Jewelry Archives

Vitae Ascendere’s metal lace.

November 17, 2016

You know by now that I love antique jewelry (I think that’s pretty obvious). What I love so much about it is its soul, its uniqueness, the way the pieces reflect the innovations of the times they were created.

Every once in a while, I’m lucky enough to come across contemporary jewelry that makes me feel the same way: Vitae Ascendere and their gorgeous metal lace designs are a perfect example.

Look at this glorious mishmash of contradictions. It’s ethereal and industrial, hard and soft, strong and delicate. I want to touch it. It feels like a modern re-imagining of Edwardian platinum filigree, but with a wilder edge.

This leaf brooch gives you a great look at the internal and external structure of these pieces. Here, the openwork mimics the veins of a real leaf in a slightly abstract way that makes you want to look twice.

My favorite thing about Vitae Ascendere’s designs is that they carry the beauty of the past, but with an aesthetic and design process that are completely modern; cutting edge, even.

I love how light these designs are, and the way the negative space is so integral to each overall piece.

Making online auctions easy with Bidsquare.

November 11, 2016

Good morning, my darlings! We’ve had quite a week here in the US, so today we’re going to talk about something fun that’s ready to become your new favorite online hobby: Bidsquare.

What is Bidsquare?

Bidsquare is a one-stop-shop portal for accessing auctions held by many major auction houses. Since its inception, Bidsquare’s participants have grown from 6 to more than 120 auction houses: most of which don’t list their items on eBay, so it’s a great way to see sales you might otherwise miss out on completely.

(Earrings/Necklace)

Some of the auction houses offer only jewelry or jewelry-only auctions, others offer jewelry alongside other estate items or art. And with Bidsquare, you can access it all from one site, with one account.

What makes Bidsquare so awesome?

Bidsquare carefully vets the auction houses they work with, you know that each piece listed has been carefully evaluated and authenticated by a jewelry specialist before making it onto the site.

You can also directly contact the jewelry specialists at each individual auction house if you have questions about something you want to bid on. It’s the polar opposite of eBay’s blurry photos and sketchy mystery sellers.

I did a quick search for reference, and there are 1,989 pieces of jewelry up on Bidsquare at this very second. It ranges from antique Victorian bangles to Southwestern silver to retro fabulousness, reasonably-priced diamond studs, and a giant contemporary emerald ring just on the first page of the search results.