As far as jewelry is concerned, and style for that matter, there wasn’t really anything extraordinary – except for Sandy Powell – she stole the show! A well deserved Oscar to a very talented Costume Designer with an
incredible sense of style. She looked stunning and did not even wear a gown.

Every one else was ho-hum in my opinion, some of those dresses looked like fabric tornadoes and there was no color in the jewelry, only boring diamonds.Some red, which I like but not enough to make me change my opinion. If I saw one more nude color dress, I would scream!

Too uniform and expected, those stylists need to get more creative and take some chances. Made me miss the days of Cher.

The cast of “Precious” looked beautiful in royal blue.

As much as I love the hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, I thought the whole show was boring, except for the dance portion. No musical performances?

They did not include some famous actors that passed away last year, like Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur. Yes, they did movies too. Missing them is worse than including Michael Jackson, which I can understand. He is the King of Pop (no one has taken his place) but he did two very successful movies.

They are so at a loss for what to do that the phrase “And the Winner is…” was brought back after being banished for quite some time. For years it became “And the Oscar goes to…”Did they really think that would be exciting?

There is one thing that I really like about the show – a drop down background made of several different lamp shades. Go figure! It was so bad I was paying more attention to the set than to what was actually happening on the stage. No offense to the set designers, much to the contrary. They did a wonderful job. In my opinion, the best in many years.

Overall it was utterly run of the mill, which makes me think I will find something better to do next year.

Sadly, Alexander McQueen died two days ago, apparently took his own life.  I can see some parallels between him and Van Gogh.  Both brilliant to the point of insanity.

He was young, about 40 years. A rebel and a genius at odds with an industry that is more interested in selling than creating. You can see a retrospective of Alexander McQueen’s work from 2001 to his last collection at the New York Magazine site.

His New York store on 14th Street is closed until next week and an impromptu memorial is growing on the icy sidewalks.

His death leaves a void of creativity in the fashion world. He will be greatly missed.  As Blondie once sang “Die Young, Stay Pretty”.

He was very pleased with his latest collections, shown in London this past October (2009) which sadly became his last. Titled “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” and inspired by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, it was streamed live on the web.

You can watch it here:

Vintage Carved Moonstone Moon Face Ring 14k Gold

Blissfully Smiling Full Moon Carved Moonstone 14 k Gold Ring

This gorgeous ring is Vintage. It was treasured and very well cared for.  It is beautifully made, the carving is detailed and done with great care. Full of joy and contentment, just like she makes you feel

Buying Vintage is also a wonderful way to shop green this Valentine’s Day or anytime.  Show her you care for our planet too.

Vintage Pauline Trigere Rhinestone Doube Stars Brooch

You might also give her the stars!  This beautiful pave rhinestone vintage brooch is by famous designer Pauline Trigere.  She will be so impressed you know about rare Vintage Costume Jewelry and Important Designers!

This is a gorgeous vintage signed brooch and sparkles like her eyes do when she sees you!

We have many other choices, you can visit our site for other Vintage Jewelry

We ship very fast (even in a snow storm as long as USPS is running) and we gift wrap it for you at no charge!

She will love to see you took your time and made a wonderful choice!

Over the years of buying lots, jewelry boxes and estates,  little bits and pieces of Antique and Vintage jewelry accumulate. Some of it can be solid gold, some of it can be just plated or gold filled.

Sometime ago, I decided to cash in on these and sent them to my trusted buyer to be melted. There was quite an amount and I thought I was in for a small treasure.  Much to my disappointment, 1/3 of it was not solid gold!  I had tested each tiny piece by scratching it on the test stone, following the given directions and it had reacted as gold should, so how come it was not right?

As it turns out, rubbing the piece or removing shavings from it is not a sure way to test. Read on and I will share my secret.

The Basics:

It is important to note that gold filled or rolled gold and gold plated are not the same. They are very different and have very different values.  Gold filled or rolled gold actually has a gold content. The gold content in plated jewelry is negligible.

The process for making Gold Filled is similar to making a sandwich.  One or two sheets of gold and one sheet of base metal are layered. Generally speaking, brass is used for Yellow Gold Filled and Copper is used for Rose Gold Fill.  If two sheets of gold are used, the base metal will be in the middle (like a sandwich).  The sheets are then heated and passed through a rolling mill, hence the name rolled gold.  The heat and pressure cause the sheets to bond permanently.

Gold plated is a different process all together. The jewelry or metal piece is attached to a wire on the negative side, a piece of pure gold is attached to the positive side of the same wire.  The two ends are submerged into a special liquid (plating solution). A low voltage current is then applied. The current causes gold molecules to move from the pure gold to the surface of the metal being plated.  Older antique and vintage jewelry tends to have a thicker layer of gold, but as you can tell from the process itself, that layer is still very thin, generally 7 microns for better quality. Nowadays, most plating is done with a maximum of 3 microns. A micron is one thousand of a millimeter. That’s really thin!

Back to our testing for gold and silver content with an acid test kit.

First let me start with a very big warning:

Use extreme caution! Always follow test kit manufacturer instructions and use loads of common sense.

