Unusual Vintage Finds

I came across these rings on eBay and thought they were so very unique and worth mentioning.

The first is a Vintage (circa 1950's), 18K Emerald and Diamond Ring made in the USSR. The emerald is natural and is approximately .80 carat. This ring is very unusual and lovely due to it's marquis shape with a cutout window around the emerald and the  leaf shape piercing detail. 

 

 The second is an Antique (circa 1910), Russian Platinum Ring with a brilliant, natural, cushion cut Cognac Diamond in the center and ten rose cut white diamonds. The setting is very unique, made in the Art Nouveau style. The estimate weight of the cognac hued diamond is .70 carat.

 

Both rings have lovely milgrain detail along the edges which is characteristic of antique jewelry. The milgrain catches the light and provides an extra dimension to the rings. 

Jazz Age Earrings

With the upcoming release of The Great Gatsby and with Tiffany & Co launching a Jazz Age jewelry collection in honor of the film, deco jewelry is suddenly back on "the map". Personally, I always preferred and will prefer the real thing to any imitations.

Here are some genuine antique diamond earrings of the Art Deco period.
Aren't these absolutely exquisite?

Platinum Art Deco Diamond Chandelier Earrings 

Art Deco Platinum & Sapphire Earrings

Estate Platinum Diamond & Sapphire Earrings

I'm drooling so badly over these. The price tag makes me want to cry.

Seriously, I NEED to win the lottery! 

 

Edwardian Platinum Diamond Earrings

I love the unusual shape!

Deco Diamond & Sapphires Earrings

Platinum Diamond Earrings

Estate Deco Diamond & Sapphire Earrings

Antique Diamond Pendants

When I got it into my head that I want to find a somewhat affordable antique diamond pendant I went in search of one in the NY diamond district on 47th Street. If  you've never been to 47th street in NYC, it's quite the international experience. You've got Italian, Jewish, Russian, Chinese, Indian and Arabic sellers all competing for your attention. Fat, burly men stand outside of shops, like pimps, enticing passerbys in broken English to check out their merchandise. Looking to buy jewelry almost makes you feel dirty. 
Anyhow, there are only a few stores in the diamond district that sell genuine antique jewelry. I browsed through their selection and only found two Art Deco pendants, neither one remotely affordable. One of the antique dealers told me that pendants and earrings of the Edwardian and Deco periods are hard to find. This is why he only had rings and bracelets in his shop. Hmmm, hard to find you say? Out comes the trusty laptop. Yes, pendants are not as common as rings, but if you seek, thou shalt find. 

Here are some very nice antique diamond pendants that I found on eBay. As I already mentioned in my previous post, I am not affiliated with any eBay sellers.

Some of these pictures are quite horrendous, but if you've ever seen similar jewelry in real life, you can imagine how beautiful it really is. Photographing diamond is tough. The light must hit it just right to show how really sparkly they are. Just use your imagination. 

Another thing I wanted to mention about purchasing expensive jewelry on eBay is you should always bargain. Even if the seller does not have the "Best offer" option, it does not hurt to contact them and ask if they would be willing to go down on the price. As long as what you're offering them is reasonable, often times the sellers will agree. This is how I managed to score a few pieces of antique jewelry. Each seller that I contacted was willing to go down a little. Hey, every little bit helps, right?

Edwardian Diamond Pendant

Ok, I would totally be buying this one if I had $3,500 to spare.

Actually, given the amount of diamonds on this necklace, the price is probably a bargain. I would imagine that if this piece fell into the hands of an antiques dealer, they would be charging double. This is a perfect and well preserved specimen of an antique diamond pendant. The back is made of yellow gold and the face of the pendant is platinum. This type of two color craftsmanship is characteristic of early 20's century 

fine jewelry. I'm personally not very fond of yellow gold, but in the case 

of antique jewelry it doesn't bother me in the least. I have a pair of Art Deco earrings that are made this way and you can't even see the yellow gold when the earrings are worn.

Another lovely antique pendant. 

Looks like it was made in the Art Deco era. 

Platinum Antique Diamond Pendant

Here's another solid platinum pendant. I love the shape! The asking price is $2,250 or best offer, which is pretty reasonable for this jewelry piece. The appraisal papers that are included with this pendant claim it's market value is $4,500. 

Art Deco Platinum Pendant

Art Deco Diamond and Sapphire Pendant Brooch

That's right, the bail on this pendant is collapsible

and it converts into a brooch. Two pieces of jewelry in one!

The cutout or pierced detail is characteristic of period jewelry.

Diamond Filigree Pendant

Here's another pendant that converts into a brooch.

The intricate filigree detail on this one is quite lovely. 

Platinum Diamond Flower Pendant

There's a total of 2.00 carats of diamond on this antique French pendant. 

These pictures really don't do this pendant justice. How I wish all fine jewelry sellers would invest into professional photography, or at least a good camera. Hey, if anyone iss reading this, I'm available to take

pictures of your jewelry. Why? Because that's what I do.

Art Deco Diamond and Onyx Pendant

A little too flamboyant for my taste, but gorgeous non-the less!

Edwardian Diamond and Aquamarine Pendant

Antique Diamond and Ruby Pendant/Brooch

Lovely Art Nouveau style with natural ruby in the center.

Made in England.

 French Deco Diamond and Sapphire Necklace

Crafted of 18K white gold with rose cut diamonds and natural sapphires.

If you can't afford to spend thousands of dollars on jewelry

but would still like to own an antique pendant, here's a 

nice little 10K gold, Art Deco filigree piece. It's $285 or best offer.

Gold Filigree Pendant

Welcome To Delightfully Deco Blog

I started this blog as an outlet for my unfortunate obsession with antique and vintage jewelry. The reason I say "unfortunate" is because most of it I can't afford, though I did manage to score a few little pieces of antique jewelry on eBay.

My love for antique jewelry most probably evolved from growing up on novels like The Three Musketeers, Angelique, The Count of Monte Cristo and other similar titles. I love watching period films and as you can imagine, I've had my eyes glued to every episode of Downton Abbey, hungrily devouring every beautiful detail of the characters exquisite attire and jewels. To me, the beauty of antique jewelry lies in it's highly intricate details like filigree, delicate piercing patterns and beautiful organic shapes. I particularly love jewelry styles from the Edwardian era (1900-1910) and Art Deco (1920-1940). Later on, I will expound on the different jewelry styles from various periods and will post some examples. I love the history behind antique jewelry and the notion that a  jewelry piece saw the world way before my mother was born, is very appealing to me. 

In the near future, I hope to showcase a lot of exquisite jewelry on this blog, including antique engagement rings, watches, lavalier pendants, earrings, brooches and more! Since I spend way too much of my time browsing antique jewelry on the web, I will be posting plenty of pictures of beautiful and unusual finds, so stay tuned. 

Please note, I may be posting links to antique jewelry sellers, but I am in no way affiliated with any of the sellers and obviously not responsible for their integrity or the quality of their merchandise. Now with the disclaimer out of the way, enjoy all the eye candy!

Edwardian platinum and diamond necklace.

from Lang Antiques