In less than two weeks we will be popping up at the Vintage Bazaar’s Getting Hitched Market.  The show will be at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Avenue, on Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 11am-4pm ($5 entry fee).  We will be bringing all of our glamorous bling and gorgeous jewels to the show.  Come and check it out!

See more photos of the sale from Pure Vintage and Dethrose Vintage.

Start out your Halloween weekend with a vintage sale! Bunny’s will be there along with a variety of fun vintage sellers. You’ll find cool vintage jewelry, clothing, accessories and housewares along with good food. This event will benefit Animal Care and Control, so there will be dogs for adoption. If you see jewelry in our shop that you’d like to see in person, please email us at bunny@bunnystrunkshow.com.

Friday, Oct. 28th, 5pm-10pm
Saturday, Oct. 29th, 11pm-6pm

Chicago Party Animals
1133 W. Fulton Market
Chicago, IL

Don’t miss it! Check out The Hot Diggity Dog Vintage Sale for details.

September 18, 2011
11am-6pm
Congress Theater
2135 N. Milwaukee in Logan Square
Chicago, IL
$2 admission

70+ vendors of vintage decor, furniture, housewares, clothing and accessories

Plus food from local Chicago vendors, beer, wine and cocktails, DJ entertainment by CHIRP, photobooth and haircuts.

Good times!

Bakelite is a plastic that was patented by Dr. Leo Baekeland in 1907. The chemist accidentally invented the durable plastic when trying to develop a type of varnish. Bakelite was at first used for industrial purposes, such as electrical insulators, due to its fire resistance. It’s called thermoset plastic because it can be melted and formed into shapes. Once the piece has been heated, it doesn’t melt down again. This plastic was used in creating hundreds of other products such as telephones, radios, clock casings, kitchenalia and cameras.

For over a century, jewelry designers have been drawn to using plastics because unlike metal or glass, it can be molded, carved, tinted and laminated. One of the first types of plastic jewelry was Celluloid, popular in the late 1890s, followed by Galalith. Bakelite took over in the 1920s because it is more stable and less inflammable.

Costume jewelry designers started using Bakelite to intricately carve and cast brightly colorful pieces. Due to the era, a lot of the styles of these pieces are art deco. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, women gravitated towards Bakelite jewelry because it was an inexpensive way to spice up their worn out wardrobes. More expensive designer pieces decorated with metal, wood, rhinestones, or additional plastic ornaments were added in limited numbers to jewelry collections. Bakelite jewelry remained popular until it was eclipsed by Lucite in the 1940s.

Bakelite jewelry in general is highly collectible. Some of the most sought after Bakelite jewelry today are beaded, striped, polka dotted or multi-colored. We have a Marbled Perfume Bottle Brooch, which was created with end-of-day Bakelite. This Bakelite coloring appears in jewelry when the hues that are left at the end of the day are swirled together to create a piece. Our shop also currently carries an adorable Wood and Bakelite Fish Brooch and a beautifully carved Bakelite Flower Brooch. Bakelite patterns and colors were used to imitate tortoiseshell, amber, coral, ivory and even gemstones. This malleable plastic was formed into various shapes such as human figures, animals, fruits, flowers, leaves and boats. There seems to be no end to the character and charm of this jewelry.

When purchasing Bakelite, I first check the piece to make sure that there are no mold-lines or seams. Next is the sniff test. I rub a small spot with my finger repeatedly until it’s warm from the friction. If it’s Bakelite, it will smell like formaldehyde. Remember the pungent smell from dissecting frogs in biology class? Yep, that’s it. Or I take a Q-tip and rub a tiny spot on a hidden part of the jewelry with Simichrome cleaner. If the Q-tip changes color from pink to amber-yellow, it’s Bakelite. (This doesn’t always work with black Bakelite.) Check out this website for other ways to test Bakelite.

Most of the photos used in this blog are from two inpsiring costume jewelry books Costume Jewelry (DK Collector’s Guides) and Costume Jewelry (POCKET COLLECTIBLES).

Now I’m off . . . to hunt for stripes!

Last year, I picked up an amazing pair of 14kt gold blue topaz earrings. The 1.75ct blue topaz stones are authentic, not synthetic which is very common today. They are pierced, but have a threaded screw back post and are from the 1920s – 1930s. These earrings have a value of $175. The reason I know all this is because the lady selling them at the estate sale had them appraised by Kurt Teeters, GG. She mentioned that he has been appraising fine jewelry for decades and at the time, he was appraising jewelry for Demi Moore. If I remember correctly, the jewelry was from a movie.

Kurt does not buy and sell jewelry which is a plus because it’s more likely that you’ll get an unbiased appraisal. The lady also mentioned that it’s not a good idea to leave your jewelry with precious stones at the jewelers. It’s better to be there with them as they’re doing the appraisal (unless, of course, you have a trusted jeweler). I’ve heard that there’s a chance that the jeweler will replace your precious stones with cheaper ones.

