Lucite Tie Necklace

This is my absolute favorite necklace design. It was inspired by a trip to Venice with my family, where I researched ideas for my new collection. It is made out of vintage Lucite, from the 1950s and beads I took from an antique lampshade.
Glassmaking in Venice dates as early as the 8th century. In 1291, the government of Venice banned glass furnaces from the central islands, confining them only to Murano. It is thought to have happened due to fear of the fires glass furnaces might cause. The prevailing theory, however, suggests that isolation would ensure secrecy for master glassblowers, and prevent them from sharing information with foreigners. Artisans were practically forced to stay there so they would not have contact with international competitors.
Venice ultimately came became the leading source for fine glass in Europe, and served as a main source of trade. In 1921 Ciacomo Cappellin and Paolo Venini founded their glassworks company, Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin, Venini & C. Their focus on modern design techniques took fashion trends into consideration and catapulted the glasswork industry into the 20th century.
As the glass industry of Venice continues to evolve, contemporary firms still rely on traditional skills. This means that glassblowers work as artisans rather than artists, a distinction that defines the history of their work. Today, tourists are given the opportunity to go inside these once forbidden factories to watch live glassblowing demonstrations. I was fortunate to experience this first hand and I could hardly believe my eyes when the artisan turned a large globular form of matter into an intricate horse sculpture.
The success of Murano’s glassblowing industry is largely due to its location. Throughout the Renaissance period, travelers would stop to visit the glass workshops on their way to the Holy Land. Italy is home to some of the most important religious relics in the world, so Murano experienced a lot of traffic during this time.
Reference Sources:
Carl I. Gable. Murano Magic: Complete Guide to Venetian Glass, Its History and Artists . Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2004
Austin, Jamie Sue. “A History of Murano Glass.” LifeinItaly.com. Murano, 8 April 2010. Magazine on-line. Available from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/murano/murano-history-1.asp. Accessed 8 April 2010.

Collectible Cameos

This multi-strand necklace is made from vintage aurora borealis crystals and seed beads from the 1930s. The hand-carved Western Germany cameo in twisted rope style gold-tone frame includes a rhinestone necklace and dates to the 1960s. It is made out of shell.
Lockets and “frame style pendants were popular in the mid 1960s,” but cameos have been around since the 16th century. In 1805 Napoleon I called for “a Prix de Rome,” to promote the art of stone engraving. Subsequently, Pope Leo XII founded the first school dedicated to the art of cameos.
The early cameos were made from stone. In the 16th century, workmen turned to shell to meet the demand for more cameos at less expensive prices. Cameos were set in rings, brooches, earrings, and bracelets. The men wore them in watch fobs, rings, and pins. Stone cameos were cut from onyx, agate, sardonyx, cornelian, coral, lava and jet.” (Bell 23).
This particular cameo has been mounted as a brooch, with a safety catch. This means that it is no older than the early 1900s because safety catches weren’t invented until the 20th century. Cameos are made by carving out background material to create a relief. Typically the ones made from stone are considered more valuable than ones made from shell. It is, however, the craftsmanship that ultimately determines a cameo’s worth.
The type of metal used is another indicator to how old a cameo is. This cameo is certain to have been made after 1840 because it was the year gold electroplating was patented. “Nine-karat gold was legalized in 1854, and a piece in 9k would have to be made after that date” (Bell p. 25).
Cameos were cherished souvenirs from Italy that people considered works of art. By the mid 1800s Italian cameo artists had expanded their shops to reach England, France, and even the U.S. They were commissioned by important social figures to commemorate status and wealth, as written about in Godey’s Lady’s Magazine.
“Peabody the celebrated Cameo Portrait Cutter, 140 Chestnut Street, is kept busily engaged with the portraits of some of our most eminent citizens.” (Bell p. 24).
Cameos are still widely collected today, and include a variety of motifs. Scenic cameos, such as “Rebecca at the Well,” for example, were popular around 1860 because they were harder to make and more expensive. The general imagery includes a “cottage, a bridge, and a girl.” (Bell p. 25).
I personally love cameos more than any other kind of vintage jewelry because they tell a story. They commemorate real people in history, which I find absolutely fascinating because they are so personalized. In today’s world, where everything is mass- produced or made in China, the demand for handcrafted jewelry has dwindled. So please, support your local jewelry artists!
This necklace has sold.

Works Cited: Bell, C. Jeanenne, G.G. Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry. 7th ed. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2008.

Why Vintage Miss Julie?

Most people have no idea where the name for my jewelry line, Vintage Miss Julie comes from, so I decided to write about it in my blog. It comes from a line in my favorite movie, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. After Wesley Snipes (Noxeema Jackson) and Patrick Swayze (Vita Boam) are both crowned “drag queen of the year,” they decide to take John Leguizamo (Chichi Rodriguez) with them to a nearby restaurant to discuss plans for Hollywood. During this scene Patrick Swayze’s character has a cathartic experience when discovering a picture of Julie Newmar on the nearby wall. She quickly snatches it and proclaims, “Look at her, vintage Miss Julie. Try to describe her and not use the word statuesque.”
I love this movie for so many reasons, but this line has always stood out to me because I love Julie Newmar and anything vintage. This movie epitomizes everything I love about fashion. Its overall message is about helping women find their inner beauty and the confidence necessary to have great style.”
I recently deleted my style blog to focus on this one because I think style and jewelry go hand and hand. Jewelry is as much a part of fashion as shoes or handbags, so I thought, why not talk about them all under one roof? I have so many ideas, and important things to discuss in fashion. So, please stay tuned…
whoever you are.

