Favorite Vintage Jewelry Doesn't Have To Match...

Sometimes the best vintage costume jewelry is not the most expensive, or a set, for that matter. It's the pieces we luv, and that catch our imagination! One of the eras that captures my imagination is the 'Roaring '20's'!
Two of these pieces may be from the 1920's, as they sure look old enough to be from a 'flapper'...the brass / bakelite bangle, and the long green beaded necklace. The green / blue beaded earrings, I am guessing to be from the 1940's, but this 'set' of three that I have put together is fun to wear! They complement each other!

The Benefits of Owning a Jewelers Loupe...

I had put off buying a jewelers loupe for quite sometime, but finally I did go to a gold and gem shop that sold them. I found the loupes to be very inexpensive; mine was only $18.00 + tax.
Since then I have used it constantly at estate sales, collectible malls, and rechecking my own collection of vintage costume jewelry. The print on top of the jewelers loupe is wearing off...I have used it so often! I'm pretty sure it was 10x magnification. The shopkeeper had said that was the strongest I would need for my 'treasure hunting'.
Just recently I have found designer names on some of my vintage costume jewelry, and I found a very tiny STG with a hallmark, for sterling silver, on the backings of a pair of rhinestone earrings! I'm so glad I finally bought my jewelers loupe! :O)









Vintage Sterling Silver Rhinestone Dangling Earrings at BlackRain4's Etsy Shop

The Fine Line Between 'Vintage Picker With A Passion' or 'Vintage Hoarder'!

Collecting vintage and antiques can become very addictive! I'm a 'case in point'! It is a very fine line between a 'vintage picker' and a 'vintage hoarder'!
As I was watching an episode of the 'American Pickers', on the History channel, it showed a man who let Mike and Frank come to his place with the expectation to buy, and it was like 'prying teeth' for them to make any purchases. The man was asking very high retail prices for his antiques and vintage!
That show can be a great lesson for all of us 'vintage and antique lovers'. Continue the 'hunt' for your all time vintage treasure, but part with some of the ones you have...share your finds with others!
Here is a great example of a costume jewelry find, that I will never part with...at least I don't think so! LOL It is a 1930s Coral Floral Necklace, that came in the original company box. But..I had to put a piece of jewelry in my 'selling' pile....

At long last vacation time for me, but I can't leave those antique malls alone! :O)

It's been ages since I've been on the blog...I know I'm just terrible! I was at the point of computer overload! LOL All work and very little 'play' made me a very grumpy gal!
My hubby and I are in Houston, Tx., staying three nights at the Hyatt Place Hotel; tonight's our last night. :O( I'm using the hotel PC to blog. (We'll be coming back here again, as we were treated like royalty! It's a three star hotel, but the staff are super nice! My hubby luvs the HD channels on the wide screen T.V. It's probably a plasma too...gorgeous picture! Corpus Christi is behind the times!)
We became members of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and went to the Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit (China's first emperor...13 yrs. old when he came into power.)on Thursday when we arrived in town. This historical figure was a "monster" enslaving his own people to create a monument to himself! He tortured, maimed, and murdered at whim...people were buried alive! He just might surpass Hitler in historical "monster" category! Super exhibit!
Friday we returned to see the Ghengis Khan Exhibit, and found out that this historical Mongolian leader and conqueror, was not the monster that Hollywood portrayed. He promoted freedom of religion, started the first postal service, taxation system (but he made artisans, teachers, and religious clergymen tax exempt), conservation effort, promoted literacy, encouraged free trade among many countries, and much, much more! He was great at making money! He invented battle tactics that are still taught at military academies...even West Point! ...Imagine that!!!
We'll see how tomorrow goes before we leave...maybe stop by again to see the Diamond Exhibit and a 3D Imax film in the am.
This weekend jaunt was based around the Museum and a rock concert. This die hard Aerosmith fan, got to see them again in concert, on Friday night! The 'boys from Boston' were teamed up with the 'Texas boys', ZZTop! This is my second time to see Aerosmith, and third time for ZZTop! 'Great concert, but the Woodlands Pavillian was soooo hot!!! I thought I would melt into the seat! It's outdoor, with a covered part, that we were under, but the fans above did very little...it must have been 110 degrees with all the folks in there!!! The sound was unclear too; I couldn't even make out the words to the songs, and both groups sing quite clearly. It was the sound bouncing around in the Pavillion! Oh, well...next time we'll try the AT&T Center, San Antonio, or Corpus, or fly somewhere to a larger stadium concert!
Today we went to an antique mall in Spring, Tx., north of Houston; the Woodlands had been farther out. I was shown some vintage jewelry treasures, in a nautical style jewelry case, that I had asked about. But when this linen luver was told of vintage linens, that this vendor had in her area...I started looking and spent the last of my cash for discounts! LOL So...my hubby had walked through the mall, but I had only looked at three areas briefly, before attacking the linens!!! LOL
Some of these will be listed on my websites, and/or my Etsy, or Bonanzle shops. When I get some listed, I'll post photos here too!
So...I'm signing off for now...this linen luver is spending some time with the hubby making iced coffees to drink with our dessert, and curling up in front of the big screen...with wine coolers to follow! LOL :O)