We haven’t used his services, yet, but if you need an appraisal on precious jewerly, contact Kurt at Allied Gem Appraisers, 55 E Washington, Ste 404 in Chicago. The phone number is (312) 263-0090.

As for the elegant, gorgeous, yummy blue topaz earrings, I’m keeping them. They’re mine. Keep your paws off.

Not long ago, Tanya and I met with Elissa Pappas who works for New York Jewelers. We’ve started to acquire jewelry with semi-precious stones, but we don’t yet have the eye to tell if it’s a real stone, a crystal or glass. So Elissa wielded her magic jewelry loupe and along with her boss, they were able to browse our collection and tell us about the stones. Little did I know that blue diamonds existed. They also confirmed that Tanya’s diamond shaped ring is garnets, that the gold stone in her other ring is a citrine and that my little red, white and blue number is rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

It was awesome to have experts letting us know about our jewelry pieces. The shop not only had new fine jewelry, but they also have an amazing vintage collection of precious pieces. I would love to get my hands on gorgeous jewelry like that! One day . . .

Anyway, if you’re in the market for fine jewelry, talk to Elissa and she’ll set you up. The shop is on 11 N Wabash in Chicago and the phone number is (312) 855-4999.

“I remember, when I was so small I could hardly read, seeing a cartoon of two men bathing on a solitary beach. The started to talk, got along splendidly, and after sunning themselves for a long time went behind different rocks to dress. One came out all smartness with a dangling lorgnette and a silver stick; the other in rags. Stupefied, they looked at each other, and with a cold nod each turned and went his separate way. They had nothing more to say to one another.” Elsa Schiaparelli

Imagine the Paris fashion scene in the 1930s with dreamy surrealism and elegant masquerade balls. It was the era of avant-garde artists, writers and actors mingling in Parisian cafes. Women dressed in Schiaparelli duds walked the streets in styles that turned heads – grand capes embroidered with golden rays of light, bows stitched into woolen sweaters, buttons molded into tiny circus horses, black velvet telephone handbags, hats fashioned from a shoe, black gloves with golden nails, and necklaces in the shape of a terrifying serpent, yet lined in red rubies.

Couturier Elsa Schiaparelli, at the forefront of fashion, pushed the limits of the avant-garde style. As an artist and inventor, she directed her seamstresses to create outrageous collections such as ‘Musical Instruments’, ‘Butterflies’, ‘Pagan Collection’, ‘Astrological Collection’, and the ‘Circus’. Clowns, elephants and trapeze artists graced her garments with sayings such as ‘Attention à la peinture’ (wet paint). There was no limit to her imagination, humor and innovative mind. It was Schiaparelli who developed the idea of ‘ready-to-wear’ clothing and created a range of ‘boutique’ clothing and accessories.

Schiaparelli drew ideas from art, culture, and innovation bucking the trends of the Art Deco fashion scene. In the 1920s, her first foray into fashion was in directing the styles of sportswear for women and then moved into grand day and evening wear. The height of her success was between the two World Wars and her empire also included lines of jewelry, belts, buttons, scarves, purses, hats, shoes and perfume.

Her talent and original ideas attracted collaborators such as artists Jean Cocteau, Bébé Bérard, Salvador Dali (see photo), Vertès and Van Dongen. Movie stars clamored to appear in her glamorous creations; Katharine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich (see photo) and Lauren Bacall to name a few. Mae West posed for a plaster statue in which Schiaparelli used as a model to create perfectly fitting costumes for the actress. The statue was the inspiration for the design of the bottle of her perfume ‘Shocking’ (see photo). Schiaparelli loved not only shocking in her designs but also with the creation of her signature color ‘shocking pink’ on the runways and in her autobiography, Shocking Life. Of the pink color, she wrote, ‘bright, impossible, impudent, becoming, life-giving, like all the light and the birds and the fish in the world but together, a color of China and Peru but not of the West – a shocking colour, pure and undiluted’.

After picking up stunning Pink and Purple Parfait Earrings and Rhinestone and Pearl Earrings at estate sales, I decided research Schiaparelli. The name didn’t ring a bell, but I was attracted to the colors and textures of the jewelry.

In the early 1920s, jewelry design radically changed from creating pieces with precious stones to using crystals and enamel. Costume jewelry became popular and Schiaparelli, doing what she did best, raised the bar. She believed that using fake or as she coined, ‘junk jewelry’, let her become more creative in her designs. The natural beauty of jewelry with precious stones required skill in combination unlike costume jewelry. ‘Junk jewelry’ permitted women to reveal their daring and outrageous personalities. Her jewelry line ran the gamut from precious to crystals and rhinestones. She played with untraditional materials such as china, porcelain, glass, crystal, aluminum and plastics.

