Jennything goes antique.

Last weekend, I stopped by the sale of a jewelry collector who was quitting the business and selling her collection out of her lovely Victorian home. (Foreshadowing!) I found a few shop-worthy pieces, but my favorite had to be this little black-and-brass number. The collector said it was Victorian (1837-1901) but possibly Edwardian (1901-1910). Since my shop is more about the mid-20^th-century than the mid-19^th-century, I had some homework to do to learn more about this necklace. After a week of Googling, and based on the workmanship and styling of the piece, I believe it to be from the Victorian period. I’ll tell you why:

The chain. This necklace features a bookchain, a Victorian-style chain in which the links are rectangular, folded pieces of metal. Each link resembles a book.

The metal. Brass was commonly used in this period, before platinum became popular in the Edwardian era. Copper was also often used, but based on the yellow undertones beneath the patina (vs. red for copper), I believe this to be brass.

The beads and stones. After the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria went into mourning for many years. Consequently, black clothing and jewelry became highly fashionable. Because not everyone could afford onyx and vulcanite, black glass or French jet (aka black amber) was used to adorn jewelry.

The repousse medallions – The what, you ask? The black cabochons are set within each medallion that is done in the raised repousse style. This technique originated in the earlier Georgian period (1714-1837) to make gold and other valuable metals give you more “oomph” for the buck. By taking a thin sheet of metal, craftsmen would stamp the metal into a raised pattern to give the appearance of a solid object, for instance, a solid gold butterfly. In reality, these pieces were hollow, much more lightweight and practical.

The clasp – This part was a toughie. After a few nights of researching Victorian jewelry, I discovered that the circle spring clasp wasn’t used until 1930. Dang. After reading further, though, I learned that it was quite common to replace the clasps on older necklaces, which often broke due to age and wear. So the fact that this has a replacement clasp is not a deal-breaker after all.

So there you have it. This necklace is a pretty gorgeous example of Victorian jewelry and a fun story to tell at your next party — especially if you’re wearing it!

Open for business!

After months of hunting, loads of research and a few embarrassingly bad photo shoots, I officially opened my Etsy shop, JennythingVintage, this week. I'm starting small - only 25 items or so - but like a squirrel, I have a stockpile to last me through the slim pickins of winter.

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to own my store, and it wasn't until this summer that I really considered Etsy as a way to test those waters. We were hosting a garage sale and one lady grabbed all the cutest stuff (you know, the kind of stuff you'd totally keep if you had just a few more closets) in one giant haul. As I was helping her load her car, she turned to me and said, "You should really open a shop on Esty [sic]." I laughed, but when I went back to my post at the sale, I had time to consider her idea. With each hour I grew more excited, and by the time the weekend was over, I couldn't wait to get started hunting down treasures. I've been on the prowl ever since.

This blog will be a place to tell the stories behind the items in my shop,  and share some of the adventures from my hunts. Believe me, I see some interesting things, meet some even more interesting people, and trample through some crazy dwellings, all in the name of finding goodies that catch my eye. Thanks for reading and sharing the adventure with me!