRATION,  that springs from them.

 

Inspiration......Five and Dime Style, Bakelite, and Polymer Clay

Inspiration comes from so many places.  

As far as polymer clay is concerned, however, I took my initial cues from THE BAKELITE JEWELRY BOOK by Davidov-Dawes......came out early 90's.  There have been MANY since.   This is the OLD Five and Dime Style jewelry AT ITS BEST.

I have always been a big fan of 20th century plastic jewelry; composition, celluloid, bakelite, hard plastic, lucite.    Looking at this book, however, my creative heart lept up and cried!  FIMO!   Let me try stuff like this in FIMO......I think I can, I think I can.....

I think YOU can, too....and should.   First, to inspire:

Here's a photo I found at Pinterest the other day; it's a very valuable and rare red bakelite heart and key brooch:

Here are some of the ways you know a piece like this is bakelite....first the FEEL of it, which of course since we only have a picture, you can't do...but bakelite is thick, chunky, slick.   When you briskly rub it with your thumb, your thumb will smell like formaldehyde.

All findings would be inlaid (as you can see, they are).  Never glued on.   Also, you can see the material is not molded, but carved.  Inside that keyhole you would see marks from carving.   If you see mold lines, I'll lay you odds it's not gonna be bakelite.   Can you see the small dark spot on the key part?  That would be from the inlay of the pinback on the other side (which of course we can't see here.)

You can do this, and better, with polymer clay.  You could try to totally reprise the piece in a bright red, and then get the gloss by  buffing on a muslin wheel---or other methods as described in the polymer clay instruction books.

Better yet....be inspired.  Take the shape, the feel, the vibe....and bring the Five and Dime nature of this brooch forward to 2012.  How would you do it?

Here are some bakelite (bakelite being a phenolic resin that also contained wood filler) and wood composition  pieces that I own:

The yellow flowers brooch is a two part brooch and is a better piece.  It's the only one of the better pieces I had, back when I was dealing in bakelite jewelry, that I ever kept!   Sigh....but anyway:   The back (not shown) is an ebony black ring that is screwed or sort of even riveted to the back.   Not REALLY riveted...you wouldn't want to do that, it would crack.  But looks like that sort of thing.   The bottom piece is an Art Deco dress clip with inlaid brass wire, it is not a highly collectable piece but still very very nice in the translucent swirly root beer color.  

The top piece is not bakelite, but carved wooden cherries on a composition leaf base, strung with the same sort of string that so often, was used to affix the bakelite carved cherries to a 'log' base, on the cherries brooches, which are very desirable.  The wear is to be expected; many of these pieces have wear as they were INDEED *real* Five and Dime Style jewelry from back in the day, not made from high-end materials.

About 12-13 years ago I made my own version of the cherries brooch.  It is far from perfect as a freshman endeavor....but I did love it and wear it often:

I used a form of craft wire called Twisteez for the cherries, in fact I'm working on getting that for the website again.   It's the closest thing to old phone wire that works, unless you want to use coated string which is virtually unavailable, and really, it didn't endure well, then....and it won't now.

Originally the piece had leaves, I kept the last one that fell off ( I wore this ALOT!!)  and the one you're seeing here flipped over when I made the photo, so that's the back.   Doesn't look so good.  See my holes?   We want to ream out our holes nicely whether working in clay, ceramic, whatever.   I am still working on getting that better and better.  I love to see a good, round, clean hole in clay/ceramic.

I do like how the bow part came out!   I think the piece was glazed with Fimo Lak, which I used to use back then.   The Sculpey finishes work as nicely and are less toxic.  You could use a light coat of resin, too, but you'd have to be careful....you might have some dripping off the round bead.

Here is a closer look at the vintage 30's wood cherries pin:

This gives you a real nice idea of how it was made, and how you might try it...in clay...and refine it. The little cherries are actually on old brass headpins!  

Here is another cool idea made of vintage hard plastic buttons---probably 50's, but could be older:

Wait til I show you the back, to see how it is composed:

Just wire strands, looped through the buttons, then bunched, and the bunch wound.   Reminds me a lot of how I made this brooch a little while back:

Anyway.....Five and Dime Style ROCKS, and it's the base inspiration for everything I have ever made as a jewelry designer. 

It comes from my love of old things, my days in the trade as an antiques dealer specializing in vintage jewelry.   The thrill of the hunt and the big score were BIG rushes, I won't lie to you!

But the inspiration of holding a piece of old bakelite in your hand and thinking....now how does this translate to mixed media?  surpasses it all a HUNDREDFOLD.

We were just all made to create.  That's what B'sue Boutiques is all about!

So....take it to the next level....take it to the limit.   Where will YOU go with this?

PS....here's a newspaper post about a big bakelite auction....you might find it interesting:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2009/12/bonhams-butterfields-auctions-vintage-bakelite-jewelry-draft.html