One of her chic ideas was to pin a little diamond to the center of a fresh rose. Schiaparelli’s friend and client Daisy Fellowes was spotted wearing a cluster of emeralds at the top of her ear and another cluster on her lobe. Ears dripping in glamour! A finger amour design she dreamed up was a three-jointed diamond ring; one piece was worn at the base of the finger, the next one above the middle joint and the third cupping the tip of the finger. En garde!

Fastenings on French mechanics’ overalls inspired her first famous clip. Other clip designs included shell, fir cones, mushrooms, caterpillars, mermaids and musical boxes. Women walking the darkened streets of Paris could be seen wearing battery-operated, illuminated pieces on their suit lapels; some examples include a phosphorescent flower, a luminous torch, a small lamppost and a candlestick with a cherub holding a tiny light bulb.

A necklace with what looked like were aspirins was born out of her collaboration with Elsa Triolet and her husband, Surrealist poet, Louis Aragon. From afar, the Insect necklace (see photo) gave the appearance of insects scrambling around the wearer’s neck. It gives me the chills! Schiaparelli used gold and enamel coins and vegetable shapes to jangle off necklaces, bracelets and dog collars. Of her bracelets with factory cogs, saw-toothed tools, featherweight discs and flattened metal balls, Harper’s Bazaar for May 1935 exclaimed, ‘mechanical splendor, the bolder the better, the crueler the more chic.’

In the late 1930s, Schiaparelli teamed up with jewelry artisan Jean Schlumberger. Clever creations included pieces such as a pin of an ear of corn with a few missing kernels replaced with rhinestones; cupid clips and earrings; a brooch of two roller skating feet; a metal choker with water-lilies and gold frogs; a necklace strung with Victorian hands and wrists; a gold cigarette lighter shaped like a fish with ruby eyes and a flexible tail decorated in rubies. Too many gorgeous and unique designs to mention! The collaboration was a huge success but came to an end because of WWII.

Schiaparelli returned to France after WWII and continued working until 1954, when she closed her fashion house and retired. I just barely scratched the surface of one fascinating personality. Learn more about Elsa Schiaparelli and view some of her collections. For a glimpse of this classy lady in action, here’s a clip of her on “What’s My Line?”. I gleaned some of this information from two great books: Elsa Schiaparelli (Universe of Fashion) and Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli. What an inspiration!

The show was also great for me because I saw a new perspective on how to wear the vintage jewelry pieces.  Two of the necklaces were creativity placed on the models by the designers.  For example, I loved the way the Long Silver Tone Snake Chain Necklace was wrapped around the model’s neck so artistically.  I would have never imagined it could look this way.

The Four Strand Faux Aurora Borealis Pearl Necklace was also very creatively worn.  It now is a 28 inch necklace and not a choker.

The other two necklaces completed the fashion ensembles.  Here is the gorgeous Black on Red Cinnabar Bead Necklace.

And the classically beautiful Gold Tone Large Filigree Pendant Necklace.

All four pieces have just been added to our shop.  You can find them in the necklace section.  Get them before they’re gone!

Thanks to Carmen for inviting us to be a part of this great event.  The pictures were provided by Bodywallet.  (You can see the other images of the fashion show on the flicker page, images from December 6, 2010.)

I was recently at a outdoor antiques market when I saw this dazzling purse and couldn’t keep my eyes off of it. The purse is made of wood and has a whimsical bird pattern bejeweled with gold and brown translucent stones and gold coins. I could tell that the design was from either the 1960s or 70s. Flat 2-D bird images have been popular and I wondered if this is where it began. The lady who sold it to me asked if I knew Enid Collins. No, I’d never heard of her.

Once I got home, I started to research Enid Collins and what I found was an interesting lady. Enid and her husband, sculptor Fred Collins, moved to Medina, TX to ranch. After struggling at making a go of ranching, they had to turn to their talents. She had graduated with a fashion design degree, so it was only natural that she would design purses. Enid made unique, stylish purses using paint, charms, sequins, rhinestones, sculpted brass ornaments and leather trim. Collins of Texas was born in 1959 and at first sold her bags locally in gift shops and dude ranches. But then Neiman Marcus placed an order and Enid’s totes and box bag purses became the ‘must-have’ accessory. I find her story inspirational because she followed her bliss. It seems that a lot of us get caught in the money trap of having to rely on a day job when only we’d be so lucky to lose our jobs and then have to rely on our passions. I know it seems a little scary, but the payoff is huge, not only money but what you have the potential to create.

After poking around the internet, I’ve learned that the purse that I’ve acquired was made in the 1960s. This purse is in excellent shape, but for missing three small sequins – hardly noticeable. It has a mirror on the inside flap to allow for powdering one’s nose at any moment. The purse design is called “Money Tree”, so you’ll be rich if you carry this bag around. Well, you’ll look rich anyway. It’s like carrying a portable piece of studio folk art. I’ll be posting this one for sale soon . . . if it can be wrestled out of my hands. What a find! If you’d like to see more designs, check out Enid Collins Collection.

Update 3/3/11 – This purse has been sold!