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2005 Best Of Winners

Discover Mid-America — April 2005

Fads and fashions

I just put down this month’s copy of W magazine and all I can do is shake my head. The jewelry trends they promote each year are great throwbacks to days gone by. How far back do you want to go?

Okay, how about the beginning of the twentieth century? The very modern (supposedly) collar affect designed by Michael Negrin and copied by everyone else this year, was first introduced by Princess Alexandra of Denmark in the late 1800s/early 1900s. She was the wife of Prince Edward, Victoria’s first born and heir to the English throne. There is always a hair of difference, so that future generations of collectors will hopefully be able to differentiate.

Princess Alexandra preferred pearls and diamonds. Today’s designers prefer colored stones and, in the costume genre, bright colors. Chandelier earrings have been extremely popular for the past few years and Victorian ladies were no slouches! They wore them for many years running.

Skipping right ahead to the 1920s; “Y” necklaces (although they were probably called something else at that time) were very popular and many of them survived to the present day. A few years back, Y necklaces were a must-have fashion accessory in both costume and precious stones. Also in the 1920s, long ropes of pearls were fashionable. Last year, they were also popular and available in great quantities!

Remember the 1940s and 1950s? Rhinestones were not a passing fancy — they were a fashion staple from about the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Last year, any well-dressed woman would not appear in public without a rhinestone pin on her shoulder. I even saw one on a druggist’s white coat when I visited a drugstore!

I hope many of you inherited some from your mothers and grandmothers. My supply of vintage pins ran out in December of last year and I have not had much luck replacing them. In fact, all of Denver ran out about that time.

Back to the W magazine! Bangles, bangles and more bangles to be worn up to your elbows! They especially recommend Bakelite. Good luck finding any!

Many of today’s jewelry companies, including Chanel and Dior, are making plastic bangles with stones. Vintage bangles come in sterling, gold-filled, Bakelite, and pot metal.

I guess I owe a debt of gratitude to today’s fashion gurus. Their fad influence is great for vintage jewelry dealers. So, whatever they come up with next, bring it on!

Syrma Sotiriou is the proprietor of The Treasured Scarab in Denver, and a regular contributor to Discover Mid-America. Contact her at (303) 777-6884.

> Antiquing in Colorado Archive — past columns