Let us see your Christmas jewellery to make a festive statement

 Wearing Christmas jewellery

Ever year at Christmas, a whole range of festive Christmas jewellery is produced. So let us see your Christmas jewellery to make a festive statement. From Christmas tree brooches to Santa earrings and Xmas necklaces. Many are of the novelty style in bright colours. Worn at the office or at Christmas parties. However this year will be quite different. With no parties or even going to the office is no longer allowed. As the Corona Virus sweeps across the world, many of the usual festive activities can not be held. But that doesn't mean that you can not brighten up your day by wearing your Christmas jewellery around the house, for conference calls, for shopping and for small family gatherings. 

Here are a selection of Christmas jewellery, we have collected over the years. Maybe you own some of these?  These all have some designs that are traditionally associated with the festive season.   

A large angel bear brooch with a festive bow detail. Made of resin. From the 1980s to 1990s. 

A more modern deer brooch in black acrylic. Plain but effective and unsigned.

Handmade cameo brooch by Gothic White Witch. This candy cane Christmas cameo has been coloured in black for that something different. Surrounded by a silver frame.

Dropper earrings of small Santa cats. These pewter metal pair have enamelled Father Christmas red hats on their heads. Produced by Avon a few years ago in a set of different images. Unsigned and now often found separated from the original collection. Some had a matching brooch. 

A large novelty father Christmas bear brooch. This silver metal bear figural is wearing a Santa hat and red enamelled waist coat. Unsigned and produced in the 1990s to 2000s.

A festive Christmas brooch of a pair of bells. Each bell is studded with red diamante and has enamel holly leaf detail. Unsigned and made around the 1990s to 2000s.

Enamelled Christmas bell brooch with holly decoration. Unsigned

Love the Christmas image on this paper mache brooch. Square shaped and painted in glossy black with father Christmas in his sleigh. The reverse also has a festive image so that if it turns whilst wearing - it is still a brilliant Christmas necklace to wear. 

Large pair of Christmas mice earrings. These clip on earrings have resin mice figural in a light blue colour with Christmas hats and scarf holding Christmas presents. Unsigned and brilliant novelty wear. Pre-owned and from the early 2000s.

This Xmas pudding badge has a cheerful face with yellow custard hair and holly decoration. Made of a rubbery material and from the early 2000s. 

Christmas tree brooch by Danecraft, I think. An American company Gerry's.

Pretty Christmas bell brooch in bright red with a holly design. Unsigned.

A golden Xmas tree necklace by Gothic White Witch with a large cameo pendant.

The silver version of the Christmas tree cameo brooch by Gothic White Witch.

Pretty 1960s vintage snowflake brooch with clear diamante. Unsigned.

A little bit different. A Bethlehem brooch with real flowers collected on a Bethlehem visit.

Disney produce a range of fabulous enamel brooches . This one has Eeyore wearing his red Santa hat.

A 1970s enamel Christmas candlestick brooch. Unusual.

A 1980s vintage candle pin brooch with a white enamel candle that has a festive design. 

Cute Father Christmas earrings for pierced ears. Unsigned and from the early 2000s.

This is a 1980s vintage Santa brooch pin with him carrying a sack of toys. Enamel and bright red colours. Small in size and unsigned.

Not the best but a small Father Christmas pin badge of his head. 

Can't be without a pair of Christmas bauble earrings. This pair are in gold colours and for pierced ears. Large in size.

Holly brooch from the 1960s. With a red cabochon centre and enamel holly around the outside. Unsigned. 

A very unique Jesus brooch. This red rose and personalised with the name Jesus in silver metal. Unsigned and probably from the 1970s.

Fabulous Christmas Joy brooch in resin. Love the look of this one and probably 1960s to 1970s of origin. Joy in bold red letters with a holly garland. Unsigned.

Small Macmillan charity pin with Rudolph sporting a red Christmas jumper. 

