Hello, and thank you for visiting and reading my blog today as I celebrate 12 years of blogging. My blog is and has been my most trusted companion, a resource list, a guide and even a journal of sorts. I love showing all of you my work and the thought that goes into making each piece. This is also the place I impart wisdom (LMAO) a.ka. share knowledge and also pour my heart out when it hurts. I think I have made some great friends over the years through my blog. However, as the link parties and blog challenges disappear, the readers and commenters vanish, I worry about the future. My archives list shows that I have been the most irregular this past year writing only 44 posts. I realise that I have not made any collections apart from Bommalu and Jewelry in Narratives either. Where does all the time go, I wonder. When did blogging…writing get so difficult?
12 years of blogging
In these 12 years of blogging, I have learnt that it is not difficult to write. You type what you think, speak and it gets written. It is easier when you have time in your hands, but you can also write in a pinch provided you have a clear thought. My mind has been muddled with responsibilities on various fronts that I haven’t had a clear thought related to jewellery writing in weeks. However, my thoughts have never been far from jewellery.
Even though I am not making as much as I would like to, I spend time looking at pictures of jewellery from around the world online. Last year, I chanced upon the Virtual Souk Facebook group that I mentioned in my Chhedi ka Jantar post. It has opened a window to a magnificent world that I always wanted to be a part of. When you see pictures of jewellery in a book, a website or even in a museum display, it is distant. However, when you see people handle the pieces for a sale, to collect or wear in everyday life, the learning is completely different. It suddenly makes more sense! Naturally, I end up buying bits and blobs that I can afford. I remake them into jewellery for personal use.
Making Vintage jewellery
I have had people ask me if I can make vintage jewellery. No, I cannot; in fact no one can as “vintage” means that the piece was made atleast 40 years ago (preferably between 1940s-1960s). One can only repair vintage jewellery. However, what I or any other jeweller can do is to make jewellery using vintage components. In doing so, we may create a piece that comprises beads, components, even wire or cord that is over 40 years old. We can also put vintage components together with newer beads, cord, wire and findings.
While buying and making with vintage components, particularly ethnic vintage, is an exciting avenue to pursue, it has its fair share of issues. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Tips on buying Vintage jewellery components online
- Read about the object that you want to want to buy, the technique used to make it along with the visual, material and cultural context in which it is made and worn. Be respectful of that culture, the people who it belongs to and their practices.
- Buy your components from reputed dealers you can trust. It is not fun to buy a piece online on an unknown platform/from an unknown seller and get cheated. Established sellers will have a steeper margin and will not bargain. However, you will get what they promised.
- Look carefully at the photographs; magnify if possible. Does the piece have any cracks or dents? Are all the stones, dangles present? Many vintage/antique items will show signs of wear and tear. Only you can decide if it is acceptable to you.
- Most sellers will state measurements in the description but majority of the times we will imagine it to be bigger or smaller in our heads. The best thing to do is to keep a ruler/measuring tape with you while buying components or standard size beads/stencils when buying beads and measure it out.
- Depending on where you and the seller each live, it may be prudent to opt for courier instead of postal shipping. I had 2 orders come in from UK. The first one was through post where I ended up paying 41% extra duty when it reached me. For the second, I opted for courier paying more upfront but ended up saving nearly Rs.3200.
How to make jewellery with vintage components
I am not a vintage jewellery re-construction or repair expert. This is just my approach to putting together vintage components with new components to make jewellery for myself.
- Examine the pieces bought to see if everything is as per description. I will take a call on if, when and where I want to use chipped, damaged, dented pieces.
- I thoroughly clean the components based on the material. For hygiene reasons, I discard textile components and use metal, glass beads and coloured stones. I wash them with soap and water and towel dry them. If the piece has too much patina, I remove at least half, leaving behind only what is necessary to give the piece a “worn in” feeling. I polish and protect the piece with flitz polish.
- I string if the beads and components are lightweight. You could knot if there are multiple strands and/or want tassels. Loop if you have very few beads or if you want to create structures.
- You could use traditional colours and classic designs when using ethnic components from a particular region. However, if you want to mix materials and regions like I did in my Siam necklace show here then you could use a single colour to unite the components and bring harmony.
Several years back, I decided to make my blogiversary posts content rich. In that regard, I hope that this post both intrigues and informs you about the world of vintage ethnic jewellery. I love reading your comments. Therefore, please do share your thoughts and tell me what you think of this interest of mine..
I hope you find it interesting
Cheers
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