Tuesday Topic of the day on the jewelry ring was for Eloxal jewellery. Apparently it is light weight aluminum that is very shiny and does not tarnish. This rang a bell that I have come across many pieces especially in vintage bracelets and vintage scarf clips. These were made in West Germany and usually marked as such and date from the 1950s to the 1970s. Eloxal stands for electrolytic oxidation of aluminum.
Already realized that several bracelets and scarf clips listed on Jewels & Finery fit this description. I went hunting for a bracelet that seemed to be similar to one shown. This is what I found:
Not a brilliant photo but this is very shiny in a gold tone vintage bracelet that is light weight dated to the 1970s. Unsigned.
Bit better photo of the segments of the bracelet.
The back - shows how shiny it is.
This was the vintage bracelet I had in mind. Again very light weigh with a pictorial covering of orange fish. No idea what this is called, but its "bubbles" in translucent and coloured orange and black that make up the design.
Close up photograph of one of the fish. Again this one is unsigned and probably dates to the 1960s. the bracelet is quite wide and fits like a cuff.
Back of the vintage fish bracelet - shiny and lightweight.
Found quite a few vintage scarf clips - this one photographed well some did not! The front piece is very shiny and light weight but the clip mechanism and plate is in a different metal and heavier probably a brass alloy.
Unsigned back of the above scarf clip.
All the above vintage scarf clips have light weight aluminum type fronts all quite shiny with brass clip mechanisms. The last scarf clip is signed West Germany the others are not.
And lastly this vintage bracelet.
This vintage bracelet would be a souvenir type circa 1960s/1970s. In a light weight gold tone. Again very shiny with motif of a swallow with a letter, a mushroom, a man in a Dutch type of clothing with a ladder carrying something?, a horse shoe and clover leaf and lastly a pig. Have no idea what this all means and the bracelet is unsigned.
I think they are all of Eloxal or part Eloxal.They are waiting to be photographed properly and will be added to the website later this year.
Already realized that several bracelets and scarf clips listed on Jewels & Finery fit this description. I went hunting for a bracelet that seemed to be similar to one shown. This is what I found:
All the above vintage scarf clips have light weight aluminum type fronts all quite shiny with brass clip mechanisms. The last scarf clip is signed West Germany the others are not.
And lastly this vintage bracelet.
I think they are all of Eloxal or part Eloxal.They are waiting to be photographed properly and will be added to the website later this year.
Love reading about vintage jewellery. Great post
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this info. In my early vintage jewellery collecting days I bought a vintage boxed necklace made from this material, and the box included a fab illustrated information leaflet all about this special metal.
DeleteI stupidly threw out the leaflet by mistake (yes, I'm kicking myself even now!), and have since been wondering what the metal was called, as you see it on a lot of W. Germany jewellery, which I have a soft spot for. Now I know! And it's true, it doesn't fade, tarnish or rust at all.
Thanks for sharing this, and good blog btw :)