Package of treasures!

 Look what arrived in the mail today! Some FABULOUS vintage beads for my Fall designs. There is nothing like new supplies to get those creative juices flowing.

I am so excited! These are gorgeous aren't they? Pin It

Honeymoon in Paris- new necklace

Honeymoon in Paris

This is one of my newest creations that will be at the Vintage Chicks Show, next weekend. It is created withtwo differnet styles of vintage brass chains, beautiful old brass mirrored buttons (circa 1910-1940), Swarovski crystals both vintage and modern, vintage glass pearls in shades of pink, contemporary  rhinestone studded beads for added bling factor, vintage crackled glass beads from West Germany, chunky rhinestone studded celluloid buttons from the 1950's...........did i leave anything out? Oh yes, a lovely pendant in silver and gold tones in the shape of a heart!

  Because it is romantic and feminine and has a time worn elegance....like a chic Parisian apartment, I decided it would be called "Honeymoon in Paris"! Perhaps I am thinking too much about  my upcoming trip to Paris. Pin It

Bead School

I have already been stocking up on more vintage beads, and at the moment I am loving the Givre beads! So what the heck is a Givre bead? First of all it is pronounced gee-vray.  I know you have seen these before, probably worn by your grandmother or mother,  these were very fashionable in the 1950's and 60's. These  beads were manufactured   between 1940's and 1970's and  were  made of transparent glass  fused around a translucent colored core.

Usually the bead had a color within a clear casing, although there are milky opaque Givre beads. Apparently, Givre means "frost" in French.

Of course you can find them in many shapes, ovals, round, cubed and squishy shapes, as well as faceted, smooth and even in the sugar or bumpy encased versions, which are some of my faves!

The majority of these beads, especially the high quality ones, were made in West Germany and Austria, but many other vintage  beauties were  made in Czechoslovakia and Japan.

They are little gems of history from days gone by!

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Fall Vintage Collection........

Just a quick post to show you a couple of photos of one of my latest designs, from my  Fall Vintage Collection.

This  eclectic necklace, was created with many vintage parts   including  some fabulous  Swarovski crystals, glass pearls from Japan, very cool sequined beads, a gorgeous vintage button,  a glass chandelier part, and some great chains and charms.

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New Jewels

I finally managed in getting around to photographing some of my new designs for Fall. Today I am featuring

some of the new necklace designs that will be available for purchase at the various shows that I will be involved in staring in October. As mentioned before, there is some retro glamor  in these new pieces, in which I have combined and re purposed  vintage beads, chain and components with  new beads and chains. In this first double strand necklace, I have combined a fabulous glitzy rhinestone clasp, with vintage blue glass "robins egg " beads, which were manufactured by the Swarovski bead company. These are mixed in with new faux pearls and sterling silver chain pieces, to give a somewhat reinvented look.

Check out this clasp!

This next necklace, above, is made from brand new faceted glass beads with sterling chain, and I have incorporated some very pretty vintage  ivory  colored faux pearls  into the mix. Down below is one that I am very excited about, that features a gorgeous brooch probably from the 50's-60's, that has a new life as a pendant on this vintage copper and brass chain. The chain needed some work and I replaced all the old jump rings with  brand new ones.  I love the warm colors of this piece! This necklace can be worn long, or doubled up as shown on the mannequin, for a shorter look.

 This last necklace below, is in shades of teal, blue and purple.  Once again, I took a beautiful,  rhinestone clasp, and made it the focal of this necklace. Vintage flower shaped Swarovski crystals, adorn the neck line vintage, and new faux pearls, and dichroic glass beads, wired to modern  sterling silver chains, cascade down the front. Tres elegant!

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Necklace inspiration

Recently I posted about Miriam Haskell Designs, and how much I adore everything with her name on it. This necklace, which is actually a new design by Haskell Jewels, from the La  Dolce Vita collection, was the inspiration for one of my latest designs.

 This Miriam Haskell necklace is stunning! It is created with gorgeous beads made from embellished resin, Russian, gold plated, French filligree beads and matte silver. It sells for a whopping $850.00!

In my poor mans version, I combined all vintage beads in lucite and metal, in various sizes, to create this bold, chunky, 1960's style necklace. I used vintage, brass chain,  in a pattern similar to the "Gucci G" design, on the upper portion, I kept the color scheme neutral by incorporating beads in white, cream, brass, copper and gold.....but not real gold!

The Hot Rocks version is a bargain at only $65.00!!!

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Some bling for Spring!