This angel jewellery set from Avon has pewter brooch and matching earrings. The angel brooch has the words "Merry Christmas" on the front. Unsigned and from a range of pewter jewellery made by Avon in years gone bye.

Back of the cute Christmas necklace shown above.

Another Disney brooch with Mickey Mouse featured. These are quite large and signed.

Modern Christmas tree brooch. I add this tree design to my growing collection every year. 

More modern lightweight bell and Santa brooch pins. Made of plastic and very traditional.

Again not the best but a Christmas tree badge with stockings and a star. Made in resin.

Cute reindeer earrings by Avon. In pewter with red and white enamel to their Santa hats. Would have been originally sold in a set.

Large Santa Baby earrings in gold metal. Each hoop has the words Santa and baby in the middle. Kitsch pair for pierced ears.

Dropper earrings with enamelled Santa design. For pierced ears and in bright red and white 

Glitter bell jewellery set by Avon. A bell brooch in silver and red with matching dropper earrings for pierced ears. Unsigned but in their original box.

A large skating bear brooch wearing a woollen hat and scarf. Not obviously for Xmas but a great winter accessory. Circa early 2000s of age.

Resin candle brooch pin. Small with a bright red candle and holly design.

Enamelled snowman badge from the 1980s. This is the one I wore when working at Christmas as a midwife. those days we wore our hospital badges and other insignia on our uniforms. 

Last in this blog (for now) is a small Paddington bear badge. This is a copy of the original Paddington as it looks slightly off. Made in China badge pin. 

I have many other Christmas jewellery to show. Just got to find the time to photograph. But have a lovely Christmas this year and see you soon.

Halloween jewellery

Halloween jewellery fun to wear with a Halloween costume

What sort of jewellery did you wear this Halloween? Well you can go for the dark and mysterious stylish Gothic or the fun Gothic Halloween jewellery that is available at this time of year. With bat, skull, witch, snake, spider and vampire inspired pieces there is something for everyone.

This alternative felt brooch has a cheerful wooden pumpkin look. Great to dress up a lapel or bag. This is fun Halloween jewellery to brighten up those dull Autumn days.

The mysterious Gothic Halloween jewellery style can be achieved simply by using a black or navy coloured brooch, bracelet, necklace or earrings. Add a little Gothic and you are suitably dressed.

This conjoined twin cameo necklace adds a little macabre detail to a Halloween costume. Produced by Gothic White Witch.   

Cheap and cheerful gross neck choker to imitate a cut throat. Adds a bloody touch to a black outfit. 

Long dangling skeleton earrings in black from Claire's Accessories. 

Large single spider earring for pierced ears. Black with silver markings. Another Halloween favourite ear wear,

Novelty witch ring in plastic. These rings were on the top of cupcakes from Greggs the bakers.

Claire's fashion jewellery usually produce fun Halloween pieces to wear. This dangling pair of spider web earrings for pierced ears are just right for a Halloween party. 

Love the skull necklace look? Then wear this Hematite cool piece. Yes cool in looks and also in the fact that Hematite is quite cold against your skin.

Another skull necklace. this one is large and as pre-owned of unknown original manufacturer. In the sugar skull style favoured by the Mexican tradition. Used in Day of the Dead or in All Souls Day celebrations

Pumpkin hair accessories with resin pumpkins of a hair band and hair slides.

A larger pair of Halloween earrings with spiders and spider web designs by Claires. 

Gothic White witch produced an alternative spider onto a felt brooch.

A large spider web necklace in blackened metal. Produced by Claire's jewellery in the UK.

A green faced witch hair accessories on their original card. Witch hair slides and matching hair bands.

Superb bat necklace in pewter by Alchemy Gothic. This Gothic necklace was produced in 2005. Bats are designed in links with a single blood red tear drop - just right for Halloween or to wear at any other Gothic moment.

Wearing a black spider brooch will lift any outfit to a Gothic or Halloween look. Love this spider as he is covered in black diamante. 

