Oh glory, those gems!

Mrs. V

1st Lieutenant
Joined
May 5, 2017
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As requested, I am starting a thread talking about jewelry, because it is my abiding passion. My Grandmother was a teacher, and I inherited all her odd and lovely pieces. Not that they are Civil War era..just fun...1923+

Now..the basics..Cameo. Ears, pins, pendants. And I swear the bigger the better! Cameos are carved from shell, in their original form, but you will find them in all sorts of media...for example, I have a very nice set in blue..the cameo is cream on that blue back ground..And then there are the Limoge cameos, which are porcelain. They come in big or small, all are lovely. Some are faces, some are scenes.. I don’t know the “proper” backing, but I can tell you if the back has a “roller” it’s more modern, but that is OK! Honestly it is the look you are going for. I inherited a limoge pin, with tiny pearls around a cameo..it has a roller back and it is wonderful..pics to come..I bought a big honkin limoge pin that has a back that slides over the pin..It’s heavy as all heck, but I love it..

Vulcanite. It’s rubber. Seriously. And used very often in Mourning Jewelry. It’s origins lie in the discovery of Pompeii..it was the cheap alternative to obsidian, which is volcanic glass. Lots of repro’s out there. The originals might be brittle at this point in their existance.

Gems..oh my...Carnelian, Topaz, pearl, garnet, diamond at reasonable prices..Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire..before the consortiums got their hands on the gem trade. Precious gems. Turquoise raised it’s head later, but really rare. I have seen it in a crown, of all things!

Jewelry can be a big issue..post your favorite, or your questions and I will try to be a helping hand. I love jewelry, I make it. It shines in my heart.
 
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So you'll be sorry to be given all this work. I've earmarked quite a few images in this mess called files- it's habitual when there's something I'd like to know more of.

Is this an awfully large cameo? I'm not sure I've come across one this massive. I ' think ' it's 1860's- and would she be wearing a ' sontag ' or ' fichu"? That really is a giant piece of jewelry, no?

best jewelry massive cameo.jpg


best jewelry birde.jpg

Another question? Black and white images frequently have the subject's jewelry picked out in gilt/gold. Just decorative or was it intended to highlight how much gold jewelry someone could afford? One of my favorite wedding photos!

best jewelry.jpg

She's prewar by 5 or more years. Think her necklace is vulcanite? I'm fairly sure she's in mourning and don't ask me why, there's a ' I'm Southern ' vibe here. AND does she have beads in her hair? AND is that a chain at her waist?

Sorry. Told you you'd be sorry you gave permission to ask questions. There's just something about jewelry, IMO they never improved much past this era.
 
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The beautiful lady in mourning above, I get the feeling that a tragedy has been etched into her mind. I question what she may have been a witness to; such as the suffering passage of a loved one.
Was their a mode of mourning for certain types of jewelry? Certainly the wearing of some would be considered a taboo.
Lubliner.
 
View attachment 321765
As requested, I am starting a thread talking about jewelry, because it is my abiding passion. My Grandmother was a teacher, and I inherited all her odd and lovely pieces. Not that they are Civil War era..just fun...1923+

Now..the basics..Cameo. Ears, pins, pendants. And I swear the bigger the better! Cameos are carved from shell, in their original form, but you will find them in all sorts of media...for example, I have a very nice set in blue..the cameo is cream on that blue back ground..And then there are the Limoge cameos, which are porcelain. They come in big or small, all are lovely. Some are faces, some are scenes.. I don’t know the “proper” backing, but I can tell you if the back has a “roller” it’s more modern, but that is OK! Honestly it is the look you are going for. I inherited a limoge pin, with tiny pearls around a cameo..it has a roller back and it is wonderful..pics to come..I bought a big honkin limoge pin that has a back that slides over the pin..It’s heavy as all heck, but I love it..

Vulcanite. It’s rubber. Seriously. And used very often in Mourning Jewelry. It’s origins lie in the discovery of Pompeii..it was the cheap alternative to obsidian, which is volcanic glass. Lots of repro’s out there. The originals might be brittle at this point in their existance.

Gems..oh my...Carnelian, Topaz, pearl, garnet, diamond at reasonable prices..Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire..before the consortiums got their hands on the gem trade. Precious gems. Turquoise raised it’s head later, but really rare. I have seen it in a crown, of all things!

Jewelry can be a big issue..post your favorite, or your questions and I will try to be a helping hand. I love jewelry, I make it. It shines in my heart.


Thank you for sharing this awesome story and photos. With or without jewelry this lady is just beautiful!
 
View attachment 321765
As requested, I am starting a thread talking about jewelry, because it is my abiding passion. My Grandmother was a teacher, and I inherited all her odd and lovely pieces. Not that they are Civil War era..just fun...1923+

Now..the basics..Cameo. Ears, pins, pendants. And I swear the bigger the better! Cameos are carved from shell, in their original form, but you will find them in all sorts of media...for example, I have a very nice set in blue..the cameo is cream on that blue back ground..And then there are the Limoge cameos, which are porcelain. They come in big or small, all are lovely. Some are faces, some are scenes.. I don’t know the “proper” backing, but I can tell you if the back has a “roller” it’s more modern, but that is OK! Honestly it is the look you are going for. I inherited a limoge pin, with tiny pearls around a cameo..it has a roller back and it is wonderful..pics to come..I bought a big honkin limoge pin that has a back that slides over the pin..It’s heavy as all heck, but I love it..

Vulcanite. It’s rubber. Seriously. And used very often in Mourning Jewelry. It’s origins lie in the discovery of Pompeii..it was the cheap alternative to obsidian, which is volcanic glass. Lots of repro’s out there. The originals might be brittle at this point in their existance.

