Jewelery Giveaway by Poshlocket of New York!

We have a new giveaway dear readers, and it's great!

Win these two (yes, two!) fabulous jewelery pieces by Poshlocket

Abbey Fabric Wrap Bangle Bracelet

Brynn Beetle Pendant Necklace

"Poshlocket is an online fashion jewelry boutique based out of New York with designs that are simple but edgy and elegant yet modern. They carry a wide range of styles so Poshlocket is for everyone! They have an awesome shipping policy.  Free shipping and returns for all orders!   Also they have a new promotion every month so check their blog every month to see what the promotion of the month is. It's best to follow on Twitter and/or Facebook to see get updates and promotions and other fun deals! "

To enter the contest, follow these steps:

Follow Poshlocket on Facebook or Twitter

For an extra entry, subscribe to their mailing list!

Leave a comment on this blog letting me know you have followed and if you can, let me know what your favorite item from the Poshlocket store is!

A follow on the SLV blog would be great at the same time, but not required to enter the contest. We just love hosting giveaways :-)

Only open to residents of the USA at this time.

Wishing you good luck and jewelery. This giveaway will run for the entire week to October 30th. Tell your friends!

New Items Now Available from SLV plus FREE SHIPPING

The weekend already? Well this week went by fast in my opinion. That's good because now it's here and I'm ready to relax. Have a great one everybody!

We received a lot of jewelery this past week, have a look! New items now available at SLV. Still offering FREE SHIPPING to the end of September.

1950s Reproduction Black and White Dress

 

Navy Blue Mad Men Secretary Dress

Black Crepe Rayon 1950s Dress

Men's vintage rolled cufflinks

Vintage 1950s Rhinestone Iridescent Brooch

Sarah Coventry Vintage Silver Chain Necklace

Sherman

Every time I head to an estate sale, I am always outbid on the Sherman jewellery. This is why!

Gustave Sherman immigrated to Canada and created a new life in Montreal. With no education in business or jewelery making, he opened his Sherman Costume Jewelery manufacturing company in 1947. His single employee, Jimmy Koretza was the designer and the reality maker. Collector's Weekly has a a great article about this wonderful Canuck. Read more!

Ebay Weekender

With winter having finally passed us, it's high time to bring out the fabulous jewellery. Hidden under coats, hats and scarves, let's sparkle again for spring!

Vintage Emerald Green Rhinestone Parure

 Vintage Edwardian Gold Brooch & Earring Set

Vintage Art Deco Verdite Diamond Ring

Vintage Tiger's Eye Gold Necklace

Vintage Gold/Sterling Amethyst Necklace

Vintage Dual Gold Ruby Enamel Bracelet

Valentine's Day around the world...

Happy St. Valentine's Day everyone.  This is a day that can induce happy thoughts or suicidal tendencies.  Any way you look at, it's gonna get celebrated - with glee especially by those who can profit from it.  What is this day?  It's not a national holiday here in North America.  We all still go to school and work.  It isn't a long weekend to celebrate during a cold winter.  What makes it so special?  I really don't have a great answer to this question.  But I thought that it would be interesting to see how other countries celebrate this romantic occasion:

[All excerpts courtesy of stvalentinesday.org]

IN JAPAN, "Valentine's Day is celebrated in an interesting manner on two different dates. On February 14, women present gifts to their boyfriends or any man close to them. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day celebrated on March 14 when men pamper women who gave them gifts a month before on Valentines Day."

IN FRANCE, "people once followed a peculiar Valentine's Day custom called “drawing for”. Unmarried young and old people would go into houses facing each other and begin calling out across from one window to another and pair off with their chosen partner. If the young man failed to be particularly enthralled with his valentine, he would desert her. A bonfire would be lit later where ladies would burn images of their ungrateful lovers and hurl abuses at them. The ritual was eventually abandoned as it left much room for nastiness and ridicule. French government handed-down a decree and officially banned the custom."

IN CHINA, "people have a day devoted to love but it is quite different from Valentine's Day festival as seen in other parts of the world. Chinese Valentine's Day fall on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese Calendar. Hence the day is also called as ‘Festival of the Double Sevens' or Qi Xi - ‘The Night of Sevens'. The other popular name for the Chinese Valentine's Day is ‘Seven Sister's Festival' and ‘Daughter's Festival'.

In some provinces of China, people decorate the ox's horn by flowers on the Chinese Valentine Day in a belief that the ritual will save them from catastrophe. Following the age old tradition women also wash their hair to make them look fresh and shiny. Children wash their face the next morning using the overnight water for a more natural and beautiful look."