Avon produced this superb cat on a broom brooch a few years ago now. Unsigned but still can be found at car boot sales and online. Wore a witch brooch once for Halloween and I was asked if I was a witch!

This is a brilliant brooch. It was cheap and found in the Halloween section of a pound shop. It still lights up after several years. 

And lastly a beautiful red diamante covered spider web necklace by Claire's - A must accessory for Halloween wear.

 See our other posts about witch jewellery and Gothic jewellery in general 

Updated February 2022.

Updating silver plated pewter jewellery blog about Silver Scenes or MASJ

Updating blog post about MASJ jewellery.

 We have now updated the blog post about the jewellery that is mostly silver plated onto pewter. Produced by Silver Scenes and also designed by MASJ. in the 1990s. Later jewellery produced by the company after they took over from MASJ is stamped Silver Scenes. So we have added more photographs of the pieces we have found on our travels. Including brooches and a jewellery set. 

So take a look at MASJ jewellery Silver Scenes of Wales.  

Dahlia flower depicted on this pretty brooch by MASJ. No date on this one.

Bone jewellery.

Love it or hate it? Bone jewellery has been around for a very long time and is still used extensively for material in jewellery today, even with the rise of the Vegan way of thinking. Bone is not only tactile, but a cheap component in jewellery to use. Once hand carved but now machine manufactured. It will be around for years to come. Now suitable to collect the many different bone jewellery pieces still available. It is relatively cheaper to create a collection. Although older antique jewellery is becoming more difficult to find. 

Antique Scottish bone brooch of a thistle – hand carved.

The history of bone jewellery.

One of the earliest materials used by our ancestors was bone to make jewellery. After picking the bones dry, they used Ibex, horse. Carved bone jewellery was used to adoring themselves. Maybe to draw the animals to them when hunting – as obtaining food was a must to survive. No nipping to the local shop to buy groceries then. Or jewellery and clothing accessories were used in ritualistic practices or just for plain fashion of the times!. No one really knows for sure. Certainly, a bone was used in holding clothes together like buttons, clasps and buckles. But it was also fastened into beads and brooches that had no function other than to look good.

It seems to have been also used as a memorial to dead ancestors. Human bone beads were used in certain religion’s prayer beads. Ancient people would have their relatives or loved one’s bones or teeth fashioned into a necklace or headdress. A way to keep their memory alive or to give them that deceased person’s knowledge? Not something we would consider today – or is it. Jewellery can still be made with your loved one’s ashes turned into diamonds or a locket/holder that can contain a small amount of the cremated remains of your husband/wife/mother/father/child, etc.

Bone was used for jewellery making in certain cultures and in certain decades. Ethnic, Egyptian and North American jewellery often used bone. The Victorian era has many examples. Used to make Scottish bone jewellery and also harvest inspired pieces for good luck. Bone enjoyed a brief revival in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Chunky often tribal pieces were produced and imported into the UK. Today, bone is once again out of fashion with the move to vegan products. 

Vintage rose brooch by Exquisite – the rose is carved bone circa the 1960s.

Harvest festival corn sheaf brooch - antique from Victorian era.

Bone jewellery from the past to now....

Animal bone in jewellery has never really gone out fashion. Nowadays it is dyed and shaped so that you can not tell what it is. A bone of course is used extensively now in our everyday life, as it was our ancestors. The following pieces of jewellery of bone and other materials are some that have been sourced in our travels and from many sources.

Bone and wood chunky bangle - modern in white, and two colours of brown wood (light and dark) Set into a brass bangle frame.

Black and yellow magnificent multi layered necklace. Bone and wood combination to give this tribal style. Modern necklace from the early 2000s.

Gold and black polished bone necklace. V shaped and quite chunky design circa 1990s.

An antique style bone bangle (modern from the early 2000s). Brass and off white bone have been segmented together to create this chunky piece.

