EARLY PLASTIC DISPLAY IN MY SHOP AT ALFIES ANTIQUES

I have just spent and after tidying my display of early plastics - including bakelite, celluloid and galalith.  Unable to show more than one section in this picture - just the yellow, brown, orange hues.  The other colours - and the bangles - are on a different shelf space.  Also on the shelf are some metal, glass and wood items.  I can see bakelite necklaces, dress clips and earrings.  some celluloid brooches.  A yellow fabric bag with a celluloid top, some wooden bead brooches, Deco earrings, dog brooches and lots of assorted earrings.  I just love this period of costume jewellery and always try to have a good selection.  This of course are in just one of the many cabinets I have in the shop.  People thing Alfies is difficult to get to - but it is really quite easy - being near to St. Marylebone and Edgeware Road underground stations.  The 139 and 189 buses stop very near- as do the buses along the Edgeware Road.  The Rooftop Cafe sells excellent coffee and cakes and on a good day you can sit outside.  Would love to meet you so do pay a visit if you are a Deco fan!

LUCITE VINTAGE NECKLACE - UNUSED - GREEN DOUBLE ROW

Glad to get this double row of green lucite beads with two central pieces.  It is unused and has label - 'Made in Hong Kong'.  Have added some notes about lucite to my 'glossery' on the web site - www.gillianhorsup.com.  Just love the colour of this necklace - which I would describe as eau-de-nil.  Such a beautiful colour - and so light to wear.  Good for a holiday.  Ref: 3166 D4/10 price £55.

Lucite Vintage Necklace - unused - Green Double Row

ART DECO NECKLACE - BLUE GALALITH AND WHITE METAL

This is a great Art Deco necklace from the 1930s.  Made of white metal - probably chrome - and blue galalith.  It resembles Jakob Bengel but I have not seen it in the books so I am not going to attribute it to that factory.  There were other factories making similar jewellery.  It is quite short - at nearly 18 inches.  It has not been altered in any way - unlike to many items one seems around.  It is in good condition. Price £148 Ref: 3145 C78/27.

Art Deco Necklace - blue galalith and white metal

ART DECO CZECH NECKLACE - GREEN GLASS & WHITE METAL - 2 GREEN BEADS HANGING

I sell a lot of different styles/period of vintage jewellery - but I do love the Art Deco Czech Glass jewellery.  This necklace is so lovely!  It is a front fastening necklace in white metal with green glass beads/pieces and two dangling beads on chains at the front.  It fastens with a hook at the back.  Full details on my web site.  Price £128 reference 3097 C51/39

Art Deco Czech Necklace - Green Glass & White Metal - 2 Green Beads Haging

BUTLER & WILSON SMALL VINTAGE GILT DOG BROOCH

This is a Butler & Wilson gilt dog brooch with twisted metal legs.  I am not sure how old it is so cannot guarantee it is vintage - perhaps someone will know and inform me.   It does give the appearance of having age.  I have never seen it before.  Love the expression!  Full details on the web site - follow the link.  Price £60 ref: 3083 C72/1

Butler & Wilson small vintage gilt dog brooch

BUTLER & WILSON DIAMANTE & PEARL LARGE POODLE BROOCH

Love this Butler & Wilson poodle brooch - but do not know the date.  It is on white metal with faux pearl and diamante. It is quite bit being approx 3 1/2 x 3 inches.  The ears dangle and it has the mark on the back.  In very good condition.  Full description on web site.  Price £88 ref: 3047 C60/12

Butler & Wilson diamante & pearl large poodle brooch

ART DECO PERIOD SPIDER BROOCH - WHITE METAL & GREEN GLASS STONE BODY

This brooch - from the Art Deco period - is quite a large spider in white metal.  It has a flat, emerald green glass stone for the body that has facets round the edge.  Great if you like spiders!  I love it.  It is quite large.  Measurements and description on my web site.  Price £55 reference 3043 C61/19

Art Deco period spider brooch - white metal& green glass stone.

LARGE VINTAGE FLOWER BROOCH WITH PINKISH CENTRE STONE

Sometimes I get asked for large, colourful glass stones brooches.  This would certainly fit the bill!  It is a large glass stones flower brooch set on gold tone metal.  The central stone - which is pinned in addition to the double claw setting - is a pinky red.  The petals are various colours - but not even numbers.  The leaves are 2 tone yellow/green.  Great quality and condition.  It measures nearly 4 inches in length.  Ref: 3025 C58/8 Price £88.

