Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Vintage Jewelry, just for fun

In the past few years, I've been collecting vintage jewelry. None of it is very expensive stuff, maybe $10 - $35, but it's different and interesting. Almost all of it is circa 1900 - 1940s, although once in a while there's a piece from the 1950s that catches my eye.

I inherited several vintage pieces of jewelry from my Mom, and it was the start of a lovely collection. She didn't feel very strongly about diamonds and rubies, but she surely was one who liked those eye-catching, oddball pieces that no one else had. Some came to her from relatives, while others were found way back in the 1950s and 1960s in places like the Salvation Army stores, or at the Goodwill shops. She didn't have much money, but she had a great eye for the uncommon.

What's nice about finding more of these small treasures to add to my collection is that I didn't pay a huge amount of money for them. They always seem to bring a
lot of compliments, mostly because they are not anything seen today in modern jewelry, yet stand out in their style or design. There's even been people who have tried to buy them right off my lapel! (Ooops - "sorry - this one's a keeper!")

I especially enjoy wearing figural pieces - cats, dogs, horses, angels, just to name a few in my collection. I find them all over the place - estate sales, from other dealers in shops and shows, even the occasional g
arage sale will yield a fun find. If it speaks to me and it's a fair price, I usually go home with it.

I ha
ve friends who have started their own "theme collections," and have had a great time hunting for their favorite pieces. The hunt is always the best part of collecting, except with jewelry you can wear pieces of your collections out in public and share your fabulous finds.

One of my friends especially likes 1900-1920s cufflinks, since there were so many different kinds. She has a good variety - gold-plated, sterling silver, porcelain, mother-of-pearl, plus some figural ones like horses and dogs. She wears them on pretty blouses that are designed for cufflinks, or sometimes just inserts them into button holes on everyday blouses at the neckline.


Another friend owns a collection of old pocket watches, which was a collection started for him by his grandfather many years ago. He then began collecting 19th century watch chains to go with his old watches. Some of his chains are plain, some are quite fancy, and many of them have unusual watch fobs attached. He has quite a few now, as his family members quickly caught on to the birthday and Christmas gift possibilities!

If you have friends or relatives who have a particular interest, you can always search for jewelry that they would enjoy owning. I've sold so many Scotty dogs pins over the years, and anything showing a cat moves quickly too. Horses are popular, and there are a zillion elephant collectors out there who enjoy wearing elephant jewelry. When you are looking for gift ideas, a piece of theme jewelry just might be the answer.

I encourage everyone to find something they like in vintage jewelry - there are so many different kinds to find and enjoy. My friends always ask me what I have in my inventory, and you should take a quick look too - I often put them on sale as I find quite a bit and offer them in my Ruby Lane shop, Red Moon Antiques.

Monday, March 19, 2007

If you've been following the news these past few days, you've probably seen something about the pet food poisonings from the Canadian company Menu Foods. Although they don't seem to know exactly what the problem is, they do know that thousands of pets across the country have been exposed to the many different cat foods and dog foods sold under dozens of brand names.

These pet foods are responsible for kidney failure and the deaths of at least ten cats and dogs. In our area, where many cans and pouches of this food was sold, there are several cats and dogs who only have days left in their lives. Specifically, it seems the style of food involved is cuts-and-gravy style.

It's sad, because if this isn't caught quite early, these animals have little chance of survival. Symptoms include vomiting, or not eating, also lethargy. If you think you've fed your cat or dog one of the foods listed below, please have your pet checked by a vet as soon as possible.

Recalled Dog Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708
  1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
  2. Authority
  3. Award
  4. Best Choice
  5. Big Bet
  6. Big Red
  7. Bloom
  8. Wegmans Bruiser
  9. Cadillac
  10. Companion
  11. Demoulas Market Basket
  12. Eukanuba
  13. Food Lion
  14. Giant Companion
  15. Great Choice
  16. Hannaford
  17. Hill Country Fare
  18. Hy-Vee
  19. Iams
  20. Laura Lynn
  21. Loving Meals
  22. Meijers Main Choice
  23. Mighty Dog Pouch
  24. Mixables
  25. Nutriplan
  26. Nutro Max
  27. Nutro Natural Choice
  28. Nutro Ultra
  29. Nutro
  30. Ol'Roy Canada
  31. Ol'Roy US
  32. Paws
  33. Pet Essentials
  34. Pet Pride - Good n Meaty
  35. Presidents Choice
  36. Price Chopper
  37. Priority Canada
  38. Priority US
  39. Publix
  40. Roche Brothers
  41. Save-A-Lot
  42. Schnucks
  43. Shep Dog
  44. Springsfield Prize
  45. Sprout
  46. Stater Brothers
  47. Weis Total Pet
  48. Western Family US
  49. White Rose
  50. Winn Dixie
  51. Your Pet

Recalled Cat Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708