OK, as promised earlier today , here is the finished "Copacabana" bracelet! Certainly not for the faint of heart or  any shrinking violets in the crowd, this is a statement piece! Big, bold, chunky, and very retro with loads of "Shake , Rattle and Roll"!  The bracelet is mostly vintage beads, including cherry red, white pink and turquoise,  vintage, opaque Swarovski crystals from the 50's, big  round vintage turquoise beads  and lemon yellow glass beads  from Czechoslovakia, and these funky vintage "pearl " beads which add the texture to the bracelet. There is also a cute sterling heart charm and my own hand made clasp.  These are the very cool shoes that inspired this bracelet.

This definitely says "FUN"...with a capitol "F"!! Perfect for Spring. Pin It

"Autumn in New York"- vintage pearl bracelet

I just listed this new bracelet on Etsy today, named "Autumn in New York", after the song written in 1934 by Vernon Duke, and sang by various artists including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. So why did I choose this song? Well this little number features some gorgeous vintage, butter cream pearls from the 1930's! All uncirculated and in mint condition. So I wanted a vintage, classic song, to reflect the feeling of class and glamor of days gone by. There are also Swarovski crystals for sparkle, as well as big Swarovski pearls in fashionable plum (all very New York uptown, glam etc.) and pretty copper beads, which add the "Autumn" to the bracelet.
A lovely Christmas gift for someone special!

Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so exciting (inviting)
Autumn in New York It spells the thrill of first-nighting
Shimmering clouds -
glimmering crowds (glittering crowds and shimmering clouds)
In canyons of steel They're making me feel - I'm home
It's autumn in New York
That brings a (the) promise of new love
Autumn in New York
Is often mingled with pain
Dreamers with empty hands
(They) All sigh for exotic lands
(But) It's autumn in New York
It's good to live it again
This autumn in New York
Transforms the slums into Mayfair
Autumn in New York You'll need no castles in Spain
Lovers that bless the dark
On benches in Central Park
(But) It's autumn in New York
It's good to live it again (- in New York)




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Little pieces of the past

Things are pretty slow in my Etsy shop these days, I have found that my Christmas craft

shows have been very successful this season, whereas selling online has come to a complete halt. So here are some basic but very pretty bracelets that I am listing in my Etsy store later today, and to my blog readers only I am offering free shipping to Canada and the USA on anything in my shop until Dec.15. Just send me a convo through my Etsy store, that you read about free shipping on my blog and the shipping prices will be adjusted. These bracelets, are reasonably priced, for gift giving or party wearing. All three have some fabulous vintage beads combined with contemporary beads for an eclectic look. The flower on the black and pearl bracelet ("Dance the Night Away") is a fabulous vintage rhinestone, rhodium plated clasp probably from the 50's, and there are a couple of stunning vintage Swarovski crystals in that one as well. The bracelet that is completely silver("Heavy Metal"), combines ornate Bali beads, with some huge, rare, sparkling, vintage Swarovski, disco ball style beads. The feminine bracelet in pink, white and green ("Linger"), has some adorable vintage lucite beads in a pretty apple green color. "Dance the Night Away" and "Linger" will be listed at $52.00 USD, and "Heavy Metal" at $75.00 USD.

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Rapture

"Rapture", named after the classic Blondie song, is a necklace that I made awhile back, that is currently for sale in my Etsy shop. If you are a lover of vintage beads, as I am, this one is for you! I am passionate about vintage beads, and absolutely adore vintage Swarovski crystals! You can read more about vintage Swarovski crystals from one of my posts back in May.The sparkle, that they give off is incredible and certainly cannot be captured in these photos. The focal of this pretty necklace, is a sapphire and topaz colored flower combining two spectacular vintage Swarovski crystals from the 1950's. The remainder of the piece is made up of a combination of vintage ivory glass pearl leaves, more stunning Swarovski crystals, again from the 50's, contemporary Swarovski glass pearls in a soft buttery yellow, and gold beads. Portions of this necklace have gold wire coils running throughout the beads..hence the title "Rapture". I always picture Marilyn Monroe wearing this!!

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Two Sweet designs

Hot off the press!!

My two newest bracelets , "Welcome to the Jungle" is the earthy looking triple strand bracelet, combining prehnite, labradorite, crystal quartz, Thai silver, and Swarovski crystals.

"The Candy Man", a song made famous by the late Sammy Davis Jr. is the name for the very colorful and more whimsical bracelet, that looks like jelly beans, gummies and hard candy. But don't eat it, because the jelly beans are really, carnelian, yellow and chartreuse chacedony, fabulous lampwork bead discs by artisan, Blue Healer, look like hard candies or sweets, and vintage apple green lucite beads replicate gummies! Finished with a sterling silver clasp containing a very sweet vintage cabachon! Yum!!

