Fur Clips (and their cousins dress clips) first came on to the jewelry scene in the 1920s. A fur clip is a piece of jewelry which has two long prongs on a spring steel. This allows the decorative clip to be worn on a heavy fabric or fur coat. Dress clips, by comparison, often have a single metal clip, since they are meant to be worn on a lighter fabric.

Fur clips were a huge fashion trend in the roaring twenties when glamor, glitz and furs were in abundance on the fashion scene.

Most vintage and antique jewelry is stamped or etched with a mark representing the metal content and may also show the manufacturer of the jewelry as well. The stamps, hallmarks, and trademarks are sometimes located in an inconspicuous area on the jewelry and other times, the mark is plainly visible.  

The U.S. government, via the Gold and Silver Stamping Act of 1906, required that all jewelry and related items marked karat gold or sterling silver be accompanied by the manufacturer's trademark.

My Vintage Garden

We collect jewelry for many reasons: it matches a special dress, we love the color, theme or the designer, but sometimes a piece of jewelry can mean much more. Our dearest treasures are those that remind us someone we love- a mother, daughter, husband or friend.

When buying vintage and antique jewelry how do you determine the age of the piece? Dating jewelry is done through multiple methods – looking at stylistic clues, at techniques of construction, at hallmarks, and at patent numbers. However I’ve found that by remembering a few key dates can help in narrowing down the date of a lot of pieces, or at least eliminate some faulty attributions.

Recently author Jacqueline Rehmann said that as a collector, the only thing she likes better than finding a new piece of vintage jewelry is getting a new book on the subject.

Jackie, the last time we talked you promised some tips on choosing great reference books.

Recently author Jacqueline Rehmann and I chatted--not about costume jewelry--but about the books we have collected about costume jewelry.

It’s easy to Fall in Love with Sterling Silver Jewelry especially when it’s Vintage with a History! Sterling Silver Jewelry is a durable precious metal, and has been around since ancient times. The metal alloy originated in Europe, and was used as early as the twelfth century. Sterling Silver will last for centuries to come with proper care. It just won’t wear down.

"This lovely Pin from Sarah Coventry is called Strawberry Fesival. It has dimpled red cabochons which look just like strawberries."

When you browse for vintage jewelry and look at the description, you may find that the seller of the piece of jewelry refers to cabochons, commonly known as "cabs." Have you ever wondered what these are or thought what does a taxi cab have to do with vintage jewelry?

I noticed something the other day. Whenever I dress to go anywhere at all, I always wear earrings and a ring, or two. Even if it’s just to walk the dog, or run out to the supermarket, I do slip on my wedding ring. I have four wedding rings mostly modest, one with a diamond a friend gave to my husband when his dad, a jeweler, passed.