Large vintage flower brooch with pinkish centre stones

LEA STEIN BROOCH - THE EDELWEISS IN RED GREEN BLACK & MOP

This edelweiss brooch was designed by Lea Stein somewhere between 1968 and 1980 (according to the Lea Stein Jewellery book.)  Of course so many of her designs have been reproduced over the years.  Do watch out for the copies/fakes being made in China - they may be cheaper but they are not so nice!  The designs that are being copied are the more popular one - cats, dogs etc.  I does make me angry that Ms. Stein has spent a lifetime building up her business - and is still active at 80 years - and people think it O.K. to make cheap copies.  Why can't they design their own jewellery!  Price £65 ref: 3024 C56/6

Lea Stein Brooch - Edelweiss Flower - Red Green Black & MOP

BLACK & CLEAR GLASS FACETED ART DECO EARRINGS - PIERCED

Back to one of my favourites today - Art Deco.  These long black and clear drop earrings are faceted and hang with 3 small flat beads on a gilt metal lever back fitting.  I like lever back fittings as I have never lost an earrings with this sort of top.  The earrings measure about 2 3/4 inches top to bottom.  Love them!  Price £65 ref: 3022 C50/35

black & clear glass faceted Art Deco earrings - pierced

LARGE MARCASITE STUD EARRINGS WITH BROWN/GLASS/CARNELIAN PIECES

Love these - they are just my colour!  Going to have to make myself take them into Grays Antiques!  They are on white metal - marked 925 - with marcasite stones and large, brown stones that could be carnelians but equally could be glass - it is difficult to tell.  I don't mind either way and would wear them quite happily!  I am not sure of date either.  A lot of marcasite jewellery was imported some years ago from the Far East but this supply seems to have dried up.  They are about 2 1/2 inches deep and priced at £88.  Ref: 3020 C57/39

Large Marcasite Stud Earrings with Brown Glass/Carnelian Pieces

FILIGREE VINTAGE BROOCH - WHITE METAL AND RED GLASS STONES

I do love filigree brooches - many of them made in Czech.  Personally the bigger the better - but I know this is not everyone's taste.  This is much smaller - about a 1 1/2 inches square.  It has red glass faceted stones and is set on a white metal base. This has small leaves and a diamond pattern

- but what I really love about these brooches is that the back is often as beautiful as the front - do take a look!  Can be worn square or on the diagonal.  Filigree Vintage Brooch - White Metal and Red Glass Stones Full details on web site.  Price £55 ref: 3018

GREEN & GOLD FOIL VINTAGE GLASS DROP EARRINGS - PIERCED

I just love glass jewellery.  These green and gold foil glass earrings are something that I would love to wear.  The colours are amazing!  Not sure if they are Venitian or Czech - or whether the lever back fittings are original.  I will take them into my shop - at Vintage Modes, Grays Antiques though - although I would love to keep them.  Full details are on my web site.  The web site does not convey the vast amount of stock I have in the shop - far too much to photograph and write about!.  Ref: 2999 C54/54 Price £65

Green foil glass vintage drop earrings - pierced

BAKELITE & CELLULOID FLOWER NECKLACE - ART DECO PERIOD

Back to one of my favourite topics - bakelite and Art Deco.  This bakelite necklace has 3 flowers in brownish bakelite with the central flower having a red centre.  (See full description on my web site).  The chains are celluloid - both cream and light brown.  Would fit up to a 17 inch neck size.  This is in such good condition for a piece that must be 70-80 years old!  I hope I will be when I reach 80!