IN DENMARK, "Valentine's Day is celebrated in a very conventional way. Some sweet and romantic traditional activities are associated with the festival's celebration. Youngsters take proper care to follow the traditions to have a successful and romance filled love life. The three most popular traditions of Valentine's Day are:

Lover's Card

The tradition of 'lover's card' is the most popular and romantic Valentine's Day custom in Denmark. Earlier, these cards came in the form of transparent cards which reflected the picture of a lover presenting his beloved a wonderful gift when it was kept in front of light. Now any card is called a Lover's Card. Every card shop is stocked up with colorful and musical lover's card with charming Valentine messages.

Custom of White Flowers

People celebrate the custom of White Flower with immense love and care. As per the tradition, people send white flowers called 'snowdrops' to their friends and lovers.

Tradition of Gaekkebrev

Young couples also write special love poems, beautiful romantic love notes and some funny poems known as 'gaekkebrev'. It is customary for the sender of gaekkebrev to pen down a rhyme for his beloved. He is not required to put his name on it. He signs the message with dots for the lady. Now, the girl who receives the card is supposed to guess the name of the sender. If she is able to guess the right name, then she is rewarded with an 'Easter Egg' on that very year.

IN SCOTLAND, "a very important and enthusiastically followed tradition is the search of Valentine date. According to this Scottish custom, the first young man or woman encountered on the street or elsewhere on Valentine's Day becomes his or her Valentine and the day is celebrated with them.  Valentine's Day celebrations is not a grand affair in Scotland. People prefer small get-togethers or a romantic candlelight dinner. They exchange gifts and cards with their loved ones to make them feel special.

Various games are played in Scottish Valentine parties. In a most popular game, an equal number of men and women are made to write their names on a piece of paper which is then folded and placed into a hat. One hat is for ladies and the other one is for men. The female then draws one name from the men's hat and the chosen man has to stick with his Valentine throughout the party. Later on, gifts are exchanged and Valentine's Day is greeted with hugs and kisses. Such wonderful Valentine games often result in unusual marriages."

IN SOUTH AFRICA, "the most commonly observed tradition includes going out on a romantic date with one's Valentine. Young couples make it traditional to celebrate the day at a very romantic place. Also, young girls celebrate the occasion by following an old-age Roman festival of 'Lupercalia'. According to this traditional festival, young girls pin their lovers names on their sleeves. At some places, men also follow this custom."

As for me, we are planning on having a nice seafood dinner home.  We have long ago abandoned the idea of dining out at a restaurant.  Maybe we've been married too long to act like new lovers mooning over each other across a table in public.  We love our home and the privacy and comfort of our own castle has a lot of appeal for not just Valentine's Day, but for the many other romantic dinners that occur throughout the year.

I love romance and the idea of romance, but that doesn't necessarily mean I need flowers and chocolates.  We still have a pantry full of the sweet stuff left over from Christmas.

My suggestion for today is hug and kiss your loved ones, give a hug and a kind word to your friends, coworkers and neighbours.  This isn't a blog about anything vintage, but the idea of love is timeless and eternal, don't you think?

Celebrate Valentine's Day your own special way...



Valentine's Day

 

Vintage-BRIGHT-RED-HEARTS-APRON-Happy-Valentines-Day






Vintage-Gold-Puffy-Heart-Valentines-Day-Necklace



Lisner: Spring Cleaning or Spring Shopping?

Okay, we all know spring has sprung and for many this brings out the spring cleaning bug. Opening windows, moving furniture to get to the winter dust bunnies and clean is a springtime ritual. Has anyone found themselves in an Ikea or storage specialty store lately? Most likely. Looking at all those lovely bins, shelves and stacking drawers to organize your life...until next winter anyway.

While I admit to participating in a spring cleaning at home, I generally have more of an itch to go shopping. Heading outside and strolling the boutiques, looking at the new spring styles - for me only comes at this time of year. Whether or not I have money to burn is irrelevant - spring is a time for shopping!

And this little Lisner Vintage Parure set from Bonnie & Clydes Treasure Trove is a perfect spring look. It gives me the feeling it is blooming as the new season is - the leaves have just opened with fresh buds. One can almost smell the scent of spring in this beautiful set. Now available, $76.

You Are A Jewel!

I mentioned in a previous post that up until the 1920s fashion and status and wealth were completely linked. A wealthy person would only buy real diamonds, pearls and other precious gems. But beginning in the 1920s, one could wear costume jewellery and get away with it thanks to Coco Chanel cleverly mixing the two.

A crystal brooch or fake pearl necklace could renew an outfit at a lesser cost. It was the same with other accessories too - belts, hats, ornamental buttons, scarves, gloves, bags and silk corsages all added an instant and affordable update.

When clothing was more expensive, women were able to stay in style by changing their accessories.

Here are some fabulous jewelery accessories from one of my favorite vintage jewelers on etsy: Boyle Antique & Vintage Jewlery

These will make any outfit spectacular!

Art Deco Purple Glass Gold Gilt Dangle Jeweled Czech Necklace

Enamel Rhinestone Glass Gold Filigree Pendant Deco Necklace

Sterling Marcasite Blue Lapis Stone Art Deco Brooch