ornate

I recall the first antique hand mirror I ever bought. It was on vacation in Maine, on a shelf at a ‘thrift store. This lovely mirror just spoke to me – I was enthralled. Those wonderful roses, art nouveau detailing, the graceful handle. And it was marked “Empire Art Silver.”

The lady came over and said, “what a shame, the mirror is really awful!” I turned it over, and for the first time noticed that it did have shadowing and a lot of wear. But did I care? Absolutely not – The frame was the thrill!

Since that time, about 8 years ago, I have added numerous hand mirrors to my collection. Some are dated – 1904, 1909, etc. One of my favorites is round with a lot of detailing, scrolls, flowers and an open handle.

This one is Sterling Silver. It also has a rather poor mirror, a little dent here and there. Another favorite is square and very, very ornate. I continued the search, but many I desired were out of my price-range. Found a few at auctions, others at yard sales or estate sales.

I especially like to find them with a monogram. I know, I know, that tends to decrease the value of silver items such as tableware. But I don’t mind! I know that there was once a little girl, teenager or matronly lady staring into their mirror. Perhaps putting makeup on or just checking their hair before the special occasion; a wedding, big dance or anniversary party. That just makes the mirrors feel special to me. And if it has an initial of a loved one, that makes it even better. My mom’s name was Ruth and the ones with “R’s” remind me of her.

I had a very delightful thing happen a while back. I was at a garage sale and saw a silver mirror with a voluptuous lady with long flowing hair. Lots of roses, lovely repousse. I asked the gent “how much for this?” His response was “no charge, just take it, it has no mirror.” I gladly scooped it up and with my purchases, skipped to the car. (As my kids will tell you, I am not an expert skipper, and people were actually gawking.)

You see, it did not bother me one iota that this had no mirror. I hang them on the wall in my bedroom and no one else knows the little ’secret.’

Although my darling husband is very accommodating and has let me have a large wall for this display, we will soon be out of room so I have limited my purchases to only sterling silver ones. One of my top three is an art nouveau mirror with wonderful flowers and another features a 3-dimensional lady with a flower in her hair and a lily!

While I have said I will only collect silver mirrors, I did find a ‘must-have’ one that is more brass than not. But I could not pass on it! This one is unusual since it has a peacock at the top, a lady with a fan, a snake and several dragons. Now who could resist? Not me!

I know I am hooked – but I just don’t ‘reflect’ on my addiction too long. I enjoy them, as do all who view them!

Val uble

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As long as people have owned jewelry, they’ve needed a place to keep it. Jewelry box styles range from plain and functional to lovely designs that rival the beauty of the jewels they hold. Because jewelry boxes have long been a common possession, there are tons of beautiful, unique jewelry boxes out there for collectors to discover.

Through the years, jewelry box styles have followed furniture design. Jewelry boxes are meant to be on display, so designers pay attention to the outer appearance, making jewelry boxes at once attractive and functional. The inside of a jewelry box is normally lined in a soft material like satin or velvet to protect the baubles it contains.

Earlier jewelry boxes were normally made with domed lids, but the fashion turned to flat lids over time. Wood has always been the material of choice for jewelry boxes, but they can also be found fashioned from cut glass, pewter, silver, tin, brass, leather and even papier mache. Mirrored boxes were common in the art deco era. Jewelry boxes are sometimes set with jewels, carved and embossed. Jewelry boxes with an Asian flair are often lacquered in black and inset with mother of pearl.

In the Victorian age, furniture designs were ornate, with practically every inch full of carvings, scrolls, fringe and other decorations. Victorian boxes were also highly decorated in keeping with this design philosophy. Victorians liked having pretty boxes to set out, and in addition to jewelry boxes Victorians tended to have many smaller trinket boxes. Many collectors are fond of these smaller boxes since they’re easier to display in a group than the larger jewelry boxes.

If you have a jewelry box collection or are interested in starting one, don’t forget to ask your relatives if they have any old jewelry boxes they’re willing to part with. Oftentimes women own beautiful jewelry boxes that have been abandoned in favor of newer styles and are collecting dust at the back of a closet shelf.