Long Black Necklace

This is one of my favorite necklaces because it is simple and easy to wear. The crystals were taken from an old 1940's necklace that I found in an antique store. I find a lot of three-strand vintage crystal necklaces that feel too formal to wear every day. I like to rework them into one long strand so they're a little more wearable. These are truly some of the most beautiful crystals I have ever seen in my life and when I saw them I knew they had to be mine... well at least for a little while.
Black is actually one of the hardest colors to work with because it can be very harsh, and it can also get lost in an outfit. So many women love to wear black so I wanted to find black beads that felt really special. Trust me, these do. The aurora borealis crystals are like none I've ever seen. Unlike the clear aurora borealis crystals that reflect gentle shades of blues and purples, these reflect vibrant shades of red, green, gold, and purple.
Photographing jewelry is one of the great mysteries of the world because it is next to impossible to do well. Lucky for me, I happen to know one of the best product photographers in the business. Renee Vento photographs all my work and I don’t know what I would do without her. When I started this business I never even considered how difficult it would be to photograph my work. I tried setting up a makeshift lighting system in my apartment, I merchandised it on different fabrics, I even watched this guy on uTube give a product photography demonstration. None of it worked. If you can hire a professional to photograph your work I highly recommend it, because good pictures are everything.
This necklace is my take on a 1920's flapper style necklace, long and flirty. It is my favorite era and I think its style is still relevant. Especially considering the standard body type of models today.

“In the 1920s fashion was defined by new body awareness, which manifested itself not only in ideals of beauty but also went hand in hand with a more permissive society and new types of sports. This was a golden era for extravagance and, above all, for outrageousness. Flowing fabrics enveloped the extremely stylized female figure-the ideal type being boyishly slim with matchstick-short hair. Jerseys and knits, wide-legged pants, fringed dance dresses, long chains or strings of pearls, called sautoirs, and opulent tassels were used to bolster the new lifestyle.”

From the 1920s on fashion has been all about glitz and glamour. You simply cannot have fashion without jewelry.

This necklace sells for $195
Please email me at KellyEFielding@gmail.com to ask about purchasing any of my work.

Works Cited:
Buxbaum, Gerda, comp. Icons of Fashion: The 20th Century. New York: Prestel, 2005.

1920's Style

This necklace is reminiscent of early 1920’s fashion jewelry. It reflects the style of an era whose masses wanted fun, beautiful jewelry that was affordable. Crystals were used rather than diamonds so fashion-conscious woman of the early 20th century could achieve a chic sophisticated look. This period, also known as the Art Deco movement was characterized by longer necklaces made of pearls and crystals.

After 1929, when the Great Depression hit, designers were forced to look for more cost effective ways of producing jewelry. Coco Chanel and Elsa Shiaparelli are among the most famous fashion designers to use non precious stones in their work. They ultimately made less expensive jewelry more desirable to wear.

This necklace is composed of 1950’s clear and silver crystal rondelles, and sterling silver chain. It is one of my absolute favorites and sells for $165

Vintage Miss Carnegie

This necklace has a very unique history because it involves one of the most famous couturiers of the early 20th century– Hattie Carnegie. The black beads you see here came from one of her early 1940’s necklaces. I found the necklace in an antique store and I loved the beads so much I had to have it.

Hattie Carnegie was originally born in Vienna, Austria in 1889. She moved to the United States in 1900 with her family and settled in the heart of New York City. She began as a young hat maker and in 1909, opened her own store called “Carnegie-Ladie’s Hatter” with her best friend Rose Roth. Their business was a huge success due to Carnegie’s fashion forward sense of style despite the fact that she could not sew.

Carnegie’s inspiration came from Parisian designers such as Coco Chanel, and she even adopted some of Chanel’s designs to bring them closer to her American clientele. Before the stock market crashed in 1929, she had become one of the biggest designers in America. After the crash, however, many of her customers were no longer able to afford such expensive pieces, so she began her ready-to-wear line.

In 1918, Carnegie incorporated her business as Hattie Carnegie Inc., and shortly thereafter introduced her jewelry line. She manufactured it to match her dresses and always used expensive materials. It was even worn by Hollywood and New York celebrities of the time. She is known for combining faux pearls, rhinestones, and beads in interesting ways.

This custom necklace includes black Hattie Carnegie beads, faux pearls, antique lampshade beads, and a vintage Marcasite clasp. It sells for $200

Lucky Lucite

This necklace is a combination of vintage Lucite beads, white aurora borealis crystals, and beads taken from an old antique lampshade. My favorite thing about this necklace is that I get to talk about the history of Lucite. The clear ball beads in the necklace are actually a resin, which was created by Dupont in 1937. They became very popular around the 1940’s and 50’s in costume jewelry because Lucite was inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use. It came in almost any color and by 1950, it had al most completely replaced Bakelite, a more expensive form of plastic. It’s biggest claim to fame is perhaps the popular 1950’s Jelly Belly Jewelry line.

Lucite beads are no longer being produced they way they were back in the 50’s, though they are still widely collected and used by modern jewelry designers such as myself. The prices of Lucite do vary a considerable amount because it is becoming harder to find.

This necklace sells for $195