Amco vintage jewelry

Wonderful vintage Amco designer signed jewelry. I believe they made just about everything in the way of jewels and very well made, with most being gold filled delicate designs. They began manufacturing jewelry in 1919 and ceased in the 1970s, this fabulous jewelry was made in Providence RI by very talented artists resembling high end pieces that have held up throughout the years with many years of wear left.
This beautiful bracelet and earrings are in perfect condition and show wonderful rich patina, and are a good example of their fine jewelry. This set is listed in our store at this link

Dragons Breath Stones Jewelry

Dragons Breath stones were created for jewelry in the early 1900s, they are made of glass with metal added to the glass to create rich multi colored stones, blues, reds, purples, with the fire from inside. These stones are called many things by collectors, jelly opals, Mexican fire glass opals. I have only seen them in cabochons, they are beautiful and highly collectible. I have this pin set with Dragons Breath stones in my eCrater store http://rhinestonespast.ecrater.com/

German Silver;

German Silver;
If you have ever seen a piece of jewelry stamped German Silver, it actually is not silver at all, it has the silver color but is made up of different metals such as copper, zinc, and nickel silver or also known as gunmetal....If it's stamped Sterling then it is 9.25 or higher silver.

Vintage Trifari faux Pearls worn by Mamie Eisenhower

Trifari Pearls {faux} 3 strands were custom made for Mamie Eisenhower in 1953 to wear to the inaugural ball..This is her picture wearing the vintage Trifari pearls.

Information on earrings with screw on backs.

Information on screw back earrings;

Screw-back earrings for non pierced ears was first patented in 1894, and I believe were not made after the late 1940s.. This is an example of Art Deco earrings with turquoise blue unusual rhinestones with the screw backs...

Cleaning Rhinestone Jewelry

Rhinestones are the first to show age on your costume jewelry, if they have gotten wet and have foiled backs the water will destroy the foil, turn it black or dark and I don't know of a way to save them you will have to replace them, moisture is your rhinestones worse enemy.

I use a very soft brush to clean them first then I use a Q-tip and windex, since it dries quickly, you can also use rubbing alcohol in the same manner, spray the cleaner in a small bowl barely dampen the Q-tip and rub lightly over the top of the rhinestone, then use a soft cloth to dry it, turn the item upside down on a soft cloth so in case there is a drip it won't run under the foil.

Testing Pearls

This may not be an exact science for testing your pearls, but if you cannot get them to a jeweler this is what I do; Clean a couple of the pearls with a damped cloth or q-tip, put one of the pearls between your front teeth and rub your teeth across it, if it is gritty like sand it may be a real pearl, but some of the high quality costume pearls have been coated with a pearl coating, and the only way you can tell is if the coating comes off and reveals the glass bead beneath. I usually take a loupe or magnify glass and inspect each one first to see if there is any peeling or scratching, and if they are costume there will usually be some type of flaw. A jeweler friend of mine also told me that her husband who was jeweler for many many years, said that the smaller the light on a real pearl the better the quality. This same test is used for Fresh Water Pearls. Please don't ever use any soap or harsh chemicals on your pearls, or put them into a sonic cleaner, as it can damage them, my daughter had an expensive pearl ring and was wearing it while washing dishes, it removed the lustrous finish and the pearl was dull after that. I never dip them directly into water, since this can damage or weaken the cord they are strung on, just use a soft cloth dipped into water and wipe them carefully. Perfumes and lotions can damage pearls if allowed to stay on them, it's best to put your perfume and lotions on before adding your pearls, and wipe them off before storing them....
These vintage beauty's are in our store; http://www.rhinestonespast.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=420