Country Images Magazine North Edition July 2017

entire court to wear black and avoid opulent jewellery, making marcasite the more popular as an understated alternative. Suddenly it no longer became necessary to say, ‘Look at the Duchess, my dear: absolutely dripping with diamonds!’ Th anks to the demise of the Prince Consort, the old girl might have been armour plated instead with marcasite or its related form pyrites. Much more recently a stone called cubic zirconia has come forward as a ﬁ rst rate diamond substitute. It is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and is hard, optically ﬂ awless and usually colourless, but may be made in a variety of diff erent colours. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4). Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most important competitor for diamonds since commercial production began in 1976. Less expensive naturally found stone are also popular: garnet, amethyst, agate, even smaller opals are all popular elements of costume jewellery, as, at a level down is glass, either moulded (not very impressive) or cut, in various colours. Likewise, mounts are oft en silver with semi-precious stones, but white metal is also common and one should check for marks. Silver is oft en of non UK origin so will not have an assay mark, but will be stamped STERLING SILVER or STG SILVER or even STGSIL, which usually implies an American origin. I illustrate a very good period Art-Deco set of pendant and two clip ear-rings mounted in American silver with faux diamonds, but worth £40-60 just because they’re classic deco and period; had they been modern the ear-rings these would have been fashioned for pierced ears without a doubt. Above: Edwardian fancies: a micro- mosaic brooch in silver-gilt mount, ﬁ ligree silver cameo, a yellow metal and paste bracelet, a cross & bow in silver & enamel and a marcasite brooch. Paste is a word used for cut glass ‘stones’ set in silver foil to produce a good sparkle, and a rhinestone is lead glass (crystal) cut to taste and with the lower facets in the mount coated in various metallic powders to produce the desired eff ect. As a rule, such ‘stones’ are set in yellow or white metal rather than precious metal, although silver does crop up fairly regularly, especially in times gone by when it was, pro rata, more aff ordable. Left top: Art-Deco en suite clasp ear-rings and pendant, white metal, paste and cultured pearls (non-original chain) continental, 1930s. Another matter is the way the stones are attached to the metal frame which constitutes the body of the item. Setting is a sign of quality, where the stones (whatever they are) are attached by tiny claws, of the best quality and very unobtrusive. At the lower end of the scale the stones are glues in, which is why sometimes there are missing ones, whereas set gems rarely become detached. Yet once a stone is lost from a piece, replacing it becomes much more expensive than the value of the jewel itself. Left bottom: Flapper-age costume jewellery: citrine and red paste ﬂ ower brooch mounted in yellow metal; coloured paste anthropomorphic brooch in US silver and a turned and graduated ivory necklace In Derbyshire, of course, we have some resources which frequently appear in costume jewellery: Blue John being a favourite, not to mention inlaid Ashford Black marble and other minerals. Silver-set Blue John brooches or pendants shouldn’t cost more than £30-50 at auction, although always check the mount as they are not always silver, in which case, you would be looking at £25. Other very eff ective decorative substances include abalone shell, jet (to which I shall devote a future article), rock crystal, pre-1947 ivory (check provenance to ensure you are buying something legal here) and micro- mozaïc, the latter usually of Italian provenance. Done to look like a picture these constitute Grand Tour items, but in a nice silver-gilt mount they count as quality costume jewellery and could cost up to £150 or so. Of course, costume jewellery is still made quite literally in industrial quantities, but one always pays well over the intrinsic value for such items, whereas antique or not-so-modern pieces will have found their level and if you buy at auction or from a dealer, you should be getting value for money. A fun way to get something you like is to buy a box of miscellaneous costume jewellery from a general sale at an auction. House clearances and modest deceased estates always ensure a regular supply. Th en one can have the pleasure of going through the lot, picking out the most appealing pieces and then re-consigning the rest - or putting them, one at a time, on e-bay! But when buying, once you have checked for composition and especially quality, buy only what you really like, for there is no real scope for buying for proﬁ t in this type of bling, however old. Ecclesbourne Valley Clocks Antique Clock Restoration & Repair Personal, qualiﬁ ed & experienced repair service Please contact us to arrange a visit to your home for a FREE evaluation and quotation 07772 411663 [email protected] Based just outside Belper CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 31

Country Images Magazine North Edition July 2017 | Page 31