More Little Gems and GewGaws

I spent part of today setting up things in my little studio to shoot, starting of with some Christmas things. Yes, I know ... its either very late for Christmas items, or way too early, but these are things I'm planning to either pass on to others in need, or sell off. This past few years we've managed to inherit some things from my mom, and then from my aunt and we have some things from my husband's family, and we had 35 years worth of our own Christmas belongings ... something had to give. So, some of the first things I set up and shot photos of were those Christmas items cluttering up the studio. Now I can box them up and send them off. Oh - not to worry, today I'm not posting those Christmas things, but some of the jewelry items I shot afterwards.

1920s Engagement Ring

Wedding rings: gold and diamond, circa 1920

Some of the jewelry belongs to my aunt. Since she's in a nursing home, keeping it in her room isn't an option, because ... well, there are some residents who get a little too handy with belongings they don't own. Since we're the closest family (her son lives out of town), we keep her good stuff in boxes in the dresser in "her" room in our home. So many of these items are hers ... I've already shot and posted most of my own jewelry in previous posts.  The first set I've got here is actually an engagement ring that belonged to my grandmother.

Sparkly Little Things

This week I've been working on digging through some of my miniature fittings from my dollhouses (that's a story for next time), but while doing that I've come across some other things that might be useful to those who write a variety of blogs - this stuff today is mostly sparkly and fun, some of it little things and some not so little.  I'm hoping to have some of my miniatures photographed and ready to go for my next post.

Double Lizard Vintage Brooch

Here's a really interesting pin/brooch that belongs to a friend of mine. She had asked me to try and do some research on it's value and it's age. As you can see from the photo, this is one of the most unique designs incorporating lizards that I've ever seen. I've spent some weeks on the net researching, and this is the only one I've ever seen of this design. These two entwined lizards are covered from head to tail in stones - mostly red (which I assume are probably glass or manmade stones) and small pearls. Atop their heads and backs appears to be some type of braided metal (it appears that it might be brass, though I can't say for sure). Overall, the pin is quite large - from the tip of one tail to the tip of other is 7". It is quite finely detailed, and though I feel it is probably a piece of costume jewellery, it's unusual design might make it worth more than the average piece. The underside has no markings anywhere, and because I have not been able to find a similar design, I have been unable to give it any sort of date or manufacturing location either. This design could hail from the 1930s in Europe, or the 1960s is America. It has something of an "art-deco-ish" feel to it, but overall the design itself would be timeless.

Mixed Bag of Goodies

Well today is just a big mixed bag of stuff, from a stethoscope to a designer handbag and jewelry - a little outside of my usual since I try to keep things to a theme, so you'll just have to pick through them one at a time today to find what you need.

A vintage pin (brooch) from the early 1960s in silver plating with faux sapphires and rhinestones in a large sweeping design.

This belonged to my mother and once upon a time also had a pair of clip-on matching earrings.

My grandmother had the same set with green stones (or "faux emeralds" if you like, lol). These types of sets could often be purchased at department stores like Zellers, K-Mart, or Woolco (now WalMart of course) back in the 1960s and 1970s).

Here's another vintage pin that belonged to my mother - a butterfly design in silver plate with rhinestones and faux garnets.

One For the Ladies

Well, we've had a couple of posts designed distinctly for the men, so today's is mostly for the women and girls...rings, rings and more rings. I've got some other jewelry to post later on - necklaces, watches (mens and ladies), and vintage brooches (pins), but for today, just a few rings.


This rather large ring is silver with cubic zirconias in a round pattern. Designed after a dinner-ring style, it's meant for wearing at a fancy dinner party or large event. This one is about 15 years old, and still looks pretty good on the hand.


This wedding ring set has been seen on this blog before, in a velvet box. Here, they are viewed from the font, instead of the side. A delicate set with raised shoulders, these are 14 karat gold with single diamonds in both the engagement ring and wedding ring.