ARTICLE # 23 PRETTY BAUBLES
The right accessories are essential for creating
ones personal style. Put ten people in the
same black dress and ask them to accessorize
and chances are the results will be ten unique
fashion statements. Classic, well cut clothing
are my thing but to avoid looking dowdy I
add fun and unusual accessories. Wonderful
shoes, belts and bags, lovely scarves and
of course Costume Jewelry! My all time favorites
are fabulous vintage beads.
Humankind has created beads for tens of thousands
of years. Early on bone and wood, shell and
stone were fashioned into beads and strung
together or tied into hair as adornment.
As time went on metals, ceramic and glass
were used and in more recent history plastics
and composition materials.
Vintage beads generally refer to beads from
Victorian times until the 1970s. Antique
beads are considered earlier.
Handmade glass beads are among my favorites.
Sometimes referred to as Art Glass beads
the most prized are from Venice and the Murano
islands. Venetian glass beads date as far
back as 950 AD but the ones we are most likely
to come across hail from the late 1800s and
early 1900s. Like miniature works of art
each bead is crafted from tiny colored rods
of heated glass creating the most intricate
details imaginable. Some of the more well
known Venetian beads are Wedding Cake beads
which blend filigree swirls and minuscule
rosettes, a look similar to a frosted wedding
cake. Millifiori beads have tiny stylized
flowers or striped candy imbedded in the
glass and Feather or Chevron beads have bold
zig zag patterns. These are just a few, there
are scores more. Families of bead makers
passed down their methods from one generation
to the next. These techniques were closely
guarded secrets. The process was long and tedious so production
was limited. Bead companies had exclusive
contracts with these artisan families. Demand
was high among the upper class and eager
customers would pay dearly for these tiny
works of art.
Italy was not the only source for vintage
glass beads. Austria, Japan, Germany and
Czechoslovakia produced lovely glass beads
as well.
Austria is famous for their gorgeous crystals.
Czechoslovakia, Japan and Germany all had
thriving glass industries and produced most
of the vintage beads we find today. The multi
strand necklaces from the 50s and 60s used
all manner of beads and nearly every jewelry
company had their own version. From high
end signed work like Miriam Haskell to more
affordable Hong Kong pieces they are easy
to find on the market and lots of fun to
wear.
I am particularly fond of the spun glass
beads from Japan. Mid century Japanese and Hong Kong costume
jewelry can be very artistic, creatively
mixing beads from different mediums glass,
wood, metal, plastic etc. They are usually
less expensive than signed or European items.
The clasps are often of a lesser quality
but their unusual beauty makes up for this.
They are among my favorites and I get more
compliments on these than my more expensive
sets!
A number of other interesting man made vintage
bead materials exist. During the mid 1800s
a latex like sap from the Malaysian Gutta-Percha
tree was found to harden into a useful material.
It was first employed in the use of weatherproofing
underwater telegraph wires. Soon the consumer
market was using it to produce such items
as golf balls, picture frames and jewelry.
It could be molded and then carved with pretty
designs. An ideal bead material.
Casein and Celluloid were early forms of
plastics developed in the mid 1800s. Along
with other chemicals they were composed of
natural substances that were plentiful. They
were inexpensive to produce and could be
made to mimic more costly materials such
as tortoise, amber and ivory. During the
Victorian era and into the 1920s beads made
from these new plastics were common.
Early plastics had their drawbacks (being
flammable for one!) and research continued.
Bakelite came next in 1907 and is considered
the first “true” plastic. A purely synthetic
product containing no natural substances.
Soon Bakelite found it’s way into the Jewelry
market. Beautiful beads in an endless variety
of colors were fashioned from Bakelite. True
Bakelite jewelry is very collectible today
particularly the carved bracelets and it
is easy to be fooled by later forms of plastics.
Here is a tip for identifying Bakelite. Rub
it briskly between the fingers until it feels
warm then sniff. If it smells like formaldehyde
then it is real Bakelite.
Lucite was developed in 1931. An acrylic
plastic it was crystal clear but could be
made opaque and colored as desired. Lucite
was lighter in weight and more versatile
than Bakelite. It’s development along with
that other plastics eventually made Bakelite
obsolete. Lucite molded easily and could
be altered to look like just about any bead
material glass, crystal, tortoise you name
it. Lucite still has a healthy market to
this day.
The beauty of vintage beads is that there
are endless varieties to chose from. Costly
gold, ivory, amber and stone beads are nice
to have but beautiful effects can be had
from such modest materials as shell, seeds,
plastic, glass and wood as well. Try layering
your beads. Mix them with chains or pearls
(tip of the hat to Chanel). Be creative and
keep an open mind.
Although I do not have a large selection
on the website our shop has a bountiful supply
of vintage bead jewelry. You are welcome
anytime to e-mail us with requests and we
will send info n’ photos.