THE ROMANCE OF VINTAGE JEWELRY

Today begins a week of Valentine’s Day inspired posts. For me, Valentine’s Day isn’t about a partner or significant other, rather it’s about everyone you hold near and dear in your life, past and present. It’s anyone who still has a place in your heart. Today’s post is about vintage jewelry.

Two of the pieces I’m wearing here belonged to my grandmother. If you’ve been following me for some time, you know that I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandmother, Nannie Redden. I think my love for all things beautiful came from her. She loved jewelry, clothing, shoes and makeup. She also enjoyed trying out the latest fragrance yet also had her classic favorites. I am very much the same. She gifted me my first real jewelry. I remember going to W. R. Blair many Christmases as a child to choose a new ring, charm, or necklace. She loved giving us nicer things, age appropriate of course, for us to treasure snd wear every day.

But for some reason, I always remember her love for her favorite costume jewelry, Sarah Coventry. There was nothing fancy or extravagant about this line. It was sold at home parties in the 50s and 60s and even a short time after the company who sold it went bankrupt in 1981. But I have a few pieces that belonged to my grandmother, such as this bracelet and a matching pair of earrings, and they still look as good as new. Much better than Stella & Dot pieces that I bought just a year or two ago. There’s a reason they say, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

Regardless of the brand of vintage jewelry, there is something romantic and sentimental about a piece having history. Of course if you know the history and that history included someone famous or is by a luxury brand, the piece is more valuable. I used to purchase vintage jewelry from a street vendor outside of our church downtown, and I always love wearing them and knowing it’s unlikely that I’ll see anyone else with it on. Of course when I wear jewelry that belonged to my grandmother, it brings me a sense of peace and love to know she is with me, and I like to imagine her smiling down on me and being proud of how I’ve styled it.

I had a great time searching for vintage jewelry for this post. A lot of it is Sarah Coventry, primarily because I was interested in seeing more of it and sharing a little bit of something that brought my grandmother joy. I also searched for two of the most famous costume jewelry designers, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. You can find vintage pieces on eBay, Etsy, estate sales, and auctions. For example, an auction begins at 10 a.m. this morning with items from the estate of Mrs. Henry Ford, II, and it includes a fair amount of vintage jewelry. There are also several companies that have jumped on the “recycled” and “upcycled” jewelry train, making earrings out of Chanel buttons, for example. Sweet and Spark is one of them. They have an entire page dedicated to vintage Chanel.

I’ve listed a few favorites here that are available for purchase. And the good news is that many of them are offered at a very affordable price. Best of all, they’re unique and you won’t see every blogger on Instagram wearing the pieces. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be one of a kind and wear one of a kind! Simply click on the images to shop.

SHOP VINTAGE JEWELRY