Buckle Up...Antique and Vintage Buckle Motif Jewelry

Art Deco Buckle Bracelet From Pinguim on Etsy

With this weekend being a holiday weekend here in the U.S., I keep hearing commercials saying..."Drive safely! Buckle up!". It brings to mind the fabulous buckle motif pieces of antique and vintage jewelry that my friend has in her Etsy shops. Hazel, owner and curator of the shops The Deeps and Pinguim, has the most stunning collections of jewelry! I am in awe of her shops! So I thought that I would bring you a peek at some of her fabulous jewelry! Enjoy!

Antique Victorian Mourning Locket From The Deeps on Etsy

This is just one of the amazing lockets that Hazel has in her shops!! 

Art Deco Buckle Bracelet from the 1933 Chicago's World Fair from the Deeps on Etsy

Such a fabulous bracelet!! For the steampunk collector, this bracelet features a skyline of Chicago with zeppelins!!!

Vintage Rhinestone Buckle Choker from Pinguim on Etsy

Chokers are one the hottest things showing on the runways for fall! You might want to swoop down on this one before it is gone! Remember with antique and vintage jewelry, buy it when you see it. You may not get a second chance!

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing these beautiful pieces of antique and vintage jewelry from The Deeps and Pinguim shops on Etsy. You simply must check out Hazel's shops! You will be amazed!!!! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Locket Love...Antique Victorian Lockets

Antique Victorian Locket C1870s

It's Friday and I just feel like showing off a bit! So please indulge me. I have a passion for antique Victorian jewelry...especially lockets. So I just wanted to share three of them with you. They all have different styles, but were made around the same time. All from the 1870s. On the first locket (above), the hand engraved design is so beautiful! It is different on both sides. Above you can see the flowerpot framed with a checkerboard design.

Other side of the Victorian locket.

On this side, the details continue. A beautiful encircled swallow. Scrolls. A boat on a lake. Forget-Me-Nots. It is just amazing!

The inside of the locket.

It would have held tintypes and or a memento of a loved one. 

Antique Victorian Book Locket C1870s

Here we have a small Victorian book locket from the 1870s. It also has beautifully hand engraved designs, front and back. On this side we have the designs highlighted with black enamel.

The reverse side of the locket.

Here we have the reverse side of the locket. With the highlights done in white and black enamel. To open this locket, you gently pull it open from the top. It opens by sliding or pivoting on a tiny screw. Even the spine of the book is very detailed!

Inside view of locket.

Here you can see the inside with it's hidden compartment. You can also see from this view, how the locket slides open. It is a small treasure!

Antique Victorian 14K Locket with Seed Pearls and Cobalt Blue Enamel C1870s

This is a magnificent Victorian locket! Again, the same time frame as the other two, yet totally different. The front of this locket is so rich! Gorgeous natural pearls surrounded by deep cobalt blue enamel. All in 14K yellow gold. 

Various views of the locket.

Here you can see that this beautiful locket can be worn as a brooch or a pendant. The compartment in the back would have been used to hold a lock of hair from a loved one. You simply lift the glass frame up and out of the locket.

Front view of the Victorian locket.

Here you can see a straight on view of this incredible locket! It is so beautiful!

Thanks so much for letting me share these beautiful lockets with you! For more information on these antique lockets, or to see other antique lockets, visit my shop, Wicked Darling.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Old Time Religion...Antique and Vintage Cross Jewelry

Small 1870s Victorian Mother of Pearl Cross Pendant Brooch

Over the years, I have owned many beautiful antique and vintage crosses. Cross pendants, cross earrings, cross bracelets, cross brooches. For centuries, men and women alike, have been wearing crosses as an outward symbol of their beliefs. That being said, I know many people wear crosses simply because they often make a beautiful decorative accessory to add to almost any outfit. Personally...it is both reasons for me. So I thought I would share just a few pieces of antique and vintage cross jewelry that I have in my shop, as well as pieces from my personal collection.

Back a view of the Victorian Mother of Pearl Cross

This beautiful antique Victorian mother of pearl cross, can be worn as a pendant or a brooch. It is small...so it makes a great accessory.

C1860s Antique Victorian Etruscan Revival Cross

This cross is from my personal collection...although I may list it in the future. It dates to the mid 1860s to early 1870s. The granular work on this cross is exquisite! It is all about the details here.

Straight on view of the Victorian cross

You can really see the details here. The applied gold wire and gold flowers...just beautiful!

Huge C1900 Art Nouveau Cross Pendant

This antique Art Nouveau cross is stunning! It is huge and will certainly make a statement when worn!

Close up view to show details.

Vintage 1970s Opal Cross

This is another vintage cross from my personal collection. It dates to the 1970s. Genuine opals. Very much in the style of a Krementz piece. It is hallmarked, but I cannot make out the mark. I will be testing the metal for gold content, but must be very careful...as not to damage the opals.

Straight on look at the opal cross.