• These chemicals are dangerous, they are acids and very destructive, they burn the skin and surfaces of furniture.
• Do not leave where children and pets can reach them.
• Work in a well ventilated area. Do not breath the fumes or stand with your face right above the testing area. Do not let it splash.
• Wear goggles to protect your eyes. Do not get it on your skin!
• Do not allow testing liquids to touch gemstones, enamel or any ornamentation on the jewelry.
• Always start with the 10k Gold Testing Solution and go up from there as described below.
• If the piece is of lower than 10k it might be damaged as well.

Testing for gold with an acid test kit:

Clean the piece well.  Examine every area of it carefully with a jeweler’s loupe. If you see that the edges or high profile areas are a different color you can probably stop there, the piece is gold plated.  Another sign to look for is the quality of manufacturing. For instance, very rarely you will you see gold necklaces that do not have soldered links. I have never seen one, all of the vintage and antique gold necklaces I have had had soldered links.

Look for quality marks. I test all jewelry, even when it is marked. Until the 1980s it was acceptable to have some variation on the gold content per karat. So you may come across jewelry marked 14k that might have a content as low as 12k!  Once or twice, I also tested jewelry fully marked 14k and it was just plated.

Now you have looked at the piece carefully and there is no indication that it is plated, no costume jewelry company name on it, no metal quality mark.  We go to the next step.

Some very important things to keep in mind:

The acid can destroy or at least damage the piece of jewelry tested if it is not solid gold. Be extremely careful and try to find an area where it will be seen the least.  Make sure to have a clear surface for the test stone. Have some Baking Soda handy to neutralize the acid right away. Place some in a shaker or small cup, have it with you while testing.

Because gold filled has a thick layer of gold, rubbing it on the test stone is sometimes not enough to determine if a piece is gold filled or solid gold. My experience is that the older it is the thicker is the layer of gold.

You need to make a tiny incision in a hidden area. Using a single edge razor blade, carefully make a small but fairly deep cut, no bigger than 1/16″ . Take care not to go through it!  What you want to do is to get to the metal underneath the surface layer. At that spot, drop the smallest of drops and wait a second or two.  If it turns green you can stop, it is gold filled. It will bubble like crazy. As soon as you see the green color throw some baking soda on it to neutralize the acid. Do not breathe any fumes. Then wash the piece well and polish with a Sunshine Cloth (not affiliated, just think it does a great job).  If instructions are followed carefully you should have no problem returning the piece to it’s original condition and removing all the marks, if any, left by the testing liquid.

If you had no reaction with the gold testing acid, congratulations!  The piece is solid gold and now we will determine what karat it is.

Take the test stone that comes with the kit.

Choose an area on the jewelry you want to test that is not easily seen. Rub it carefully and evenly to create a fairly healthy streak on the stone. Avoid keeping the same spot against the stone as it will sand down the surface. Drop the 10k Gold Testing Liquid on to the streak on the stone. If the color of the scratch remains unchanged, it is 10k or higher. Proceed by repeating the process using the 14k Testing Solution. If the scratch color remains unchanged, it is at least 14k and you should repeat the process with liquids for 18k and until 22k or 24k solution, whichever is included in your test kit.  When the color changes from one step to the next the last karat solution which caused no change is the karat gold for the jewelry you are testing.

It is always good to replace the test kit with a new one about every 6 months.  I have been told the liquid gets stronger with time, which would cause a karat reading lower than the actual karat weight of the jewelry being tested.

And one more reminder:  Use extreme caution and loads of common sense!

Please also note that I am not responsible for any mishaps that might occur. This is how I do it and I am just sharing my experience. There maybe a better way for you. And if you do not feel comfortable doing this, by all means, bring it to your trusted jeweler and have him or her do it for you.

This gorgeous vintage key brooch is over 3″ in length and sure to make a statement. Not only it is a great design, is also one very coveted form, brought to you courtesy of Tiffany’s newest Fine Jewelry collection which uses several antique key shapes as the basis for pendants and charms.

This Haskell brooch is more unique, it was made decades ago, in the 1960s. It is also signed.

At a mere $145.00 and Free Shipping to the US, it will keep you safe from over spending.

Available at VeraBattemarco.com.

Signed Miriam Haskell Vintage 1960s Key Brooch or large Pin

Back at the studio I started the cleaning process as I do with each piece I offer for sale, prior to doing the research involved in each listing. When I started to hand polish the back, the name tag fell out! It was glued and not soldered!

So carry your loupe with you and make sure to check the area around the tag for the solder. If it is not soldered, it is not authentic!

This one is an authentic early 1960’s necklace.  Note the soldering around the tag, there is no gap.

KJL Kenneth Jay Lane Vintage 1960s India Inspired Long Necklace

Notice the solder puddle around the tag, this is authentic.

If you have a question, please post a comment.

This is Art, ephemeral, ever changing, moving, powerful as life itself.

Ksenyia Simonova is the Ukranian artist that just won the Ukraine’s version of the popular TV show “America’s Got Talent”.   It proves that even Commercial Television can present Art, and that Art is to be lived and shared.

Bravo! It is wonderful.

Newly added antique and vintage jewelry and jewelry boxes at the website.

Please use this link to see all newly added Vintage Jewelry.