1920s or something later pretending to be 1920s?

Jonathan

Jonathan

VFG Member
20200413_165249.jpeg
 
Yes, thats a tough one. Cannot get a good look at it, though. Is the stone black or gun metal colored? There was a company in the mid 1980s that made a wide line of 1920s repro's, many were very good replications, almost all were sterling with Onyx or garnets, and most were not maker signed. I wonder if this might be one of them? Somewhere I actually have one of their original catalogs. I bought a lot of their pieces at one time.
 
I also remember a lot of marcasite jewelry in the later 1960s and early 1970s. There was a jeweler on St Catherine St. near Guy St. in Montreal that had loads of it. Some of it may have been older stock, but it was not an antique shop. I bought a couple of things from him when I was still a teenager.
 
Finally got enough light to photograph the back. The chain is not necessarily the original one - I can't remember but I may have added the chain or it might be original... I got this so long ago I can't remember where or when I got it. It is sterling and is 1 3/4 inches long, including the loop, and I assume the stone is onyx or a black diamond or some stone as I can see oblique lines on the back of it when I hold it in the right angle. It seems a bit hefty for the "1928" style repro jewellery of the 70s that I have seen, but I am not a jewellery person...
20200415_085154.jpeg
20200415_085759.jpeg
 
The bale on this piece is an older style. Can you see how the marcasites are set? Tiny prongs or glued in? One reason the marcasites are not often seen to be missing from older pieces are how they were set....with tiny prongs instead of being glued. Newer pieces use glue to set the marcasites and therefore they don't stay in as well and are often missing. The stone does look like it's glass as you can see some marks on the back that may indicated that it's a molded piece of glass. But, good to test the stone if possible as the marks could be from where it was cut. Many marcasite pieces were made in Germany in the late 1920s and 30s. The back photo is very informative and shows construction that looks to be from that period to me. The chain could have been added later.
 
Jonathan said:
How does one test for glass versus stone?
Click to expand...

Press the front of the stone to your lip or cheek. Since it protrudes, it should be easy to do without touching the metal portion to your face.

Glass will warm to temperature after a few moments, and stone will remain cold.
 
Bonnie makes a good point about determining if marcasites are glued versus prong set. However the maker I was referring to in the mid 1980s had all of their marcasites prong set and not glued. So that clue may not be 100% conclusive on dating. Also, some marcasites were not prong set but riveted in place from the back. On antique pieces, that is.

Myself I am leaning to it being a vintage repro, but I am judging only from the photos.

Does it have any weight to it?
 
Part of the problem is that my pics are actually better but when I download them they lose a lot of their clarity. Anyway, I have looked at this super close, and the mark on the back is actually a partial impression of the word 'sterling', also the marcasites are set with tiny prongs. It weighs 6 grams (.2 oz)
 
Rue_de_la_Paix said:
Yes, thats a tough one. Cannot get a good look at it, though. Is the stone black or gun metal colored? There was a company in the mid 1980s that made a wide line of 1920s repro's, many were very good replications, almost all were sterling with Onyx or garnets, and most were not maker signed. I wonder if this might be one of them? Somewhere I actually have one of their original catalogs. I bought a lot of their pieces at one time.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the 1928 Jewelry Company? They make wonderful inexpensive reproduction vintage pieces and are still in business. https://www.1928.com/collections/1928-jewelry-vintage-style-jewelry

I'm on the fence about this one though.
 
Leigh,

From the fence...

No, I am familiar with 1928 Co.

The company I was referring to made only Art Deco repro pieces, and all were sterling silver with semi precious or mineral stones. They used a lot of onyx and marcasites, plus garnets, clear and rose crystal, amethyst and maybe 1 or 2 more minerals. They sold only wholesale, not directly to stores so you had to purchase items in multiples. I had one of their catalogs (still do somewhere) and purchased quite a bit which I resold in flea markets, antique shops, and to friends and co-workers. If I recall correctly, the jewelry was all made in Thailand. It really did fool, it had quality and weight and was spot-on as far as design. I used to see it in many antique shops being sold as genuine antique jewelry. I still have a few of their pieces which I wear.

This piece really reminds me of their work.
 
I am still not sure about the age of Jonathan's piece. I don't think it is '20s but it could be '30s or later. About 10 years ago I bought this set from a neighbor whose MIL had passed away. She had been a QVC shopping addict and these pieces were new sometime in the 2000's. I don't have them anymore. They were much heavier and clunkier than period pieces would have been:

Onyx%20and%20Marcasite%20Sterling%20Ring%20and%20Bracelet.jpg


Sorry for the poor quality photo but as you can see they are pretty well done. The stones are onyx and the setting is sterling.

I also have/had this pair of earrings that I think is C. 1930s - but I am not sure. I may/must have sold them - can't find them!
Marcasite%20and%20Onyx%20Earrings.jpg
 
"I may/must have sold them - can't find them!" - I can identify with that! I keep forgetting the camera at work when I pop in, so I still can't take better shots...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top