Beautiful Honora Pearl necklace

Recently added is this beautiful Honora pearl necklace in rainbow coloured freshwater pearls. It is quality second hand jewellery that is still boxed and unused. Maybe it was given as a present and not a colour or length that the person receiving the gift liked or wore. Who knows! But Honora pearls are very collectible as well as very wearable. So this is one not to miss. They are usually sold via the television and online, as well as in the store situated in America.

This has pretty rainbow colours of pink, purple, light and dark green, blue, cream and orange. It is one that will brighten up an outfit even on a dark day.

This freshwater pearl necklace is signed with a removable plastic tag and comes complete with its original box and embroidered pocket bag. It is just one of the many freshwater and simulated pearl necklaces we have available.

Honora has been producing good quality jewelry in the US for around sixty years. In the last twenty years it has been producing beautiful cultured freshwater pearl jewellery in a wide range of colours. My mother (a mad QVC fan) has brought me two of their pearl necklaces in the past and they are ones that I wear often.

This cream pearl necklace is by Honora and will go with most outfits. I think this one is about 18 inches in length.

Then the most recent Christmas present from my mom was this very long peach and pink freshwater pearl necklace by Honora.

It is so versatile and all long necklaces are. I wrap it twice around my neck and leave it long. I haven't wrapped it around my wrist but there is no reason why not.

Vintage Wedding Jewellery in clear and white

Today its is very fashionable to wear vintage jewellery on your wedding day. But this is not a new idea. Many moons ago when I married this saying was a popular tradition to follow "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue"
So vintage wedding jewellery was an easy option to choose for the "something old".

Now days, beautiful vintage style wedding hair pieces can be created out of brooches and necklaces. This replaces the tiaras of Victorian and Edwardian times that were made to break down into smaller pieces of a brooch and a necklace - to wear after the wedding. So you no longer have to have bucket loads of money to add that something special to your wedding.

Another growing idea is to adore your wedding bouquet with brooches and other finery to make it extra special. I love this idea as you can be so creative. It can also be something for the bridesmaids to keep afterwards. Some brides often collect vintage brooches to give as wedding favors to their family and friends. Though I would not recommend buying brooches with missing rhinestones, as its not that easy to replace them. In fact it is something of an art and from memory there just isn't enough time in the day to prepare as it is.

White weddings became popular in Victorian and Edwardian times (due to Queen Victoria herself) and have remained so to today. But many other cultures use more vibrant decoration on their wedding day such as in this blog on Indian wedding jewellery wrote last year.

Not forgetting the groom:)

This is just a small sample of the vintage jewellery available on Jewels and Finery.

Asiana Wedding Magazine

A couple of months ago we were approached by the Asiana Magazine to use some of our vintage jewellery in their photo shoot for their Autumn edition.

The Autumn edition is now out and even if you do not intend to get married - please take a look it is very inspiring

The beautiful wedding dresses that are on show in such vibrant colours with some sparkling jewellery appeals to my closeted fashion taste. The use of jewellery is so imaginative, wearing more than one necklace, use of single earrings and vintage pearl necklaces as hair ornaments.

I could not find a tiara many moons ago, when I got married. In the eighties the only tiaras and head pieces was in silver or gold. I as usual wanted something that was not available - a mother of pearl one. In the end (a week before the wedding) I sat down with an old mother of pearl bead necklace, MOP sequins, white ribbon and some garden wire and made one. Unfortunately the wedding photographs are not close enough to see it fully.

 


The models in the magazine are also stunning, both male and female. (One of their models in the last edition taught my daughter and son to drive. He was excellent as a driving instructor).

     

Photographs from Asiana magazine Autumn 2010.
1980s wedding photograph Flairs Photographs

Jewellery Glossary Part B

Where has this month gone to?

Have spent many hours working on Jewels and Finery Craft website. Just getting the shopping carts in place have been anything but simple. It all takes so much time and I am convinced there should be an extra couple of hours in the day that would help!

So a quick glossary on the letter B. Here are some great beads to get this part started.

BAGUETTES: Gems/ crystals/diamantes cut into narrow rectangles, small baton shapes.

BANDELETTES: Decorative ribbons worn in the hair in the late 1860s

BANGLE: A bracelet which is not flexible

BAROQUE PEARLS: Also can be barrok. Irregular shaped pearls

BASSE-TAILLE: A method of enamelling in which the surface of the metal is hollowed out to receive the enamel. Similar to Champleve

BATON: Stones cut into long narrow rectangle shapes

BEZEL: Originally the part of the ring which holds the stone or other ornament. Now generally used to signify the salient or characteristic part of the ring. E.g the setting including the stone or as in a signet ring - the portion bearing the device.

BIJOUTERIE: The art of working in gold and enamel, as distinct from Joaillerie, the art of mounting precious stones

BLISTER PEARLS: A pearly deposit cut away from an oyster shell; irregularly- shaped and sometimes hollow

BRILLIANT: A form of cutting introduced by Vincenzio Peruzzi at Venice in the late seventeenth century. Nearly all diamonds are now brilliant cut and the word "brilliant" commonly means a diamond cut in this way. In a perfect briliant there are 58 facets above and 25 below the girdle

BRIOLETTES: Oval or drop shaped stones, facetted all over and often pierced at the top

BUGLES: Glass or plastic beads.originally used in dress trimmings. Now days bugles are used in both trimmings clothes, bags and also in costume jewellery

The above jewellery and beads are available at Jewels and Finery and shortly Jewels and Finery Craft

Vintage jewellery added recently

                                                        Vintage brooch Maltese Cross