I have a few pieces of costume jewelry from when I was a kid (which makes them, oh no, 45+ years old) and I don't know if any of these are worth listing. Thought I'd just post a few pictures, and see if anyone had any comments. If you need more details or pictures, just ask. Sue
What sweet pieces! I'm guessing the bracelet is fairly small? How is it hallmarked? (The turquoise looks like a stabilized stone, but that's just a guess...) The brooches are just charming! And I'd guess they'd be desirable to any collector of novelty/figural jewelry, so I'd surely list 'em! (any marks on the horse cart pin?) If the birthstone pin is goldfill (vs karat gold), it would be accurately categorized as vintage costume jewelry and would probably have the most appeal that way...
The bracelet is small--about 2 inches in diameter across the way it is now (although that is adjustable, of course). And what is a stabilized stone--I've never heard that term? None of the pieces are marked. Any help on how to describe any of them? Sue
The top bracelet is a "Fred Harvey" style, named after the entreprenour who created a sytem of restaurants, hotels and trading posts in the Southwest in the late 1800's to promote tourism. He encouraged the native Americans to produce cheap souvenirs (often with images of arrowheads and thunderbirds) that would appeal to travelers. These styles are still produced today. The ones made of real sterling silver and turquoise are collectable, but unfortunately I think yours is probably a plastic stone.
Sue--stabilized turquoise is when they use a resin epoxy in the cracks of the stone, which makes the color "stable" (vs natural turquoise, which darkens over time in contact with the skin). It's cheaper than natural stone, and reconstituted (where they mix cheap turquoise with the resin and process it) is even cheaper. If there are no hallmarks on this, though (ie if it's silvertone base metal), chances are it has a very inexpensive (stabilized or reconstituted) stone, and it could also be glass. Here's a link to a good info page on turquoise: http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa098.shtml If the other pieces aren't marked and are ca 60s, they're base metal, too, and the "sapphire" in the heart brooch likely a rhinestone. "Goldtone September RS Birthstone Heart Lapel or Scatter Pin"? The veggies in the horse's cart look vaguely late summer/autumnal to me--ie gourds, tomatoes? "Novelty Figural Horse & Vegetable Cart Silvertone Brooch"? I'm not great on KW, but that's hopefully a start!
