Collectables

Vintage Bohemian Jet and Crystal 1920's

Moroccan Silver

1930's Vintage French Jet African Trade Bohemian glass beads 1930's

Swarovski Crystal

Lucite Japanese Cut Glass

Morocccon Jewellery

Berber Jewellery assemblage necklaces of adornment, identify clan, symbolise wealth, reflect cultural traditions, & act as a source of supernatural & religious power for the wearer.

African Trade Beads

Wear a piece of history with 1930’s Bohemian glass from Czechoslovakia.

These beads were traded at the beginning of last century into West Africa and swapped for African natural products for example - palm oil, sugar, cocoa etc.

Today, the colourful Peul, Fulani and Bella tribes adorn themselves with the Bohemian glass beads. They braid them in their hair and wear them as necklaces.

Vintage French Jet Jewellery

Wear a piece of history with 1920’s hand crafted “French Jet” Bohemian Glass from Czechoslovakia.
The craft of cutting is full of hidden intricacies, whilst the readymade product is full of time honoured tradition. These stones were purchased recently as the last known stock from an old maker in the Czech Republic & set in traditional mounts from the 1920’s. Every piece is remarkable, individual and is a one off or limited edition.

History

The fashion for jet jewellery started in the 1850’s as mourning jewellery, when Queen Victoria wore a necklace to a banquet after the death of her cousin. Before long, jet (high-grade fossilised pine) was considered the only suitable material for mourning. By the end of the 19th century imitations of jet were being made in costume jewellery.

Imitation Jet – French Jet

This became known as French jet. Most French jet was made from shiny black glass, which was cut and backed, with black-coated steel. It was then fused or soldered onto a metal base. It remained fashionable until the late 1920 early 30’s.

Styles

Although made from original Czech cut glass jet stones in the 1920’s –1930’s the style of this jewellery is far more 1900’s.

Victorian/Edwardian. Most designs are more feminine, lacy and romantic than the geometric deco style of that time.

Egyptian. The love of the exotic has always been a popular theme for jewellery. Pharanoiac motifs became an absolute craze after Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922.“ Fashion has a rendezvous with the Nile.” Vogue declared in 1923. The craze lasted until well into the 1930’s, fuelled by Hollywood movies and the continuing press coverage of Carter’s excavation. Scarabs, snakes, Pharaohs and Princesses were used to create the ultimate Cleopatra look jewellery.

Art Nouveau. Alfon Mucha a Czech designer known for his illustrated women.

Value

Originals of these types are very scarce so good quality reproductions are popular and fetch high prices in their own right. Unlike forgeries, these are not produced with any intention to deceive. Cheaper than Deco jewellery of the same period serious collectors have overlooked this stylistic jewellery from Czechoslovakia and quality pieces are available at bargain prices.

Lucite

Is a brand name for an acrylic plastic produced by Dupont (USA) in the 1930’s. Production was at its height in the 1960;s when it was used for rings bangles, necklaces and earrings. Being both bold in form and light - weight, it was the perfect choice to make the biggest and boldest piece of Cosmo jewellery in the 1960’s.

Sterling Silver

The design vision of Christine Smalley of Etelage has been teamed with Indonesian artisans to create original style of contemporary cocktail rings. A combination of vintage hand worked lamp 1950’s cabochons from Bohemia and Swarovski crystal have been enveloped with sterling silver. An unusual combination inspired by the designer’s love of handcrafted bespoke pieces that tell a story!