...not just a brooch

Today I posted an antique Art Nouveau sash pin on my website. A lot of people I meet love old brooches but they just don't wear pins so in my description I mentioned how I often re purpose these beauties (and dress clips too) into eye catching pendants and choker necklaces.




"Wide velvet ribbon tied behind the neck and an antique sash pin make a beautiful choker"




It got me to thinking about how much fun it is to find creative alternative uses for old bits and baubles. I thought I would share a couple of my own favorites.

Recently I purchased a wonderful belt buckle at a vintage show. I fell in love with it but almost passed it over because I thought it was too delicate for a belt. THEN I held it up to my neck and the light went on! What an interesting pendant it would make. There were two holes in the back, just right for attaching a chain. All I needed was a length of chain, two jump rings and needle nose pliers.....in ten minutes I had a wonderful "new" necklace!

My favorite do-over necklace came from an old "apple juice" Bakelite lamp pull. Once again I fell in love with the look of the object.

In a box of flea market junk, I spotted a funny looking sphere on a short bit of brass chain. The amber colored ball had the most beautiful warm glow when the light hit it just the right way, I was mesmerized. The dealer said it came from a broken lamp and sold it to me for just a few dollars. I knew it would make a fabulous pendant so the minute I got home I began to rummage around for a chain to hang it on. Since then it has become my favorite necklace and I have had countless people comment on it. Some have even offered to buy it right off of my neck! No way I say!

If this sounds like your cup of tea, just let the muse flow. If something catches your eye and speaks to you, think outside the box. A brooch doesn't have to just be a brooch.

Just a note for your consideration.... if you decide to get creative with old jewelry please do it without harming the piece. Unless an item is badly broken don't do anything that can't be undone. On a practical level this will destroy it's monetary value and on an emotional level it's terribly sad to see a piece of history ruined forever.

Take care now
Melody

A Peacock by any other name.

Chanel is said to have called it the “sincerest form of flattery”. Imitation that is and the world of fashion has been rife with it since…ummm…probably forever. Vintage is no exception, From every era, for every authentic designer piece out there, there are thousands of inspired look alikes.

Vintage costume jewelry is no different. In the 1930s Marcel Boucher became a cutting edge costume jewelry designer and the Boucher look was copied over and again for decades. In later years when Boucher pieces became highly prized as vintage collectibles they were again copied. Most of the time the quality of a knock off is inferior to the real thing even if they are cast from an original piece but sometimes the copy is beautifully executed making it hard to tell. Since the price difference can be astronomical it’s important to be careful before you buy.

Below are two brooches that look very much alike. The one on the left I picked up years ago at a flea market. It is a 1980s copy of the famous Marcel Boucher peacock (on the right). The original was designed in the early 60s and examples in good condition are prized by collectors. At first I thought mine might have been created later from an original mold since the company was sold in the 1970s but there are subtle differences in the design. Can you see them? Look closely they are easy to miss. Mine is not signed but the original is and the pin back is longer on the real Boucher. Both brooches are lovely but the value of mine is under $50 and the original is worth well over $200 and that’s a BIG difference!

Photo of the original brooch, courtesy of Howard Wideman at the Jewelers-Guild

Can you spot the differences? Click on photo to enlarge