ESSENTIAL JEWELS

This article first appeared in theplunge.com. To read the entire article click on the link below   Best Sites for Antique and Vintage Engagement Rings

One of the aspects of covering jewelry that I love is the cyclical nature and how the cultural influences collide. Sometimes there is an overriding theme that fills the air and the filters through the lens of different modern designers collections and other times,  it is just the right moment when pieces, styles or a…

I have been an antique and period jewelry collector for more than 20 years. I am drawn to different time frames in jewelry’s history and tend to mix them together and with contemporary designer pieces. Many of my friends who are just starting a collection have asked me which are the pieces that work best…

Last week I devoted an article to enchanting medallions and charms that represented luck and love. In keeping with the spirt of sentimental jewelry, I am reprinting a blog post by jewelry designer Samantha Jackson who designs both the gothic yet feminine Heavenly Vices collection as well as the L’amour collection.   As hopeless romantic and…

I have been a collector of antique pendants and charms for over 20 years. Whereas I lean to Georgian and early Victorian rings, my charm collection is a cross section of time periods and they act as a metaphor for my life— what’s gone before, my hopes, dreams, passions and beliefs and what is yet…

Shopping an antique jewelry show can take you throughout many time periods and provenances. It can make you feel sentimental. It can lead to you want to know more about the lives and loves of people who owned certain pieces that catch your eye and touch your soul. If you are a new antique/vintage jewelry…

The Chinese Zodiac (sheng xiao, which means ‘born resembling’) is based on a repeating 12-year cycle with each year related to an animal sign. The animal changes at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar. I am thrilled that this is the year of man’s (and woman’s) best…

It’s fall antique week in New York City with three shows featuring rare and authentic jewelry that range from medieval times through the vintage ‘70s. We launch our three-part series on the shows with one particular type of jewelry we spotted at different dealers at the New York City Jewelry and Watch Show, Metropolitan Pavilion,…

From the simplicity of a single enameled rose petal that seems likes its just fallen off it’s stem to the elegant balance of creating a more exotic plant such as bird of paradise for earrings, Annette Ferdinandsen has been deriving her inspiration from botanicals that range from those found in a country garden, a traipse…

July 4th for me is the time when summer kicks into full gear. It’s the time for mini breaks and beach vacations. But it seems that some jewelers never takes time off, at least the dealers and stores which carry some of Bejeweled Mag’s favorite antique, retro and vintage pieces.  Even when the shops close…