Beautiful RCA 262 Five band Allwave Receiver. Near the top of the line for 1934 for RCA.
Hopefully I can get it to work before the Aztec calender runs out in 2012! Caution: Tube Radios utilize hig…
Tag Archives: Antique
Antique Lamps – A Lamp With a Message!
We have all heard about the “message in a bottle”. Here we look at an antique lamp with an ancient message!
The story of Siddhartha’s transformation into the Lord Buddha, meaning “one who has awakened”, is well known to both the East as well as the West, with a growing Western interest in his life and teachings.
Every one has heard the name of the Buddha, born, by common tradition, about 565 B.C. Very few of the details of the Buddha’s life can be verified, and it is difficult to determine the difference between history and myth.
Historically we believe that he was born in Lumbini which is in modern day Nepal, close to the border of northern India. He is believed to have been born into a ruling princely family and was given the name “Siddhartha” meaning, “One who has achieved his aim.”
At the time of the Buddha’s birth, astrologers predicted that he would become a great king, or a monk who would evolve into a great teacher. His father, with this in mind, had the boy raised in luxury with every need met, in the hope that he would not become involved in a religious life. At the age of 16, his father arranged for him to marry a princess of his class, she was named “Yaśodharã”. He continued his palace life until, aged 29; his wife gave birth to a son “Rãhula”. Shortly after his son’s birth, he began to travel away from his palace home.
Buddhist Tradition tells that he was deeply disturbed by the sight of an elderly, helpless, frail man. On his second journey, he saw an emaciated and depressed man suffering from an advanced disease.
On the third, he saw a grieving family carrying the corpse of a family member to cremation. He was deeply affected by this and reflected on the suffering he saw, old age, illness and death.
On his fourth journey he saw a wandering monk who led a reclusive life of meditation. He could see that he was calm and serene. This fourth experience motivated him to follow the path of the monk and find a spiritual solution to the problems brought about by human suffering.
Siddhartha left his wife, child and luxurious lifestyle, in order to seek truth. This was not uncommon and was accepted practice for some men to leave their family and lead the life of a wandering monk.
After his enlightenment, the Buddha continued to teach, moving from place to place preaching and teaching his message. After forty-five years of teaching, aged 80, he died in the small town of Kuśinagara. His final words were: “Decay is inherent in all things. Be sure to strive with clarity of mind”.
The message of the Buddha began to spread and historical records tell that in 68 AD two Indian Buddhist monks were received at the Chinese Tang court and presented the teachings of the Buddha to the Emperor. The monks were well received and were given Imperial favor. They stayed in China, translating Buddhist texts and teaching.
The Tang dynasty saw the flowering of Chinese Buddhism and by about 500AD the message had spread throughout China and in fact, at this time, there were more Buddhist’s in China than in India, where most of the Buddhist’s had reverted to Hinduism!
Buddhism has always had a rich language of symbolism, as has China’s ancient culture. When these two cultures merged, new heights of symbolism were reached.
Much of the Buddhist teaching is metaphysical which requires a broad spectrum of symbolism, until the message, beyond the symbol, is read and understood. One of the Buddha’s great teachings is called “The Eight Auspicious Symbols”. Here we look at a Chinese altar vase, rich in the language of symbol, now reincarnated as a lamp! (A photo of this lamp can be seen on the company’s website, link below).
”The vase”, is one of the eight auspicious symbols and means many different things when it comes to Buddhism. It is, perhaps, one of Buddhism’s most important symbols. It represents wealth, but not in the same way as wealth is understood in the West. Here wealth means “the ever increasing amount that we have as a result of our understanding through the study and effective practicing of the Dharma”. This would be understood by such statements as, “the vase of inexhaustible treasures”, or “a vase for emptiness, allowing it to receive the Doctrine of Truth”. Specifically, it means the spiritual abundance of the Buddha, a treasure that does not diminish, however much of it is given away.
(An additional vase symbol is that fresh cut flowers are always placed on Buddhist altars in temples and in house altars in memory of the tradition that the Buddha loved flowers).
Our second symbol is the vase handles, with modelled and applied Ju’i shaped sceptre handles. The Ju’i is the Chinese name for the sceptre shaped, short, curved staff held by the Mandarin class, signifying authority. The applied sceptre handles on the lamp translate as “transcendent” or true authority.
Our third symbol is probably the most well known of all Buddhist symbols, the lotus. The bottom half of the lamp is composed of stylised lotus petals symbolically opening to reveal the pure vessel held within.
The lotus flower represents purity. It is able to grow and flower from the muddy water, and therefore is a symbol of spiritual growth and regeneration. The roots of the lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the beautifully scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the rise from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. The lotus is one of Buddhism’s most recognized symbols and appears in all kinds of Buddhist art, painting, sculpture and ceramics.
The lamp is fitted with a finely turned maple wood cap and stand, water gilded with a satin finish.
Circa 1850 Overall height (including shade) 25″/63cm
A truly serene antique lamp with a message!
