Keeping custom work period-appropriate. How important is it to you?

[yssie]

I'm trying to decide how I feel.

I absolutely LOVE @elizat's new Georgian style earrings. A big part of what I love is that she and her vendor stayed true to the period in all respects - stone style, collet in silver over gold, double-drop style with articulating bottom motif, attached hook.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/georgian-style-old-mine-earrings-are-done.255493/


I've got a pair of stones on the way. A "pair" for me means earrings, of course! And have I mentioned that I LOVE @elizat's earrings?

But...
A) I have a few pieces in silver and I have to be honest, the material is really not for me. Unpredictable patina, frequent discoloration (my 2020 day-to-day is much more chemically complex than the typical 1700s/1800s environment!), constant worry over softness... Not keen on iron oxidizing near my ears. Steel is an option if I cheat on the "pre-stainless" bit, I suppose.
B) OECs weren't a Georgian Thing. But I've seen era-authentic round-outline paste.

A number of vendors are doing Georgian "inspired" pieces in Pt/Au with all sorts of stones - colour and faceting. Aesthetically, I #Like. Practically, I #Like. But the devil on my shoulder invariably declares "period fraud!".
The devil on my shoulder is an opinionated loudmouth and I've got plentiful experience muzzling him, but I'm wondering if he's got a point this time.


My alternative is Edwardian style buttercup drops. Guilt-free use of platinum. Guilt-free use of OECs. Guilt-free use of posts (my preference over hooks). I'd probably keep the double drop style.
On paper it feels like a fair compromise.
But when I can't sleep this isn't what I'm searching Google images for.


Nothing's happening until the world reopens, of course.
But in the meantime - how do PSers feel?

 

[lambskin]

When it comes to custom jewelry it is your vision and dream that rules. Get what you want. Do not let other esthetic opinions influence your decision. You have to wear it.

 

[bright ice]

I do like true authentic period replicas but sometimes it’s difficult to balance wants/needs. What cut is your pair of stones? They should lead your direction for settings but I believe it’s ok to have a nice blend when one can’t for some reason live with a true period piece. Ultimately be happy with the end product.

I’m awaiting the completion (hopefully any day now) of a pair of 2 station buttercup drops on lever backs with low color OECs in 18 kt YG. I’ll be happy to post my inspiration photos if you’d like.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yssie, you have a great sense of style so I would go with what you like. I am sure you will keep the time reference in mind but if you create something you don’t love, they won’t stay in your inventory for long. Be true to yourself first and foremost!

 

[elizat]

I would go with oec stones if they are a winner! While they aren't technically period, that style continued in oec and cushions as time went on. I happen to gravitate to old mine cuts and rustic cushions a lot, so it worked for me. But finding lively, well cut old stones is hard and if the oec pair is a winner, I'd go with it!

I think you can change the metal to just the patina look v authentic repro. I have that in a pair of paste earrings as well.

My view is it's custom, and the tweaks make them yours! You have a fantastic eye and I think whatever you decide will be lovely.

I like that they are very wearable, have articulation and are very versatile as well. Some diamond dangles are restrictive. This style isn't to me.

 

[arkieb1]

My skin eats silver and discolours it in no time at all, so I have the same dilemma with Antique and reproduction rings that are silver or a mix of metals - I like how they look but they are not practical at all for me.....

 

[PreRaphaelite]

What size stones are we talking about? I'm so excited to see them!

Late Victorian OECs often appear in authentic Georgian Revival pieces, recreated in 1850-1870 (~ish) because people then loved the look just as we do. It's an eye-candy thing.

Would you sport an English Revival pair of earrings that visually references all three eras (Georgian collet, Victorian buttercup, Edwardian milgrain)? An homage?

 

[AV_]

To put it another way,
Silver patina is a special kind of pleasure with ups and downs. It so happens that a favorite pendant is a silver 'pomander' type used as these were meant to, it has just reached its steel gray period, so one of these days will turn bright white again via one very enjoyable operation.

On another hand,
I keep wondering how far the very perfect new cut down collet settings are from their ancestors, since nobody is doing chasing for anything else. If all we do is copy a shape by any other means, it may well be modified in whatever way its making allows.

thinking out loud

 

[Karl_K]

me likes what me likes call it what you will it matters nill.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I say you fashion a tiny silver zipper and zip the little pip's lips for him and the have what you love made in a way that works for you. He can't have any complaints technically.
* I promise to only sing the 'maybe she's born with it' jingle once.

 

[yssie]

Thank you all for your thoughts! The wind has clear direction thus far

I should have posted more info on the stones, apologies! They're from Ivy & Rose - just under 5ctw, very clean, and toward the bottom of the colour scale; we'll be sending them off GIA or AGS as soon as possible, whichever opens first, and Ilya expects S/T or U/V. I've been passively looking for a pair of old cuts and these were just the perfect combo of clarity, size, and price



@bright ice I would welcome your inspiration photos My stones are also low colour. I would like to play up "beige warmth" rather than push them toward sunny yellow, if the stones allow it - from looking at (tons and tons of) pics here on PS it seems white or black metal would be best suited to that task. If the stones allow it!