Gems..oh my...Carnelian, Topaz, pearl, garnet, diamond at reasonable prices..Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire..before the consortiums got their hands on the gem trade. Precious gems. Turquoise raised it’s head later, but really rare. I have seen it in a crown, of all things!

Jewelry can be a big issue..post your favorite, or your questions and I will try to be a helping hand. I love jewelry, I make it. It shines in my heart.
Don't know anything about jewelry, but I'd like to know the girl.
 
So you'll be sorry to be given all this work. I've earmarked quite a few images in this mess called files- it's habitual when there's something I'd like to know more of.

Is this an awfully large cameo? I'm not sure I've come across one this massive. I ' think ' it's 1860's- and would she be wearing a ' sontag ' or ' fichu"? That really is a giant piece of jewelry, no?

View attachment 321757

View attachment 321756
Another question? Black and white images frequently have the subject's jewelry picked out in gilt/gold. Just decorative or was it intended to highlight how much gold jewelry someone could afford? One of my favorite wedding photos!

View attachment 321758
She's prewar by 5 or more years. Think her necklace is vulcanite? I'm fairly sure she's in mourning and don't ask me why, there's a ' I'm Southern ' vibe here. AND does she have beads in her hair? AND is that a chain at her waist?

Sorry. Told you you'd be sorry you gave permission to ask questions. There's just something about jewelry, IMO they never improved much past this era.
I could go for the dame woman in the third photo.
 
So you'll be sorry to be given all this work. I've earmarked quite a few images in this mess called files- it's habitual when there's something I'd like to know more of.

Is this an awfully large cameo? I'm not sure I've come across one this massive. I ' think ' it's 1860's- and would she be wearing a ' sontag ' or ' fichu"? That really is a giant piece of jewelry, no?

View attachment 321757

View attachment 321756
Another question? Black and white images frequently have the subject's jewelry picked out in gilt/gold. Just decorative or was it intended to highlight how much gold jewelry someone could afford? One of my favorite wedding photos!

View attachment 321758
She's prewar by 5 or more years. Think her necklace is vulcanite? I'm fairly sure she's in mourning and don't ask me why, there's a ' I'm Southern ' vibe here. AND does she have beads in her hair? AND is that a chain at her waist?

Sorry. Told you you'd be sorry you gave permission to ask questions. There's just something about jewelry, IMO they never improved much past this era.
Ok...very large brooch, can’t tell if it’s a cameo or not. Might be carved ivory..that lace scarf I’ve seen draped over ladies heads as well. Picture with the gold highlights? Probably just to make it sparkle like the gold they were wearing. Necklace might be vulcanite, might be onyx. Yes, she is wearing a chain around her waist. A Chatelaine onto which she would have the keys to the spice chest among other things. And I think her hair is done in very tight spirals. Did I get everything?
 
The beautiful lady in mourning above, I get the feeling that a tragedy has been etched into her mind. I question what she may have been a witness to; such as the suffering passage of a loved one.
Was their a mode of mourning for certain types of jewelry? Certainly the wearing of some would be considered a taboo.
Lubliner.

At the Museum of the Confederacy at Appomatox there is a glass necklace that I tried to take a picture of and it never came out right with where it was placed and the glare. Anyway, each glass bead had a dark band halfway around it and was considered appropriate wear for half mourning. I would say the length was either 16 or 18".

Likewise, they had a mourning veil and when I tried to take a picture of that, it was a solid black mass and you couldn't even parse what the picture was about. That veil was solid black.
 
At the Museum of the Confederacy at Appomatox there is a glass necklace that I tried to take a picture of and it never came out right with where it was placed and the glare. Anyway, each glass bead had a dark band halfway around it and was considered appropriate wear for half mourning. I would say the length was either 16 or 18".

Likewise, they had a mourning veil and when I tried to take a picture of that, it was a solid black mass and you couldn't even parse what the picture was about. That veil was solid black.
Oh yes, there were several stages of mourning, all with the appropriate colors of dresses and jewelry.
 
So you'll be sorry to be given all this work. I've earmarked quite a few images in this mess called files- it's habitual when there's something I'd like to know more of.

Is this an awfully large cameo? I'm not sure I've come across one this massive. I ' think ' it's 1860's- and would she be wearing a ' sontag ' or ' fichu"? That really is a giant piece of jewelry, no?

View attachment 321757

View attachment 321756
Another question? Black and white images frequently have the subject's jewelry picked out in gilt/gold. Just decorative or was it intended to highlight how much gold jewelry someone could afford? One of my favorite wedding photos!

View attachment 321758
She's prewar by 5 or more years. Think her necklace is vulcanite? I'm fairly sure she's in mourning and don't ask me why, there's a ' I'm Southern ' vibe here. AND does she have beads in her hair? AND is that a chain at her waist?

Sorry. Told you you'd be sorry you gave permission to ask questions. There's just something about jewelry, IMO they never improved much past this era.
That last photo, I’ve seen this woman before in another photo, does anyone know who she is?
She’s stunning by the way.
 
OK this is awesome, thank you! I have what I think is called a ' landolier '? It's like a jeweled cobweb, very delicate, gold with a small diamond and sapphire suspended in an ornate pendant bordered in teeny pearls. Is that ' period ', meaning ACW or is it later?
Lavellier? Yes, they were very popular, and I am thinking more in the 1890’s. My Mother in Law had one, but it was stolen when her house was burglarized. My Father in Law lost his Kings Point ring in that robbery as well.

Can you post a pic? That would be helpful. Not that I am an expert!
 
They were wearing them. The necklaces that is. I think your portrait of the lady may be late Victorian. The structure of the bodice and the sleeves hint at that era. They did amazing things with white cotton..lace inserts, pin tucking, ruching...And the bodices had that pigeon breasted look to them.
 
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