Month: September 2016

Spotting fake items can be tricky

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Purses, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

When you are out shopping, you will eventually run into a fake.  It could be a purse, a piece of clothing, or even a piece of glass or pottery.  There are plenty of fake items out on the market, and spotting a fake item sometimes can be rather difficult—especially when the fake is very well made.

I was at several garage sales here recently, and I found two purses that were cheap.  I went ahead and bought them just to learn more about them, and the first one that I ran across was marked PRADA.

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As you can see from the pictures, it was pretty well made, and even marked on some of the hardware.  It turns out that the purse is fake—the material it’s made out of is not the quality PRADA would use, and the markings are also not quite right.

The next one that I found is a Louis Vuitton purse.  It almost looks like it could be something that you could put your tablet computer in.

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I quickly found out that this purse is fake by the way the way the purse is marked on the tag on the front.

I learned a valuable lesson from these purses—it always helps to have a good working knowledge of what a fake looks like.

Have you ever run across a good quality fake that could stump just about anyone?

Wearing and collecting Sarah Coventry Jewelry

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Jewelry, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

From its inception in 1949, Sarah Coventry became the world’s largest direct seller of costume jewelry and an acknowledged fashion leader in contemporary jewelry during the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and even the 1980’s.

Sarah Coventry attained worldwide success by offering its well-designed jewelry through in-home fashion shows—also known as the party plan of direct selling.  The company nationally advertised its jewelry in magazines and on network TV.

In a 1978 company brochure, it was stated that “90% of the American population knows the name Sarah Coventry means quality jewelry sold in the home…”  In 1984, Sarah Coventry was purchased by a Canadian firm.

Today, Sarah Coventry jewelry remains a success on the collector’s market.  Right now, I currently am offering a wide array of Sarah Coventry pieces—beautiful and affordable to wear and enjoy—or to even give as a gift.

One of the pieces that I have in my shop is this wonderful bracelet.

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The pattern on this bracelet is called the CAROUSEL pattern, because it looks like it could be part of a carousel.  You can see the bracelet in my Etsy shop here.

Another great item that would be perfect for either the collector or to wear is this pair of rhinestone chandelier earrings.

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The great thing about them is that they are clip on earrings.  You can see this wonderful pair of earrings in my Etsy shop here.  You can see all of the wonderful Sarah Coventry pieces in my Etsy shop here.

What kinds of Sarah Coventry designs have you run across?

Different forms of carnival glass

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Carnival glass originated as a glass called ‘Iridill’, produced beginning in 1908.  This was produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company, and the glass quickly caught on.  The 1920’s was the height of the production of carnival glass, and the decade saw huge volumes of glass being produced.

The prices were low enough that everyone could afford, and one of the nicknames that the glass was dubbed was ‘poor man’s Tiffany’.

The keys to its appeal was that it looked a lot like the more expensive blown iridescent glass by Tiffany and Loetz (and others, really).  When the 1950’s came around the name that it has now came about because Carnival glass was often gave away at carnivals.

Today, carnival glass is a fun area to dive into and start to collect.  There are many different forms that you can find.  One such item is something like this vase by Northwood.

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The vase was made in the 1910’s and sports the FINE RIB pattern.  You can see this wonderful vase in my Etsy shop here.  Another form that was made was a plate, like this one by Fenton.

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The plate has the THREE FRUITS pattern on it, and it was made during the height of popularity for carnival glass, the 1920’s.  You can see this plate in my Etsy shop here.

Carnival glass was also incorporated into fashion, one example is this bolo tie.

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The slide of the tie features the WINDMILL pattern, and it was made by the IMPERIAL glass company.  The tie was made in the 1930’s, and it would be a fun addition to any outfit!  You can see this bolo tie in my Etsy shop here.

You can see all of the different types of carnival glass in my Etsy shop here.  How many different forms of carnival glass have you run across?

More pottery vocabulary words for the beginning collector

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you dive into the world of antiques and collectibles, you will find out how things are made.  Here’s some of the words that I’ve picked up over the years about how pottery is made:

Greenhouse—this is the place where pots are kept to harden before they go into the kiln.

Feathering—this is an effect that’s obtained by moving a feather through wet slip decoration.

Salt glaze—this is an effect by throwing salt into the kiln when pottery is being fired.  The salt vaporizes during the firing and a fine orange peel surface is left on the pottery.

What kinds of words have you run across when you are out at your favorite place to shop?

Great Czechoslovakian treasures

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Czechoslovakia did not exist until 1918 when World War I ended.  The country was formed as a reward for the help of the Czechs and the Slovaks in winning the war.  It was made up of parts of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary.  In 1993, a peaceful dissolution of the country split it into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Items such as highly decorated dinnerware and colorful artistic vases are very collectible because the country was only around for a very short time—only 75 years.

Recently at an estate sale, I discovered one of these great treasures—a light pink 1930’s Czechoslovakia tango glass vase with black trim.

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You can see this absolutely gorgeous vase in my Etsy store here.  What kinds of finds from Czechoslovakia have you found?