May I ask who you're working with on your earrings? It sounds like they're able to manufacture still? I plan to send these to either Caysie or Sako, neither of whom will be reopening terribly soon.


@MissGotRocks You are a sweetheart!! My concern is exactly that - letting my brain dictate more compromises than my stomach is ultimately comfortable with. Jewellery is such a gut sort of thing, after all!


@elizat I love your earrings!! I love that they don't just look like something our great-great-grandmothers might have worn - they really are something they might have worn, they just happen to be made in the twenty-first century! I'm glad to hear you describe them as wearable and versatile, and I think I understand what you mean - they're more feminine than studs but they stay well clear of foofy. I'm actually quite partial to foof, but it's definitely more restrictive, from perspectives of both aesthetic and occasionally also comfort.

These OECs couldn't pass for circular old cushions - they're unapologetically round. I'm wondering if it's possible to weather a black rhodium finish so it looks more like silver patina?

I'm angsting. I want something I'll love and wear often, but I'm questioning whether I'll love something that I know isn't as "authentic" as it could be... And the fact that I'm asking at all is probably my answer


@arkieb1 Yeah. I hear ya. My skin eats silver too. My jewellery boxes eat silver (they aren't supposed to, but they all do). My well water eats silver. Some of the compounds I deal with at work eat silver. Silver and #Me just really don't mix well!

@PreRaphaelite Well. Goodness. Georgian Revival inspired sounds so much better than period fraud You really do have a way with words!!

Your idea of taking characteristic designs from sequential eras is really interesting. If it could be done in a way that pays clear homage to each - rather than excusing deviations, being just lip-service for my own convenience... If you know what I mean... That could be a way to achieve both "practical for me" and "mind-clean". I don't suppose you've got any photos or drawings you could share?

So glad I asked here!!


@AV_ I have two opals that are currently set into a bangle - it's a floral, foofy ode to art nouveau (no photos yet as it needs a few tweaks). One of the opals is a precise oval with a precise convex dome. The other wanted to be a precise oval with a precise convex dome, but it didn't quite make it all the way there - it's a tad squished here, a touch lumpy there... I've told my vendor that I'd like to have the precise opal sent off for a bit of imperfecting.

Long way of saying that I agree: Perfection is not necessarily perfect - the journey must fulfill the goal. We won't replicate antique manufacturing methods, but perhaps we can still mimic the outcome. I was visiting @Rockdiamond several years ago and he showed me some old mine babies that @diagem had cut and finished to deliberately look worn down over time - they were darling. I fell in love. I also remember that they spawned some interesting threads here on PS!


@ItsMainelyYou Maybe he's just libertine!

He's a curmudgeonly little bugger. And he's got this really nasty habit of holding a grudge... Sometimes I'll think I've shut him up about something only to have him pipe back up a few months later

Right now I'm liking @PreRaphaelite's idea of deliberately mixing styles in some ObviouslyIWasGoingForThis way a lot

 

[Begonia]

Well I've nothing to add other than I be digging 'foof' and 'being quite partial to foof'.
It made me laugh

 

[dk168]

Personally, I have no issue with reproductions that may not be true to the periods.

I prefer the term period-inpsired.

For example, I love Edwardian and Art Deco jewellery, for their clean lines, geometric shapes and symmetry.

However I only wear white metals, dislike millgrain and claws/prongs except perhaps bar prongs, and have requested for no millgrain and for the centre stone to be bezel set when I request for a piece to be made based on a photo of a period piece.

The design of period pieces inspired me to recreate new pieces based on my personal tastes and preferences.

I would recreate a period piece exactly if there are elements that I do not like.

DK

 

[xxxxxx]

@yssie I love your taste in jewellery and especially how you can articulate it so well that even a total newbie can understand.
I hope it’s not inappropriate to ask if and how your Margot Solitaire and beautiful Round Brilliant Diamond are mind clean to you?

 

[syd33]

It isn't important for me at all. I consider all reproductions to be inspired pieces and for custom jewelry I want it to be exactly as I want--but that is me. It wouldn't bother me at all to use different stones or different metals.

 

[Tartansparkles]

If you found a style you love, but can make it better (i.e no silver) then I would go for better. (But I can have an overly practical approach!)

Looking forward to seeing the opal bangle too.

 

[Catmom]

I think you know yourself and that little rascal on your shoulder. If he's nagging at you now he's only going to be louder if you don't go authentic. For me it doesn't matter so much as long as the aesthetic is there. Besides I tarnish silver in a heartbeat but it sounds like you won't be truly happy if you don't stick with true authentics.

