Blog News

When I first began curating antique jewelry, sometimes it would be challenging to authenticate antique period-era items from reproduction styles. There is nothing wrong with replica styles and paying homage to original pieces, but collectors like myself are in love with actual memory-filled historic jewelry from the past. Authentic vintage jewelry styles are often inspired by earlier times, such as the Victorian-Revival era of the 1970s and '80s. These Victorian-Revival era pieces are at least 30-40 years old and were designed to resemble jewelry from the original Victorian era (c.1837-1901). As the years and generations go by, older accessories are...

Turquoise jewelry courtesy of the Zanathia Jewelry Collection Turquoise, a mineral created from copper and aluminum over 30 million years ago, is one of southwestern jewelry's most commonly used natural stones. It is believed that turquoise was first mined and used in North America around 200 B.C. In North America, turquoise can be found in historic active mines such as the Kingman Turquoise mine and the Morenci Turquoise mine in Arizona. Ancient tribes also mined their turquoise in the Cerrillos and Burro Mountains of New Mexico. Some ancient tribes that used turquoise were the Hohokam and Anasazi people. Archaeologists have discovered...

  The Art Deco Era (c.1920-c.1939) is a period known for its unique architecture and designs created with fine craftsmanship and abundant materials. The movement originated from the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris, France. The Art Deco Era represented the excitement and avid interest in modern technology and glamour.  There are still many legendary Art Deco Era buildings in excellent condition worldwide. Some of my favorite features of Art Deco Era buildings are the exuberant and intricate details included in the designs. Recently, I wanted to research and learn more about the few...

  Brooches courtesy of the Zanathia Jewelry Collection   The glory days of the brooch are not gone. There are new refreshing ways to wear them for endless inspiration. In ancient times, brooches were used as a functional item to hold pieces of cloth together, but by the 14th century, many wealthy people wore them with gemstones as a social status statement. Eventually, brooches became a popular accessory created with imitation stones such as rhinestones. As time went on, the aesthetic of the brooch finally included looks such as the black and gold engraved Victorian era mourning brooches and monogrammed...

    The Victorian jewelry era (1837-1901) was named after Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837-1901. Queen Victoria was the second longest ruling monarch, and there were three periods within the Victorian Jewelry era that she greatly inspired.  (Painting of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria ruled from 1837 to 1901, Getty Images) The Romantic Era (1837-60) celebrated the monarch's love with the love of her life, Prince Albert. This era of Victorian jewelry was full of sentimental and symbolic jewelry, such as the engagement ring Prince Albert gave his new bride. The serpent engagement ring symbolized eternity, and this gesture's...