A Little Jewelry History ~ Part Four: WWII/America's Golden Age

“A kiss on the hand may be quite continental
But diamonds are a girl's best friend
A kiss may be grand... but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat
Or help you at the automat
Men grow cold as girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square cut or pear shape these rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend” ~Marilyn Monroe

We start this jewelry history in the 1940’s. Men were away fighting the war, and women were filling the jobs they left behind. Many of the factories that had produced jewelry were now producing war related items. Many metals were restricted for costume jewelry so sterling silver was the substitute.
Costume jewelry of the 1940s could be identified in two categories: fashion and novelty. Fashion jewelry was cast from the finer metals like sterling silver, and was being produced by the major manufacturers, Coro, Trifari, Haskell, and Carnigie to name a few.

The glass stones that were so abundant previously were now in short supply. Manufacturers used them sparingly, creating bolder designs with single large faux gemstones.


Novelty Jewelry was stamped from less expensive base metals or molded from plastic. Novelty jewelry was more fun and whimsical. Patriotic jewelry was a popular theme.


The fifties brought Americas Golden Age. The war was over, and there was a lot of optimism in the country. Jewelry of this era reflected this optimism with glitzy gold tones and lots of rhinestones.


When Marilyn Monroe sang “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend,” women went crazy trying to emulate the look and rhinestones were a perfect fit.

I think this era more than any other made me fall in love with costume jewelry. I remember my grandmother letting me play with her box of “old” jewelry when I was little. It was a treasure trove of “glitzy” 1950’s brooches, bracelets and of course the famous necklace/earring sets!

Nostalgic Summer Catch Up

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~Stanley Horowitz


The last two weeks have been very busy here at Nostalgic Summer, so this little post is to catch up.

First as you know from my last post I am creating a new line, “The Vintage Matchbook Advertising Art Pendant” Here are the finished pieces.




I have so many matchbooks to go through, stay tuned for more designs to come!

Also yesterday was Nostalgic Summers FIRST Art Fair. It was held at The Second Debut in St Louis Park.

I had a great time, sold several pieces and had the opportunity to get to know another wonderful artist Karla Mae. Look for a few art fair collaborations to come!
This is Karla's booth. She is a wonderful Visual Artist who creates mixed media collages, cards, custom scrapbooks and photo memory albums.


Everyone have a great fall.
And look for “A Little Jewelry History...Part Four” next week.

Time for a little Creativity!…Part Two

“An artist needn’t be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men.” ~Vincent van Gogh

Fall is turning into a busy time for Nostalgic Summer. I just joined a wonderful “women in business” networking group, and I will be participating in my first art fair.

So I thought I would take a little time to catch you up on some new pieces I am currently working on, a bit on how they came about and information on the great Art Fair I will be participating in.

After my dad died my mom was cleaning out some of his things, and giving items to everyone. She gave me two small cardboard boxes and said they were dad’s “matchbook collection.” I put them in a closet and forgot about them. That was 17 years ago.

Fast forward to this year. I have been thinking about making vintage graphic pendants, but just couldn’t find the right vintage art. I love all the pendants I’ve seen with vintage type, French themes, and bits of vintage writings but the thing is I’ve seen them done already. I wanted something new. I tried many different options but nothing was working, until I ran across the little boxes I had stored away 17 years ago.

I had never actually looked inside them, but when I did I found a fantastic collection of advertising art from the 1920’s to 1930’s!

This photo shows only a tiny fraction of matchbook covers!

I scanned some of my favorites, worked with the size, and here they are in production,


This is a sample of what a finished piece will look like.

These pieces will be available for the first time at the Second Debut Art Fair on October 1st. This is a wonderful event with 10% of the proceeds going to The Good Will Easter Seals Organization.
Here’s the link: http://www.goodwilleasterseals.org/site/Calendar/236422203?view=Detail&id=117283

I am also working on a collection of initial necklaces for the art fair.

And of course I will have a wonderful collection of Nostalgic Summers Re-purposed Vintage pieces.


If you are in the Minneapolis area on October 1st I hope you will come, support local artists and The Goodwill Easter Seals Organization.

A Little Jewelry History ~ Part Three: The Roaring 20’s/The Great Depression

“The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant.”
~ Salvador Dali

This period in our jewelry history opens with the great prosperity of the 1920’s and ends with the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Two such contrasting times in our history. How does it affect the history of jewelry?

Costume Jewelry came into its own during this period and two distinct styles emerged, as there was a desire to keep things as they were and a longing for something new. Women yearned for emancipation, and role models like actress Sarah Bernhardt had a tremendous influence on jewelry designs. Her style was new and sensual. Copies of Sarah Bernhardt’s jewelry flew off the shelves.

The more conventional motifs included floral baskets and bows. Lighter colors became popular in fine jewelry and costume jewelry followed suit using silver instead of platinum, imitation pearls and rhinestones.

Czechoslovakia produced some of the most distinctive costume jewelry made from crystal stones and beads. Daniel Swarovski made the finest paste stones and they are still produced today.

This period is most strongly identified with Art Deco. Geometric forms were inspired by the Cubism movement, and figural subjects like flower baskets were highly stylized.

Bakelite was a popular synthetic material favored for it’s malleable quality and bright colors. It lent itself well to the Art Deco style.