To be listed this week in my Etsy store:

"Welcome to the Jungle" for $130.00 US

"The Candy Man" for only $65.00 US

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A Little History about Vintage Swarovski

So continuing on with my series about the beads and components that I use in my jewelry designs, this week I am featuring vintage Swarovski crystals. ( last post was on Venetian glass beads) I am very addicted to these, they are so gorgeous! Rare and hard to come by, these little beauties really set a piece of jewelry apart from the rest, making it just a bit more special. I try to use these in a design whenever I can, and many of the vintage Swarovski crystals that I use are at least 50 years old!

Vintage Swarovski beads are stunningly beautiful! The camera cannot do these beads justice, and there are no words to describe the breath taking beauty that they possess! Vintage Swarovski crystals are crystals that were made decades ago, and are found in discontinued colors, and finishes that were far too expensive for the mass market of the time, as well as sizes, and shapes that have been long since discontinued. In the 1950’s, competition was fierce amongst jewelry makers, and many commissioned Daniel Swarovski, to produce special beads just for them. Many of these beads had top secret color combinations and finishes, and were often shipped to the factories under numbers rather than names, so that the competition would be unable to find out the exact beads used in the designs. Companies such as Weiss, Coro, Trifari, Lissner, Capri, Napier and Royal of Pittsburg were among jewelry makers of the time that commissioned Swarovski for unique crystals.
Many are extremely rare, such as the much coveted color called Mink. Others are rare because of the shape, such as the oval, octagon, disco balls and the pagoda Swarovski beads. Another thing that makes some of these old beads rare, are the sizes that they were produced in. Colors such as Scarabee, Joulan, Elestria Dark, Carousel, Fantasy, Ghost, Dark Sunburst, Ambrosia, Cognac, Joulet, Cinnamon, Honey, Meadow, Sarnell, Sun and Steel, and many others, have not been made in decades and are very collectable. Some beads were experimental or only produced for a very short period of time, such as the purple givre bead, circa 1946. Also unique are the opaque crystals, often found in the margarita or flower shape, that come in opaque pink, turquoise and white, much like the old kitchen appliances from the 1950’s! Also hard to find in opaque is the delicious Cherry Red, and Apple Green shades…very retro!
Not all Swarovski beads are faceted. In fact some of the rarest beads are the non faceted ones, which are apparently polished, translucent and extremely smooth. There are also fluted round beads, which are translucent as well, and round matte beads.
Having a piece of jewelry made with these stunning vintage crystals, is not only uniquely beautiful, but also holds a small piece of history from a bygone era. All the vintage Swarovski crystals that I use in my designs are mint and uncirculated.

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Modern and Vintage

Last week, I told you about the fantastic vintage Venetian glass beads, that I purchased from a local antique show. They are about 50 years old, and full of color and sparkle. Well, I took apart the old necklace, cleaned them up, and then designed something new using a few of these old lovelies! As you can see in the picture, a brand new bracelet was born! I also used some very pretty large Swarovski crystals in a blue green color,more floral Swarovskis in Erinite, some nice chunky rich smoky quartz, and Bali silver discs. The blue glass heart bead dangle is also Venetian glass, but this one is new. I still have lots of the wonderful old Venetian glass beads to use in new upcoming designs...so stay tuned!

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Vintage Venetian glass

On Saturday, I spent several hours cruising the Spring Antique Sale, in Calgary. It was a great show, and there were some really neat items, lots of cool vintage kitchen ware, books, furniture and of course jewelry! I found a very sweet Made in Japan vintage cheese dish, that looks like a piece of swiss cheese, with a darling little mouse peeking out the top. It will look great with my collection of vintage salt and pepper fruit and vegetable heads! But the find of the day was a string of vintage Venetian glass beads, probably from the 1950's, still as sparkly and shiny as ever. So look out for some new exciting pieces to be created with these little babies! I can't wait to incorporate them into something fresh and exciting.

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Summer Bracelet

So as promised, I have pictures of the "creation" that I made with the German vintage lucite leaves and flower, as well as the cool beads from Angela at Bedford Beadworks! I decided to make a summertime fun and whimsical bracelet, as the colors are SO summerish. I also added some neat vintage, pink, opaque Swarovski crystals that are shaped like flowers, and some very sparkly big blue vintage Swarovskis as well. I will be listing this on Etsy in my store later today. Enjoy!

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In the last couple of days I have received some new beads in the mail that I recently ordered, so today will be spent getting creative with my new little friends! I received some wonderful German vintage lucite flowers and leaves, as well as some fabulous artisan lampwork beads from Angela at Bedford Beadworks! I have been trying to get my hands on her beads for quite some time now, but as soon as she lists her beads for sale, they sell out in an instant! So just goes to show you how great her beads are. There are a few fantastic lampwork artisans that are like that...their beads have wings and just fly out of their shops! So it makes it really hard to get them. Anyhow, I am off to the studio to create some new designs with these ...and I will let you know the outcome later! Pin It