Around her neck is the cinema’s greatest artefact of jewellery. While the screen bears the sadly true horrific depiction of a story that took place one hundred years ago, the necklace has no true identity. But from being the sole article worn during a portrait to the sinking of the ship, the Heart of the Ocean around Rose DeWitt Bukater’s neck played a great supporting role to Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as they reenacted the great sea voyage on the RMS Titanic.
The tragic romance of this story both in real life and on the big IMAX screen makes the jewellery that much more attractive and something that goes on our jewellery bucket list.
Abdication Avant-Garde The Hidden Royal Gems
After his abdication, the Duke of Windsor made specific rare jewellery for his lover Wallis Simpson. He showered her with lavish jewels for the rest of his life. After the Duchess of Windsor’s death, her famous jewels made history at a 1987 Sotheby’s auction in Geneva, fetching over $50 million, a record for a single-owner jewellery collection. Christie’s this month is to sell more of her niche pieces that money can buy. Her vintage collections always go way over the bidding price. They were the Duke of Windsor reminder he was once a King. By creating Avant-garde pieces he sacrificed the biggest humiliation a man in power can endure. Vulnerability to a divorced woman who conquered his heart opposed to his duty to his throne.
Pearls were a favourite of the duchess, who often wore them in a single or double-strand necklace, along with pearl and diamond drops.
Prince Harry instead chose Lady Dianne’s pieces for marketing making power. Meghan certainly is milking that for all it’s worth Gucci handbag and all.
We women admit to ourselves we want something so breathtakingly and astoundingly beautiful on our necks even if it’s the last thing we wear during this pandemic. Accessories are wonderful to wear for mental health reasons.
Jewellery Miriam Haskell
Thankfully there is a vast world out there comprised of costume jewellery. Its authentic roots and culturally rich history is compelling both in its cost and its looks that look impressive in its velvet box and draped on our body.
Starting with 1928. This company with extremely reasonable prices and achievable looks has so many seasonal-appropriate lines. Summer fun, bridal wear anything for everything. These great starter pieces are exceptionally suited for carefree days as we embrace days gone by.
Across the Richter scale of cost is designer Miriam Haskell with pieces in her bridal collection inspired by original vintage pieces. The 18” Baroque Pearl necklace is a quintessential example of pure vintage jewellery of the finest workmanship as the knots between each pearl testify.
This piece like many others could also replicate costume jewellery. The purpose of costume jewellery and its 1930s origin was if lost, broken or borrowed would mean no significant losses. These trinkets may have had no great monetary value but they made the outfits -or to borrow their terminology the costumes- complete. Pearls are often the first pieces of jewellery that we own that constitute a 1930s definition. Mere trinkets.
While Haskell has opted for sleeker vintage impersonations all the glory and chintz can be found in collections like the new Oak Land Designs. She also was a user of coral.
A small environmentally friendly company that refers to itself as Vintage Fabulous uses recycled products to hand make each vintage-inspired piece.
Vestiaire
Vestiaire has endless amounts of vintage accessories like Gucci.
Finally, supplying vintage and contemporary jewellery This Charming Girl is home to beautiful, whimsical pieces that look like they belong in a fairytale. Their most recent edition of gold plated rose suspended inside a clear acrylic bottle on a 30″ antique gold-plated chain looks suspiciously like an enchanted rose we all know from a popular French fairytale…
Piled and entangled in flea market boxes are masses of this gallery. As you browse page after page on eBay, and Vestiaire you will find that some pieces rose to fame while others are still worth as much as our 25-cent gumball machines’ candy necklaces or the fake ring found at the bottom of cereal and Happy Meal box.
If we are entirely honest with our inner fashionista diva heart we will understand that the price tag does not set the value of our vintage costume jewellery. I have amazing pieces from YVL dating back to the 1980s.
As we snap clasps, slide rings over our knuckles and twine strands around our wrists we are saluting the women of the vintage era who worked so hard to enable us to be us.
Like Sophia Loren. I am also a big lover of brooches. They complete an outfit any time of the day.
I bought one in Italy from a vintage store, Iradj Moini.