By the mid 1930’s costume jewelry really came into its own and instead of imitating precious jewels, the styles were bigger and bolder. Art Deco was reworked into a dramatic retro style worn and popularized by actresses like Joan Crawford. These pieces could be worn day to evening, which was perfect for the new breed of working women.

Hats (and costume jewelry) off to our Grandmothers, Mothers, and Aunts for paving the way for fashionable career women today!

Time For A Little Creativity!……….

“Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility. ~Rosabeth Moss Kanter

I spent last week with family and friends on a mini vacation/buying trip.

So…. I thought I would catch you up on my purchases, experiences and a few of my newly created pieces. Oh, and a little fun fact about my logo!

So many people have asked me about the wonderful photo I have for my logo. I thought I would give you a little history on it and the creation of Nostalgic Summer.

We recently celebrated my mothers 90th birthday. Yes I said NINETY! (going on 50).
We had a big party, complete with a wonderful slide show presentation of her life. My husband and I put the show together and asked family for pictures of Grandma Gertie. We received over 300! The presentation was a great pictorial history of her life from when she was a baby to the present.

I filed the photos on my computer under “GertiePhotos” and had not looked at them since the party.

When I was creating my Etsy shop, I knew I wanted to invoke an image of the past. After many word combinations Nostalgic Summer was born! I wanted a logo that projected a nostalgic feeling, and after many a creative hash session I remembered the photos from my mothers party. This picture was taken when she was a teenager. She was spending the day at Lake Calhoun with friends, and someone shot this wonderful photo of my mother and her friend. Mom is the cute young girl on the left!

Here’s is my incredible mother today…almost 91!


Now for a little catch up. I spent last week at the cabin. My brother and his wife came up to get away from the Texas heat. And while they were here we took a trip to one of my new favorite flea markets in Detroit Lakes. This was only my second trip to the flea market, but each time I have scored big! I was able to purchase lots of great vintage pieces from a vintage collector who is trying to pair down. I also found some great pieces from a garage sale, my favorite antique shop in Vining (see previous post on “My Summer Vacation”) and a couple newly discovered antique shops.
Here’s my bounty:





And a few pieces made from some of it


Stay tuned for more creations….and next weeks post “A Little Jewelry History, Part Three.

Thank you for visiting Nostalgic Summer!

A Little Jewelry History ~ Part Two: Edwardian Era/The Chanel Influence

“Jewelry should be viewed with innocence, with artlessness,
just as we enjoy the sight of an apple tree in blossom
at the side of the road as we speed past in a motor-car.”
~ Coco Chanel

My previous history post left us at the end of the 19th century. We are now in the 20th century and the Edwardian period. There was a passion for the arts and fashion emerged with a new and intense femininity. It was a more slender, sinuous outline, with the new “S” shape that accentuated a woman’s natural curves.
Jewelry had a new lacy delicacy echoing an image of fragility.


A very important element affecting the popularity of costume jewelry was the “femme fatale”. Actresses and musical artists occupied an important position in society and always piled on the jewels for public appearances. Jewelry became a way for the admirers of these stars to imitate them, thus the Edwardian era introduced the start of the costume jewelry phenomenon.

Mass production changed the manufacture of jewelry and many important jewelers of the day used it to unleash their imaginations!

Mass production also introduced imitation pearls to the market.
And we cannot talk about imitation pearls with mentioning Coco Chanel. Chanel opened her first shop in Paris in 1910 and introduced her first luxurious costume jewelry in the early 1920’s. Her simple dress designs and the plain fabrics she used were an ideal foil for jewelry.


Bored by the seriousness of real jewels, Chanel began creating jewelry with artificial pearls. In her younger years pearls had been one of the most precious stones, and the privilege of aristocracy.
Chanel instigated an entirely new and brazen way to wear costume jewelry. Her designs consisted of yards of pearls, and were intended to be worn during the day with casual cloths. Very shocking for the day!

Lately I have been drawn to vintage pearls and rhinestones for my new jewelry creations. I love the old vintage glass pearl beads, the way they have worn to a warm smooth finish.

So with a nod to the master, here is my humble homage to Coco Chanel.

Summer Shop Feature ~ Jade Rose Boutique

“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.”
Wayne Dyer

This weeks shop feature is Jade Rose Boutique, a wonderful Etsy shop specializing in handmade designs in fabric, fiber and paper. Betti Magison is the owner of this lovely shop.

Betti has been creative all her life, sewing, quilting, crocheting and paper folding since she was a child. While in high school she crocheted flower and lace earrings, she thinks they would be perfect for my vintage theme and I think you’re right Betti, maybe for my jewelry history series? Many of the items in her shop are items she originally made for her daughter.


I am most impressed by Betti’s dedication to her family. She told me, her daughter is “the joy of my life” and is “grateful for my sweet husband who supports my habit.” Betti has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy and donates a portion of her sales to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Now that Betti’s daughter is grown and she is retired she has “time to play.” And she is busy! She does a bit of everything depending on what she has on hand. She is currently working on a doily from a 1960’s vintage doily book she found. My vintage collector friends would LOVE these!


Thank you Betti for the opportunity to introduce you to my readers. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you!
You can visit Jade Rose Boutique at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JadeRoseBoutique?ref=pr_shop_more&view_type=gallery