Notes & stories
The School of Fine Jewelry
lessons in antique & vintage jewelry
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Heart Jewelry Meaning: Witch's Hearts, Padlocks and Puffy Hearts
Witch's hearts, padlock hearts, puffy hearts - every era drew the oldest love symbol its own way. What each one means and when it was...
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The History of the Engagement Ring: From Rome to the Diamond Solitaire
Two thousand years before the diamond solitaire there were iron rings, posy rings and fede hands. The whole story, era by era.
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What Is Mid-Century Jewelry? The Golden Decades of 1950-1975
Heavy chains, sculptural bangles and Scandinavian goldsmiths at the top of their game. A dealer on the golden decades of 1950-1975.
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What Is Retro Jewelry? Big Gold, Bows and Hollywood (1935-1950)
Big sculptural gold, bows and tank bracelets - the glamour Hollywood kept up while gold was rationed. How to know Retro when you see it.
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What Is Art Nouveau Jewelry? Nature, Whiplash Lines and a Short Golden Age
For twenty years jewelry was about dragonflies, orchids and flowing lines instead of carats. Why the style burned so bright and vanished so fast.
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What Is Georgian Jewelry? The Era Before Machines (1714-1837)
The last jewelry ever made entirely by hand, and the rarest era you can collect. What closed backs, foiled stones and candlelight have to do...
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What Is a Pinky Ring? The Finger That Carries the Family
Three sets of initials cut into 23K gold in Sweden in 1900, on a ring sized for the finger that traditionally carried them. Antique Signet...
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What Does a Ring on Each Finger Mean?
A French lily in ruby and diamond from around 1900, made for a hand that would be looked at. Antique French Lily Ring, ruby and...
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Coral in Antique Jewelry: Why It Was Everywhere, and Why It Is Not Now
A Victorian cat carved from coral, which tells you most of what you need to know about how seriously the nineteenth century took this material....
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Monogram Jewelry: Wearing Initials, Yours or Otherwise
Discover why a stranger's monogram might be the best feature of an antique piece, and how to read, buy and commission letters that carry real...
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What Is Coin Jewelry? Money You Wear
I'll show you how coins turn into cherished jewelry, why mounting affects their value, and how to spot a real strike from a clever copy.
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What Is Filigree Jewelry? Lace Made of Gold
Discover how goldsmiths coax gold and silver wire into lace, why cannetille spirals belonged to the early 1800s, and how to tell handmade filigree from...
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