Festoon!

Festoon - it sounds like a party, doesn't it? And it kind of is. It's a party around your neck. The word comes from the Latin festum...

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For February babies

I added two pretty amethyst pieces to the shop today, both from the 1910s-1920s. It is a real joy to work with such beautiful things. You ca...

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Locket Lundi: Pocket watch style

I am stocking a wonderful turn of the century pocket-watch style locket today. The best thing about this piece (other than the opals!) is...

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Minerva/Athena jewelry

 gold + enamel + diamond Athena brooch                                     gold + enamel + pearl Athena brooch                         Ebay ...

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Really something

This antique (1890s-1910s) hair comb is, as the post title suggest, really something. I just can't believe how beautiful the rhinestone...

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Trip down Market Street, 1906

I first saw this video on a 60 Minutes segment (totally worth watching) and I was blown away. This short film was shot in San Francisco in ...

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Tiny time capsules

Not very many pieces of antique jewelry are dated. Those that are tend to be sentimental (lockets, wedding bands, etc.). I rarely, rarely fi...

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Elegant antennae

Hair ornament by René Lalique, ca. 1900 || gold, silver, steel and diamonds Insect elegance! This piece is so simple and so purely Art Nouve...

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Come calling

Calling card cases are remnants of the tradition of paying calls around town. Turning down one or another corner of a calling card indicat...

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Miser's purse

I bought a miser's purse in Kansas last month and I am totally in love with it. Sometimes called stocking purses, these were popular at ...

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Cookie locket

I just listed a remarkable locket that is the size of a jumbo Oreo cookie. It is the biggest locket I've ever come across in my hunting...

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Tatiana

Ever since I read this article in the November issue of The Smithsonian, I've caught myself thinking about this woman again and again. ...

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The collection grows

We've chatted about my love for antique coin holders before. After mourning jewelry and buckle rings, I do believe coin cases take third...

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I'm into it

Victorian gun metal slide locket with turquoise | A. Brandt and Son Victorian gun metal/sterling coin holder locket | A Brandt and Son Art N...

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Bumbling love

I've long hoped to find a locket by the R.B. MacDonald company. The company manufactured many different types of gold and sterling jewel...

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