Small Vintage 1930s Gold Filled Cross Pendant with Seed Pearls

And finally...this very small and dainty vintage 1930s cross. It is gold filled and has tiny little seed pearls.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing these antique and vintage crosses. Whether you are religious minded or not...you will, no doubt, find the beauty of these pieces to be timeless. Stop by my shop, Wicked Darling, to see more antique and vintage jewelry.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

Things To Come....

Antique Art Nouveau Peridot and Pearl Pin

Finding pieces to offer in my shop is always exciting! I just wanted to show you a few of the antique and vintage treasures that I will be adding to my shop, Wicked Darling, very soon. I am doing the last bit of testing and research on them before I list them. Hope that you will enjoy the sneak peek!

Vintage Art Deco Camphor Glass Pendant With Diamond

Antique Arts and Crafts Movement Pin

Small Antique Victorian Hoop Earrings

I have a large selection of antique and vintage jewelry listed at Wicked Darling. Would love for you to stop by and take a look! For free shipping (within the U.S.) on your purchase use coupon code: WickedDarlingFS

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

We All Love a Beautiful Purse - Victorian Enameled Purse Locket

We all love a beautiful purse and the Victorian ladies were no exception. This gorgeous antique Victorian purse locket dates to around 1875. It is gold with an over all blue enamel. The color of this enamel is often referred to as "robin's egg blue". There is also black enamel in the hand engraved recessed areas. This type of enamel is known as Taille d' Epergne. (You may also see this spelled Taille d' Epargne.) Set in the center, is a tiny natural seed pearl. Although this beauty is in need of a repair, I wanted to share it with you. It simply needs a pin replaced in the hinge.

This is the front and back of the beautiful locket. It is becoming hard to find these enameled antique lockets. Especially lockets that do not have a lot of damage to the enamel. That being said, even the lockets with quite a bit of damage to the enamel, are highly sought after! As a collector, damage to the enamel does not deter me. To me it shows that the piece was treasured and worn with love. However, some collectors want pristine pieces. To each his own. This locket has a teeny flee flick out of one of the enameled ivy leaves.

The inside of this tiny purse locket reveals the original paper inserts and photo rims, as well as a remaining glass cover on one side.

The side view shows the detailed craftsmanship that went into the making of this locket.

The bottom view of the locket. Notice how flush and precise the gold work is on the hinge and edges. These types of enameled lockets are found in gold and silver.

The back is just as detailed and ladylike as the front.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing this tiny treasure from my collection. I have many more treasures to share with you! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.

Wicked Darling

Struttin' Your Stuff - Vintage Peacock Brooch

Such a magnificent piece! This huge vintage peacock brooch has plenty of reason to strut! The craftsmanship is so beautiful. It has rubies and emeralds set over the entire piece. Even on the peacock's lower body. I am still researching this piece...so the jury is still out as to the metal content and exact age. I do believe that it is Middle Eastern in origin.

Notice the granular work that covers the entire front of the brooch.

You can see that the stones are open backed and really catch the light.

There is a hook on the back as well as a pin. So this can be worn as a pendant or a brooch.

The pin stem does extend past the actual brooch itself. This normally is an indication of age, but in this case I cannot say for sure. The nature of the construction could be a technique specific to a certain region.

Just a lovely piece that I wanted to share with you. I am really enjoying the research aspect of this piece and hope to bring you an update soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.

Wicked Darling

High Hopes - Victorian Earrings

Aren't these Victorian earrings gorgeous! They were the very first pair in my collection. I am always amazed when I see a pair of Victorian earrings. Not only for their beauty, but for the simple fact that they have remained "a pair" for over 100 years! I cannot tell you how many times over the last 40 years that I have purchased a new pair of earrings, only to lose one shortly there after. How many times have you swept the hair off of your face and tucked it behind your ear, only to realize..."Uh Oh! I have lost my earring!" I hate when that happens. That is why I think that pairs of antique earrings will become increasingly harder to come by. Below are some beautiful examples of single Victorian earrings from my collection, that have sadly lost their mates.

This is one of my favorite single Victorian earrings. This beautiful gold bird sitting on a two toned gold crescent moon and holding a diamond. I have always had high hopes that I would find a mate for it. It would actually make a beautiful ring or pendant.

Here is another grouping from my collection. They are beautiful, but lonely. That is a pair on the left, but one earring is missing the top with it's wire.

This group is gorgeous! I would LOVE to have complete pairs of these earrings.

Here is an example of one complete earring and just the top of the other. It really would make a lovely pendant or charm for a bracelet. All done in green, pink and yellow gold with turquoise. Very delicate and dainty.

Here we have one single earring in the center, surrounded by beautiful top pieces from earrings.

This grouping would actually look beautiful hanging from a charm bracelet. Maybe with some pearls thrown into the mix. Being an optimist, I always hold out hope that I will find a mate for these beauties...somewhere...out there...in this big world! What are your ideas for single earrings? I would love to hear about some of the creative things that you have done with them! Post your comments below. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Happy Collecting!
For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.
Wicked Darling