Here is hoping your holiday season was bright and beautiful, and that you gave and received some singular gifts. While seasonal shopping and post-holiday sales have left some people depleted energy-wise, others are taking advantage of this perceived downtime. They see this month as a window of opportunity, particularly when it comes to purchasing unique items like vintage jewelry.
Collectible, custom, vintage, and antique jewelry tends to capture eBay shoppers’ attention. Take, for example, all the brouhaha over last year’s number one post on eBay stories, Find unclaimed property on eBay. Readers were intrigued by a gold coin bracelet and a diamond ring among other baubles retrieved from old safe deposit boxes.
So it does not come as too much of a surprise that today’s two featured listings have generated a goodly amount of bidding. The first item looks like it could have come out of a pirate’s treasure chest. It’s a Vintage 1930′s Art Deco Pools of Light Crystal Sterling Silver Necklace:
The seller, Oxford Jewel, elaborates on this radiant piece:
“The necklace measures 16″ long with 15 pool orbs that are 14mm in diameter. The necklace has a chain at the back and a spring ring clasp that is not original to the piece and does not test positive for sterling. This necklace has orbs that are set in bands that have a pretty floral designs that do test positive for sterling and the orbs have been verified by a gemologist to be natural rock crystal. The crystals have a beautiful glow which is what gives them their ‘pools of light’ name.”
The seller calls the piece “glowing and classical,” and we agree. So have 15 bidders, who have brought the price up to $426.89.
Perhaps they had their attention sparked by the name “pools of light,” which is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy world of Narnia as depicted in his series of seven fantasy novels, The Chronicles of Narnia. According to Wikipedia, the Narnian world is linked to others via the Wood between the Worlds, and “this space takes the form of a dense forest with many pools of water. With appropriate magic (or a device such as rings made from the soil), each pool leads to a different world. The Wood between the Worlds seems to affect the magic and strength of the White Witch, who becomes weak and ill when taken there.”
If any of this information could even slightly apply to this item, the necklace is far more valuable and significant than meets the eye!
It’s hard to beat the fictional excitement stirred up by that item, so for this next one we will focus on its aesthetic appeal, which is significant. Up for bidding is this Antique Victorian Georgian Sterling Silver Amethyst Riviere Necklace:
This beauty looks like it could have been worn on the Titanic. In fact, it most likely dates from several decades prior to the sinking of the great ship, perhaps back to the late Georgian or Victorian era. The seller describes the necklace’s appearance and the quality of the stones in detail:
“The amethyst has a consistent color across the piece, it is not a dark purple, but a soft purple with pinky hues when it catches the light. The stones are faceted on both sides and they really catch the light to show off the translucency as well as the depth in color. There are natural occlusions to the stones and gentle shifts of color and streaks that give the stones a subtle texture and depth. The stones are set in a very pretty and unique setting that is openworked with a nice filigree band at the middle of the setting. It’s a subtle touch but really compliments the design of the necklace. There are no chips to the stones, the surfaces are smooth and gleaming, and the faceting is fresh and refractive.”
This is the kind of item an actress might wear on the red carpet before accepting an Oscar Award. Or maybe some forward-thinking eBay shoppers are planning to wear this to Academy Award parties of their own, or other galas, as this necklace has currently seen 31 bids, bringing its current price up to $352.
Peruse the multiple photographs on both listings to appreciate the value of these necklaces. Then perhaps you, too, will be enticed to dive into these pools of light.
Having a great interest in jewelry, from a normal (normal?) rock to the finest jewelry
design, I loved the necklace I just read about and stared for quite a while, looking at every
gorgeous detail of how it was made.
Since I’m way over my share of jewelry, from vintage to making my own designs, plus a lot
of this and that, I don’t dare bid on necklace but I envy and congratulate the person who
gets it!
Brenda