Tag Archive | vintage jewelry

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Dec6

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

cup of coffee

Tea today is as you can see, a mug of coffee. It is cold out, and I just wanted to have a sip of JOE. As I was sipping in my workroom, I came across some cardboard cones left over from a weaving project. I got to thinking about the shape, and thought, hmmm, this looks like it wants to be a tree. So I pulled out my ribbons, trims, lace, buttons, and started to play.

Wire Ribbon Cone Trees
Lace and Rhinestone Cone Trees

Tip: Wire Ribbon Cone Trees

  1. Buy a cardboard cone at your local craft store.
  2. Select the ribbon or ribbons that you want to use.
  3. Start at the bottom of the cone. Wrap the ribbon around the cone, cut off the length needed plus 1″.
  4. Place this onto the cone, with the bottom edge of the ribbon even with the bottom of the cone.
  5. Glue this end to the cone. Fold the remaining end over 1/2″, and pin.
  6. Wrap the length around the cone, remove the pin, and glue this end over the beginning end.
  7. Repeat this step, with the same ribbon or a variety of ribbons, slightly overlapping the previous row, until the cone is covered.
  8. Add a bow to the top, and small ornaments, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Tip: Lace and Rhinestone Cone Trees

  1. Buy a cardboard cone or a Styrofoam cone at your your local craft store.
  2. Select a 2 – 3 yard length of lace with one edge that has a ruffle.
  3. Start at the bottom of the cone. Pin one end of the lace to the cone with an appliqué pin, so that the ruffle is even with the bottom of the cone.
  4. Wrap the lace around the cone at a slight angle, slightly overlapping the previous row, and spiraling up the length of the cone.
  5. Cut off the excess lace at the top of the cone, plus 1/2″. Fold the edge over, and pin this to the cone.
  6. Using straight pins, decorate the tree with a length of rhinestone or pearl trim for a garland, or substitute an old rhinestone necklace.
  7. Pin a ribbonworked flower, or and old dress pin to the top of the cone as the tree topper.
  8. Pin buttons or old earrings in place with straight pins for the ornaments.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Friday’s Favorites: Decorating with Lace and Jewels

Dec2

I love to decorate for the holidays. I have quite a collection of lace, buttons, and old jewelry bits, and try to find ways to incorporate them into my holiday decorations.

Metal Ornament Tree
Lace Christmas Tree
Lace and Rhinestone Cone Trees

The first tree here, is actually a metal jewelry holder, with a bowl to catch your loose bits of stuff. I have used it to display my collection of vintage mercury glass ornaments and garlands. I placed vintage tinsel garlands in the bottom of the bowl, then nestled a collection of vintage swan shaped clip-on tree ornaments around the base of the tree. I gathered together a collection of vintage dress pins and single earrings, and added these throughout the branches.

The Lace Cone Trees, are resting in a silver leaf tray, with a garland of bells wrapped around the base. There are two vases flanking this group, filled with vintage mercury glass ornaments and vintage glass beads. See my Tips and Tea on Tuesdays post December 6, 2022, for directions on how to make a cone tree.

The Lace Christmas Tree hanging at the top of the picture is comprised of bits and pieces of lace that had been a salesman’s sampler. I added additional pieces of lace, and some vintage buttons. This project is a free handout that I am offering to my readers as a gift, from me to you.

Happy Stitching to you! ~Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Mother of Pearl part 3

Feb12

vintage jewerly made from carved mother of pearl

Mother of pearl or MOP is the common name for the inside shell of an oyster or mollusk. The iridescent nacre is a combination of minerals that is secreted by the shell-fish as a coating to protect their bodies from parasites and foreign objects. Aren’t we lucky the oyster knows how to do that!

The inner necklace, (probably made during the Victorian period), is made from Mother of pearl charms carved into flower shapes, stitched to a gimp base. The outer necklace (probably made in the 1980’s) is made from Mother of pearl beads carved into a flower shape.

vintage jewelry made from carved mother of pearl

Mother of pearl is relatively inexpensive to use for jewelry and other items. The beauty comes from the nacre itself, lending a soft sheen of gold, blue, pink, green, purple or combination of colors to the white of the shell.

All of the examples here (excluding the basket of flowers) were carved in Jerusalem. These would have been sold as souvenirs to tourists during the 1940’s and 1950’s. The basket pin probably dates from the Victorian period.

vintage jewelry made from carved mother of pearl

Mother of pearl was very popular during the Victorian period in England. The shells could be cut into beads, carved into objects, or inlaid into wood or other hard substances.

To the left is a necklace that I have made with the large oval-shaped beads from that period; also shown are a wire wrapped necklace and a wire wrapped bracelet both with Mother of pearl beads.

vintage jewelry made from carved mother of pearl

During and a short time after WWll, metal was scarce and people did not have extra money for luxury items.  Mother of pearl regained popularity because it was inexpensive and easily obtained.

The top necklace is from the 1940’s, with rectangles of Mother of pearl combined with rhinestones. The bottom necklace is from the 1950’s with discs of Mother of pearl strung with pearl coated glass beads with metal findings.

vintage jewelry made from carved mother of pearl

These bracelets are also from the 1940’s. These were common souvenirs brought back from the Philippines by soldiers for their sweethearts. These are carved from the whole shell, the outer two with carved details.

As with all Mother of pearl items, these should be stored separately, avoiding any sharp edges that could scratch the surface. If you need to clean this type of jewelry, try rubbing with a soft cloth, or a cloth dabbed in a mild solution of soap and water. Avoid the use of water on jewelry that has been glued, such as the rhinestone necklace; the reason for this is that the glue is old, and has shrunk, so any over use or water will dissolve what is left of the bond.

Enjoy your day, Christen