Maurice Robertson, of The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co, has had a lifetime’s association with antique porcelain and pottery. He has extended his ceramics expertise into the quality table lamps seen on the company’s site. He is well known to local and international interior designers and has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister. The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique lamps with an on-line range of over 100 unique, antique and vintage lamps on view. Lamps are shipped ready wired for the U.S, the U.K and Australia. www.antiquelampshop.com Click this link to visit their web site. http://www.antiquelampshop.com/commerce/search/products/?product_id=b035&merchant_id=2370 Click this link to see this lamp. © The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009
My Favorite Three Picks for the Best Antique and Vintage Jewelry Price Guides and Authors
I have been collecting Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry for over three decades. Most of what I bought was from the Saturday and Sunday flea markets at the local drive-in theater and at a once a month massive open air antique market held in the mountains near where I grew up. I never paid much, a quarter here, a dime there and sometimes a few dollars however over the years until I really became a serious collector, I probably had no more than $500.00 in an amazing collection of over 2,500-3,000 pieces.
Over the years I have collected many types of jewelry. At first it was bracelets, then rings and when I got out of college and pursued my career as an interior designer, I found pins and earrings to be practical and suitable. In the mid-60’s to early 70’s I bought a lot of colorful and heavy “plastic” pieces and most were bracelets. I just loved the dull clunk they made when they hit against my desk… well I am sure you know where this is going… you’re right most were Bakelite. One in particular is a wonderful art deco black, red, orange, yellow and green fins clamper bracelet and it is like having a carnival on your arm. It fits great and feels sturdy andit brings me joy. It wasn’t until I received Harrice Simons-Miller 2002 third edition Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry, that I realized the bracelet is called “Philadelphia” and has a market value of up to $5,000 making it the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry.
I also became quite passionate for the charm bracelets made in the 1960’s by Napier. At one point I had over 30 of them and I rarely wore them I just loved holding them. I had the colored fruit, the Asian theme, and my favorites was the marine theme with seashells and seahorses. Over the years I paid between $1.00 – $5.00 each for them and in early 2000, I sold them individually on eBay for $125.00 and up to 245.00 each. What a great return, right. Well yes but a day does not go by that I regret selling them. They gave me more happiness than the monies they brought.
As I became more sophisticated in my jewelry search I began to love all things Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino and Boucher. All of these names seemed to come with a higher price but still affordable and all quite luxurious. Then there came Staret, McClelland-Barclay, Schreiner, Dujay, DeMario, Reja, Deja and Alfred Philippe and Alfred Spaney’s extra special pieces made for Crown Trifari. Needless to say I was smitten and would never turn back. After a while and as I was getting older, I started to understand the beauty of 19C Victorian and Art Nouveau and in particular the mourning pieces made during and after the Civil War. The Art Deco period pieces also caught my attention because of their architectural angled designs. Well enough about me…
Throughout the years it was truly guesswork as to what I should pay for a piece and then the harder part came when trying to find out how much a piece was worth. As a result I found that the public library had many jewelry price guides and I poured through them all for days on end and would pick out my next piece I was obsessing for. Through this research, I found three authors who stood out as being the best at giving the right information for just about anything you might need to know as an antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry collector or dealer.
The first is Jeanenne Bell. Jeanenne Bell has been on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser and is one of America’s leading authorities on antique jewelry. She has written many books and the first book I bought of hers was “How to be a Jewelry Detective”. This book is filled to the brim with priceless information about the clues to solving jewelry mysteries. She gives easy to understand tips for testing materials, gem cuts, hardware and findings throughout the ages, marks and a whole lot more. I have recommended this book to literally 100’s of my buyers on eBay who may not be sure what gutta percha is, or is it ivory or bone and what is a briolette cut stone. She answers them all and she even has a small pocket size field guide to take along to the shops and flea markets.
My favorite book of hers is Collecting Victorian Jewelry which is a real treat for the eyes and is beautiful enough to be left out for others to peruse. In this book she shows an amazing range of incredible museum quality pieces of Costume and Fine jewelry. Each piece is a work of art and each has an easy to understand description and value assigned. She imparts the history associated with the Victorian era and who all of the main characters were. She enlightens the reader about this period in time that was all about romance, passion and heartache. Very good read and a very good aid to the serious period piece collector.
My next favorite author is Harrice Simons-Miller. I have two of her price guides, Costume Jewelry 2nd edition and Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry 3rd edition. What I love about her books is that she knows her stuff as it relates to costume jewelry dating from early Art Deco up to the present. Her books are very good for identifying the major players in the costume and fashion design industries. She really clarifies what each jewelry designer’s signature look is and her photographs and descriptions will give you an edge when you are out in the field. Her values are truly representative of retail in fine antique or jewelry boutiques and give the reader the parameters as to what to spend to get your jewelry collection “fix”. She has bought from me on eBay on a couple of occasions and each piece she purchased was always a little odd and unexpected, making me think she knew of or was creating a trend which others were yet aware.