Bakelite & Celluloid Flower Necklace - Art Deco Period

LEA STEIN BROOCH - FLOWER POT - RED & YELLOW

I have such trouble photographing Lea Stein.  I always get some bouncing light.  Must treat myself to some proper equipment some time.  This Lea Stein flower pot brooch - for example - was difficult.  Eliminated much of the light bounce but could not get the colours right.  It is one of the rarer designs.  One of the flowers is a deep red with a yellow centre - and the other is yellow with a red centre.  (Much the colour of the bottom right corner.)  It is not too big - measuring about 2 inches top to bottom. The back of the flower pot is an amazing colour but cannot be seen from the front!  Price £65 ref: 2998 C45/8

Lea Stein Brooch - Flower Pot - Red & Yellow

TRIFARI - VINTAGE BROOCH - 3 BLACK CATS IN BASKET

Love vintage Trifari jewellery - especially the older pieces.   It is such a shame that the company has been sold so many times since the 70s.  I do not even hear of it now.  This black cat brooch has a Trifari mark that I cannot date.  I am assuming it is a vintage piece - but I cannot be sure.  Cats are so popular in my shop - at Grays Antiques - that I just had to buy this piece.  The 3 black cats have emerald green glass stones for eyes and sit in a gold tone metal basket with diamante trim and a bow.  Full details - as usual - on my web site - together with sizes and price - ref: 2997 C52/4

Trifari - Vintage Brooch - 3 Black Cats in Basket

VINTAGE COSTUME JEWELLERY - DO YOU LOOK FOR A NAMED PIECE?

In my vintage jewellery shop at Grays Antiques in central London I stock any piece of jewellery that I happen to like.  I do not mind if it has a designer's name - famous or not.  I look for good design or quality.  I am totally fascinated with jewellery - and often think - who got up in the morning and designed this?  (Sometimes seriously and sometimes I simply can't imagine who would have wanted too!).  A lot of my British customers are also more concerned with whether they like the piece and would wear it.  However some of my American customers come in asking for certain designers and are puzzled when I say a lot of the jewellery simply is not marked.  (I sell mostly European jewellery).  I am now getting more Chinese visitors who also like a designer's mark on their pieces.  I do wish more European designers had marked their pieces - it would save me so much time trying to research to see if I can discover who made something.  Personally I am not very fond of pieces with a logo that can be seen on the front - such as the famous CC - but it is all a matter of choice.  What do you like???  The piece today is a pair of Ted Lapidus, marine inspired, gold tone clip earrings - price £65 ref: 2996 C42/39  full details on web site - follow the link.Ted Lapidus - marine inspired gold tone clip earrings

3 WIDE BROWN BAKELITE BANGLES

Just bought a collection of bakelite jewellery.  There are 3 brown bakelite bangles - roughly 1 inch wide.  These would look good for autumn.  They are quite wide so one would look good with a couple of contrasting spacers.  I love my bakelite bangles - the feel of them - and the 'clink' they make.  In the shop at Grays Antiques I always have a good selection of the plain ones - which are popular with my customers.  Please see my web site (follow the link) for details of each bangle.  Ref: 2995 price £48 each.

3 Wide Brown Bakelite Bangles

LEA STEIN BROOCH - RED LADYBIRD WITH BLACK SPOTS

Back to one of my favourites today - the Lea Stein ladybird brooch.  Not my best photo - the red colour is quite even - but cannot get it to look that way!  Round the sides of this particular ladybird are bands of colours - cream, mustard green etc.  These are the various layers of cellulose acetate that go into the making of a Lea Stein brooch.  They are hand made - not reproduction - so everyone is a bit different and they are not 'perfect' like a mass produced item.  The other day I went to a vintage fair and saw lots of Lea Stein copies from China - at £10 each.  In my opinion they are horrid and I would not want to own one - but I specially object to people copying the work of someone like Lea Stein.  She has spent a lifetime developing her brand and designing her jewellery.  It annoys me that another manufacturer cannot be bothered to design their own goods and develop their own brand - just to make money - and I hate it when professional dealers sell these copies!  Ref: 2994 C50/6

Lea stein Brooch - Red Ladybird with Black Spots

NAPIER VINTAGE GOLD TONE CHAINS BROOCH

I have recently bought Melinda Lewis's book - The Napier Co. - published by Life by Design.  The huge book charts the history of the Napier company from 1878 through to the sale to Victoria & Co. in 2012.  The wonderful thing about the book is that it also provides a history of American costume jewellery - and the pictures are wonderful.  I always by Napier jewellery when I can - especially the gold plated items - as the quality is so good.  This brooch consists of two sets of chains to look like tassels on a bar brooch. I love tasselly jewellery!  I really wish they were earrings!  Very smart and in good condition.  Ref: 2992 C46/8 Price £58.

Napier chains brooch