PICTURES Vintage Jewelry? (What is Niello?)

Leisa

Leisa

VFG Member
I have a fabulous pair of vintage sterling & enamel Siam earrings I need to list. I searched eBay to get some pricing info, and I see the term Niello used a lot.

I found this, & although there is no mention of Siam, I thought maybe someone else could use the info, too.

"Niello is a method of decorating metal objects using engraving techniques. An alloy of silver, copper, lead, and sulfur is rubbed into an engraved pattern on silver or gold and then fired. Darkened areas remain in the crevices after the object is polished. This technique was commonly used in Europe until the Renaissance, but it was rarely utilized afterwards. It was known in Kiev in the tenth to the thirteenth centuries and revived in Russia in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Niello remained in use throughout the imperial period, although silversmiths most often employed it in Moscow or in provincial centers."
source: Hillwood Museum. (hillwoodmuseum.org)

And - what the heck is the proper name for the dancers? Someone here told me that about a year ago, but I no longer have the info.

Any clues are greatly appreciated! THX!

xoxoxo
leisa
 
Not yet, Linda.

I did learn that the Niello engraving is done only on the black pieces. So, when you see colored enamel pieces classified as Niello, that's wrong.

My earrings are multi-colored. I really think they're 50's, and maybe even 40's, but the design is so traditional on all this stuff, it's tough to date it. So, I will simply call them VINTAGE.

I'll post pics tomorrow. I may also have some other vintage jewelry items going up, too. I have to look thru all my stuff. I packed every bit of my jewelry in my carry-on. I didn't want it to be out of my site. LOL - Like any of it is really worth anything! To me, it is & that's all that matters in the long run, right?

leisa
 
Leisa, I have a pair of earrings and also a bracelet that sounds identical to this - thanks for the info!

Sue
 
Here ya go - they're listed on eBay now.

<img src="http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/leisa/siam1.jpg">

I also have a small (6") rhinestone stretch bracelet listed.

<img src=" http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/leisa/rsb3.jpg">

And, my boxes of stremanda have arrived, so we'll be picking those up tonite & I'll be on a listing frenzy this week! LOL
 
I would just list them as multi-colored, enameled, siam, earrings. I would also add rare, as these are really hard to find.
Just my opinion.
Paula
 
They are rare??? WoW! I didn't realize they were that hard to find... Maybe I should up the start bid, too...? naaahhhh

Cool. Thanks, Paula! :D

I just listed this adorable 50's brooch, too! I think it's bakelite, but I didn't guarantee it. I dunno how to test it without hurting the posies...

<A HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5035899954" target="new"><img src=" http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/leisa/pb2gallery.jpg"></A>
Just click on it if ya wanna go to the auction page. ;)

SO - I'm off to add "Rare" to my title/description/etc on the Siam earrings.

xoxoxo
leisa
 
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