A little about vintage condition
By its nature, antique and vintage jewelry has been around the block. It is almost always pre-owned. How it ages often depends on its owner. Some jewelry is loved and cared for giving it a nice patina while preserving its beautiful attributes. Aunt Ellie is not a jewelry snob. I will not overlook an interesting piece of jewelry because of a little wear. This is my perspective on condition, which you will see represented on this site:
​
-
Vintage and antique jewelry should show signs of wear consistent with its age. Minor wear to metal finishes and findings is common and acceptable. Beware of vintage jewelry which looks too new. It may be a reproduction, or worse, a fake.
-
It is desirable that stones be original to the piece and are clear and brilliant. If a stone has been replaced, it should never be noticeable. If you can tell a stone has been replaced, steer clear unless you are willing to accept its overall beauty.
-
Findings such as clasps and pinbacks should not only be original, but mechanically sound. What fun is wearing an adorable brooch which won't stay put?
-
Let's talk about lobster claws. The lobster claw clasp was patented in 1996. In no universe is that consistent with vintage jewelry. You will find pieces with lobster claw clasps here, but they are never represented as vintage. I occasionally find modern jewelry I love and hope you will love them too.
-
Pierced earrings are scarce at Aunt Ellie's. You may see some lovely antique earrings with fish hook or lever back findings. Those findings have been around for hundreds of years. I won't say never, but generally post earrings won't be found here.
Photography
All photography is done by Aunt Ellie. I am not a professional. It is my goal to take photographs which represent the piece, wear and all. I do not edit my photographs with the exception of adjusting exposure for better viewing, or to remove the rogue cat hair in the background.
​
I endeavor to get close ups from every relevant angle, and of course the requisite photos of the back and maker's mark. Please remember that while close up photos show great detail, the flaws seen in them are probably not going to be visible to the naked eye from a reasonable distance.
What is considered vintage? Antique?
Generally speaking, to be considered antique, jewelry should be 100 years of age or older. Antique jewelry tends to be fine jewelry, made of precious metals and genuine stones which were readily available at the time. However there were other materials used as well, such as bog oak, vulcanite, jet and gutta percha used in mourning jewelry.
​
Vintage jewelry is usually defined as jewelry 20 years or older. This is the guideline which applies to what I consider vintage at auction and on this site.
​
I found this helpful timeline chart on a blog called Junkbox Treasures by Daye Salander.
Selection
One last note about the selection offered on this site. While I enjoy the designer jewelry, my true loves are the unsigned pieces. My collecting over the years has given me a real respect for jewelry manufacturers who made their own lines of jewelry. These often came with tags, or in branded boxes, and do not bear a maker's mark.
​
Recently I purchased some pieces from the estate of a woman who was a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman. There were hundreds of unmarked pieces as the samples given to her did not bear the designers name. I learned that before a piece went into full production, unmarked samples were made to find out if demand was there.
​
The moral is, don't overlook the unsigned beauties. They are often beautiful, well made, high end pieces.