Adornments

My Ruby Red Juliana Brooch was kindly included in this wonderful collection.

Girl Friday

My vintage Pastelli brooch and earrings

were kindly included in the Etsy Collection - Girl Friday - which showcases a wonderful assortment of vintage wares from the Vintage Etsy Twitter Team

Married Couples

My Vintage D&E Juliana Ruby Red Rhinestone brooch

was kindly included in this lovely, and very clever, treasury:

Vintage Jewelry for Cinco de Mayo

Vintage pre1940 Sterling Leaf Berry Brooch Vintage Mexico Sterling Silver Carved Black Onyx Tribal Ring

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May, is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates Mexico's victory, at the Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862, over the French. Often confused w/Mexico's Independence Day, which is on September 16th (the date, in 1810, that the Mexican War of Independence began), it is primarily a American phenomenon, specifically started in California, and signifies a celebration of pride in Mexican heritage and culture. Whereas Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican victory over the French, Mexico's Independence Day is a celebration of Mexico's freedom from Spanish rule. Mexico is a country of vast heritage and exceptional works of art. Some of the more collected, Mexican items in the vintage marketplace are Sterling Silver Jewelry Mexican Textiles Mexican Pottery Table and Service Ware Vintage Sterling Silver Heart Brooch from Mexico

May's Birthstone - Emerald

Emerald Brooch by Barclay

The birthstone for May, as well as the stone of the Zodiac for the constellation Cancer, is emerald - a shimmering, green member of the Beryl family.

Thought to bring, and associated with, patience, wisdom, and understanding, Emeralds are often a wonderful gift a wedding or anniversary, as these traits are associated w/stong, everlasting love.

The use of emeralds in jewelry can be traced as far back as to the time of the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Romans.

The Ancient Egyptians associated emeralds with everlasting youth and often carved sybols of leaves into the gemstones.  Ancient Romans thought emeralds to represent fertility and rebirth and associated the gemstone w/the goddess of love, Venus. 

Some famous sayings about emeralds include the Biblical Quote: “And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.”  And the quote from  Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “And ice, mast-high, came floating by,  As green as emerald.”

Peggy Sue Went to the Prom

My pink daisy necklace was featured in this wonderful collection highlighting items for a vintage prom - there are some wonderful pieces in it, with everything from a vintage tuxedo to the most amazing, rhinestone studding, vintage, cat eye glasses (I love the look and style of cat eye glasses) to a wonderful pink clutch and matching shoes - what a fabulous look for today's prom-goers, and one that is sure to be unique and talked about.

There's Nothing Like a Trifari

I originally did this article for the Etsy Vintage Team:

EVT Blog

and thought I would recreate it on my own blog :)

Trifari Jewelry has always been a name synonymous with creativity, quality, and glamour. Even the jewelry made in modern times is of quality and style, and collectible in its own right.

The company can trace its beginnings back to 1910 when Italian immigrant, Gustavo Trifari, and his uncle began producing jewelry under the name Trifari & Trifari. Gustavo, 2 years later, decided to branch out on his own under the brand name Trifari. Continuing to produce high quality, costume jewelry, that rivaled the real thing, Gustavo met his partner & sales manager, Leo Krussman in 1917. Trifari & Krussman was later formed in 1918. When top salesman Carl Fishel joined the company in 1923, the name changed again to Trifari, Krussman, and Fishel, and the trademark "KTF" was born (the T in the middle is larger than the other 2 letters, denoting the senior partner, Trifari).

The 1930s & 1940s was the grand age of costume jewelry for many design houses, Trifari included. This was the time that Alfred Phillipe joined the company as head designer, producing some of the most outstanding jewelry the company has seen. Very, very collectible, Phillipe designs are elegant, glamourous, and timeless.

Some of the company's most popular, and most collected, designers, outside of Alfred Phillipe, include Jean Paris, Andre Boeut, and Diane Love. Pieces by these designers still command some of the highest prices Trifari jewelry can bring.

Even old magazine and fashion advertisements form a very popular collecting genre of Trifari Jewelry. For a wonderful selection of old Trifari ads, please visit Morning Glory's Trifari Ad Page.

Trifari Jewelry is marked, most commonly with what is referred to as the "Crown T" mark. Hallmarks w/a © indicate a production date of post-1955. For an extensive description of Trifari marks, please see Illusion Jewels Trifari Section.

Trifari became part of the Monet group in the 90s, and is today owned by Liz Claiborne and in off shore production.

My personal collection includes a wonderful array of Trifari figurals, and my quest is to acquire each piece in the specific lines, from the pearlescent Fantasia Collection to the oh so cute Pets Collection.

The Etsy Vintage Team offers a wonderful collection of Trifari Jewels - please click here.

Spring Sale Celebration by the VETT & VMTEAM

The Vintage Etsy Twitter Team (VETT) and the Vintage Market Team (VMTEAM) on Etsy have paired up to provide vintage lovers w/a huge selection of fabulous vintage wares ~ all on sale.

To celebrate, and in honor of the upcoming Royal Wedding, I made this treasury for the teams: