Costume Jewelry Piece of the Day
Until recently, I had a smallish collection of costume jewelry from the 50s and 60s. When my paternal grandmother passed away, I asked that my father (her executor) bring her costume jewelry back to our home state instead of giving it away or selling. Initially, my mother resisted. "It's incredibly tacky," explained, "this is not the stuff that you're looking for. Believe me. So you'd better not be disappointed when we bring it up here and you don't like it!"
She was right in saying that some of the collection is tacky. The problem was that there was so much jewelry that it was impossible to see any of the decent pieces. There were three toolboxes (actual toolboxes), a quadruple tiered Lady Buxton jewelry box, a "box from the shed," and lots of little boxes. I thought it was wonderful.
My current project is to photograph some of the more interesting pieces and put them here. It's a nice way to waste time. My justification for this is that people like to see them and they make some people happy.
Unmarked Sets from the 1950s
Until recently, I had a smallish collection of costume jewelry from the 50s and 60s. When my paternal grandmother passed away, I asked that my father (her executor) bring her costume jewelry back to our home state instead of giving it away or selling. Initially, my mother resisted. "It's incredibly tacky," explained, "this is not the stuff that you're looking for. Believe me. So you'd better not be disappointed when we bring it up here and you don't like it!"
She was right in saying that some of the collection is tacky. The problem was that there was so much jewelry that it was impossible to see any of the decent pieces. There were three toolboxes (actual toolboxes), a quadruple tiered Lady Buxton jewelry box, a "box from the shed," and lots of little boxes. I thought it was wonderful.
My current project is to photograph some of the more interesting pieces and put them here. It's a nice way to waste time. My justification for this is that people like to see them and they make some people happy.
Unmarked Sets from the 1950s
These were probably purchased at the same time. Neither set came with any remnants of the matching bracelets. An earring back on the yellow set is broken; I have not repaired it yet. One of the pink earrings has lost paint around the inner plastic bead. Other than this, they survived in good condition. Both appear to be from the 1950s. It was a dainty, flowery time.
Being a paranoid soul, I've wondered if the paint on the pieces is lead-based. It has an odd look to it.
A bracelet matching the yellow set was featured in: Aikens, Ronna Lee. Brilliant Rhinestones: Vintage and Contemporary Jewelry. Kentucky: Collectors Books, 2003. p. 173.
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