Another chunky bone bangle. Again segments of white and black bone with brass giving a modern contemporary style. From the early 2000s. 

Not strictly bone but horn - popular in Victorian jewellery. Here is a horn shaped brooch and below a thistle in silver metal fixed to a piece of antler horn. Both antique pieces.

A carved leaf brooch - antique now and mellowed to this yellow colouring.

A big and chunky red bone necklace. Wood beads with polished spine bone shaped beads. Asymmetrical and again a more modern necklace from the early 2000s.

Another large focal bone and wood necklace. This in neutral colours of brown both light and dark. Here the rectangular shaped bone is fixed onto polished wood. Modern from the early 2000s.

The above floral bead necklace looks like bone carved but is in fact made of plastic! Sometimes it can be difficult to see what the material is actually. This has been made to imitate carved bone, but made cheaply and probably mass produced. As usual, we will add to this blog post photographs of the bone jewellery we still sourced. So please bookmark and come back again..

antique beads and bead styles shown

Antique beads and vintage bead styles shown here.

Beads have been around for centuries, our ancestors used seeds, bones and shells strung together to wear around their necks.
In today's blog, I have decided to look at some of the different styles of antique and  vintage bead necklaces available both costume and fine necklaces. Above is an antique Carnival Glass necklace.

The most simple beaded necklace can be made by threading beads onto a string type of material to produce a necklace that is long enough to slip over your neck. Once the beads are long enough the ends are tied together so no clasps are used.

These were popular in the 1920s with flapper revolution. Women wore their hair and skirts short for the first time and layered bead necklaces around their necks. 

Again in the 1960s, long beads came very much to the front of fashion for hippies. With their love beads, multicoloured clothing and jewellery to match - flower power very evident.

1960s vintage beaded necklace in green. From Hong Kong and signed on the hook clasp. Three strands of beads in plastic.

A long vintage bead necklace from the 1960s. Shaped beads of glass in a lime green colour.

Bright stone beads dyed in bright colours. Antique and very unusual.

Long necklaces can be made from many materials, pearls, faux pearls, Bakelite, celluloid, plastic, seeds, gemstones and wood to name but a few.
Today long necklaces can be wrapped around your neck once or twice to create a layered effect. Several different colours can be worn. Try a long black bead necklace with a faux pearl bead necklace. It looks great with a plain t-shirt and an over shirt worn as a jacket.

Long necklaces can also double as bracelets. Wrap one several time around your wrist for that fashionable layered look.

Opposite is a long red bead necklace circa 1980s

A single string of beads with a clasp fitted is I think the next type of necklace for popularity. My pearl necklace is probably the one that I use the most for the day and going out in the evening. The clasps can be plain or ornate. Vintage necklaces with an ornate clasp were often better made and more expensive when new. Designed to wear with a hairstyle that left the back of your neck bare, so the clasp was clearly visible. Audrey Hepburn was a classic beauty with her black dress, long black gloves and a beaded necklace with an ornate clasp. Very stylish in the 1930s and 1940s when everyone went to the cinema and the Hollywood stars were copied
The clasp need not be at the back of the neck. Today such a necklace can be worn with the clasp around the front in any position. Double stranded bead necklace of glass pearls with a blue rhinestone clasp.

Multi-layered bead necklaces have been fashionable for centuries. Even in this issue of December's Vogue UK, there is a multi-layered bead necklace by Chanel. The clasp has been replaced by a bow, quite easy to copy at home - if the ££££ price tag is a bit too much. Just attach a bow available from haberdasheries to a long slip over bead necklace or to a plain clasp on a shorter layered necklace. Coordinate the bow to match the necklace.

Coral bead necklace 1960s with an ornate clasp.

Milk glass beaded necklace 1960s with an ornate clasp fastening.

Antique Tigers Eye bead necklace - see the irregular shape of the beads that have been hand cut.

Yellow long bead necklace 1920s with metal pin links.