My third favorite author is Roseann Ettinger. She has a series of price guides that are not only about jewelry but other vintage collectibles with a lot of concentration on fashion and the fifties. Her jewelry price guides include her “popular” series and include “Forties and Fifties Popular Jewelry”, “Popular Jewelry of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s” and my all time favorite of hers “1840-1940 Popular Jewelry” the revised 3rd edition. Her price guide covers jewelry pieces that you actually might come across and be able to own for not a lot of money. Unlike Bell and Simons-Miller who are showing museum quality and hard to find pieces, the pieces shown in Ettingers are really quite attainable and I have actually had many of her pieces that she has described. Her photographs are quite large making it easy to see the details of the pieces and she doesn’t dwell on the glitzier side of jewelry but the real down to earth stuff that most of our mothers and grandmothers would have worn.
There are many great costume jewelry price guides out there from Nancy Schiffer, Lillian Baker, Christie Romero for Warman’s, Cheri Simonds, Ronna Lee Atkins and more, but my first three will give the beginner or even well seasoned antique and vintage costume or fine jewelry collector or dealer a well rounded wealth of knowledge and pricing guidelines.
For even more super jewelry tips and great jewelry to buy, visit Vintage Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com. Registration is free and easy.
About the Author: My name is Candace Daugherty and I live near Charleston, South Carolina. I am an entrepreneur and have worked as a retail design and marketing consultant with many internationally known retailers and fashion designers over the past 30 years. My true passion however is Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry. I have collected jewelry for over 35 years and own many incredibly fabulous book pieces as shown in the many of the jewelry price guides discussed above.
Since October 1, 2008, I along with three others have founded the first of its kind, an exclusive auction boutique for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. We started Vintagel Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com with three philosophies in mind. The first is to be a specialty boutique in an Auction Venue just for the collector and specialist of antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry. The second is to be the lowest cost auction or fixed price venue on the internet. And the third is to put the entire Virtual Gems Emporium community first with unbelievable customer service and fair equal treatment of all trading partners.
My name is Candace Daugherty and I live near Charleston, South Carolina. Since Mid September -October 2008 I along with three others have founded the first of its kind, an exclusive auction boutique for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. We started Vintage Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com with three concepts in mind. One, a special boutique environment in an Auction Venue just for the collector and specialist of antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry. Two, to be the lowest cost auction or fixed price venue on the internet. And three to put the entire Vintage Gems Emporium community first with unbelievable customer service and fair equal treatment of all trading partners.
Vintage Costume Jewellery – Importance of Antique Vintage Jewellery in Modern Era
Most of the people don’t know what the actual costume jewellery is or and it can earn you a big sum of money when it is collected for business. Vintage costume pieces are very popular in public and can give you profit several times of its actual sale price. Vintage costume pieces were firstly made in France. After the end of the world war, American soldiers purchased these pieces of jewellery from French boutiques and brought them home. Shortly after that it became popular during 1920’s; the companies in America began to set up shops of the vintage jewellery. These companies made different pieces of vintage costume jewellery which includes bracelets, rings, necklaces, pendants and many other items. Some of the popular manufacturers of vintage jewellery on that time are Eisenberg, Coro, Barclay, Trifari and Weiss.
Vintage fashion jewellery is so dashing that every woman finds pleasure in wearing it. These antique pieces are also famous in this modern world. Besides many jewellery malls and shopping stores you can buy online. You can buy from the wide array of vintage jewellery of your choice or that match with your choice. But all of above you should see your pocket first. People love to buy vintage jewellery because each of its pieces reminds them about the bygone era. It is also seen that the wearer of vintage jewellery is always a center of attraction in any occasion.
Because of the higher demand of vintage costume jewellery, you will be able to get these jewellery pieces in every shape, hue and size. Its selection also includes retro and myriad pieces that are antique. You have many accessories available in vintage jewellery. Antique vintage jewellery can add elegance to the bridal dress. Bridesmaids in retro costume piece give a great look. Coro jewellery can be a special gift for bride as such vintage jewellery styles are thoughtful gifts. This gift will obviously have difference from all other gifts. It will be a great pleasure for both the giver and receiver. Whenever lady wear this vintage jewellery, she will remember the person who gave this to her.
Woman can step up her charm with this vintage jewellery. You can also give it to someone in family to pass on family jewels and traditions. Surprise the woman you love most by giving designer knick-knacks. Vintage jewellery can tell your partner that how much you love her and care about her.
Antique costume jewellery can also be an ideal gift for mother’s day too. You mom will definitely love that antique jewellery because it gives a decent look to the wearer. Old antique jewellery increases the style of your wardrobe and for this you don’t have to try hard.
Vintage jewellery is simply exceptional. Various colors and stones are used to enhance the beauty of it. Even in today’s high fashion world, vintage jewellery has a great importance.
Please visit our site for full information like history, designs, types, buying tips, caring tips, cleaning tips, importance and all other important aspects of all Jewellery items and its different types and designs. You will find tons of articles on all popular jewellery designs and types like Costume Jewellery.