 

[Matthews1127]

Tell that annoying bugger on your shoulder this:

“Truly ‘authentic’ would be a piece that has been in my family for generations, or a lucky find at an estate sale, or antique shop. Artisans from that time period have all left their mark behind for future generations to use as inspiration, all over the world. This is not the 1800’s, and our lifestyle (and tolerance for certain metals) has changed since then. There is no harm in using that time period to inspire something that is now made new from something old. This piece will not be touched by a Georgian artisan, but by hands that have been inspired, and have learned from one. This custom piece will be MINE, and one-of-a-kind. I want it to survive the test of time, to inspire future generations, centuries from now. Now, shut up, and let’s make history.”

 

[Rfisher]

Hold up?
What’s the concern with the silver patina being unpredictable?
Does it truly vary/discolor once the patina is put there by the designer? I mean I know if you polish it back to shiny silver it will then go of it’s own accord according to its environment.

As far as the original question, we all have our own tolerances of mixing different period appropriate designs. Some get knocked on here. But the owners seems to love them, so.....it goes back to personal opinion and all?

And I think our own tolerances/justifications of those mixes may change over time, and that’s ok too.

Speaking as someone who previously would never have put a modern cut stone in a finely executed faithfully Georgian repro period piece complete with silver/yg, but has already paid the deposit for one....well yes there’s that. :shrug:

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I don't suppose you've got any photos or drawings you could share?

I’m crushed that I missed out on these earrings, but at any rate, they’re an old conversion. Homages are oldschool cool. I think so anyway.

Shop Not Available

www.rubylane.com

You could do a similar Georgian silver collet, and mount them inside any Victorian style ruffle, bezel, buttercup, or halo. The silver would not touch your skin.

Then, there’s this layered style, that I craved but it was so outrageously priced that it literally made me cough. I was stunned to find that they sold! Wow! Anyway, these have the Georgian collet and the Victorian buttercup. You could add milgrain to the inner edge along the diamond.

https://pin.it/4Coib3D

From the same bench, another pair that combines the elements, notably the milgrain:

CHARLEY DROPS | SINGLE STONE

1.78ctw K/SI2-SI3 rose cut diamonds with 0.19ctw single cut accent diamonds bezel set in handcrafted 18K oxidized yellow gold and silver earrings.

www.singlestone.com

 

[marymm]

Keeping custom work period-appropriate. How important is it to you?

If I am going custom, I combine elements I prefer in a way that is pleasing to my eye and best accommodate my stones and my desired aesthetic; being period-appropriate is not a consideration for me at all.

If I have an authentic original piece, however, then anything I may do to that piece is all with an eye to maintaining its authenticity.

 

[yssie]

Y’all are wonderful



@dk168 “The design of period pieces inspired me to recreate new pieces based on my personal tastes and preferences.”
This is… The heart of my question. How important do other jewellery lovers feel it is to stay true to an inspiration architecture when doing a period piece?

I was actually pretty surprised when so many people responded saying that they’d have no problem sacrificing authenticity for look or feel. But then I thought about it - and we’ve never been a slavish sort of forum, shouldn’t have surprised me that much


@Lessics Great question, honestly. I asked myself the same thing! Erika’s work is pretty strongly Deco inspired. I did have some initial pangs over sending her modern round brilliants, but those went away when I talked to her… I guess the biggest difference is that I wasn’t looking for pieces that represented a particular period. And she was perfectly happy to set my stones, which told me that she didn’t think they’d mar her aesthetic - and if anyone’s got the right to judge something like that it’s the designer right? That Tolkowsky published his paper in 1919, right at the start of Art Deco, was the last bit of balm I needed to quit worrying.

So why am I so hung up on “faithfulness” this time round… I think I just really do want a period piece first and foremost. Or a period homage. Talking it through here helps.


@syd33, @Tartansparkles, @Matthews1127 More votes for “you do you”

Really good points re. separating some of these concerns. I don’t think later stone style are better than earlier styles, and I don’t think later jewellery styles are better than earlier styles. I think few of us do! But I do believe that gold, platinum, palladium, stainless steel are objectively better for jewellery than silver, iron, and steel that rusts - they’re stronger and less reactive. So movement away from earlier metal choices represents “improvement”.

And as you both point out - “objective improvement” is easier to justify than “I wanted to”. Now… Will I be able and willing to listen to my own logic?


@Catmom Yeah. Spot on as usual girl. I suspect that no matter what I can justify logically, I’ll always wonder if maybe I should have gone “more honest” anyway


@Rfisher I should have been more clear! All silver from all vendors is very reactionary with me, my home, and my work - I can start the day with a patina and end it with sparkling white, I can start the day with sparkling white and end it with astonishing patina. I never know how the finish is going to behave! (And that bothers me! )

Ohhh. More proof that other people with strong feelings don’t mind changing convention. I can’t wait to see your piece!!!


@marymm Another good point re. what, precisely, you're working with! I completely agree: Vintage pieces in viable condition that represent a particular era - I feel obligated to ensure they remain authentic. But I'll be getting these stones loose, no strings!

 

[yssie]

@PreRaphaelite THANK YOU.

Oh my goodness. I'm swooning over those first two pairs And the description on the first even says that the leverbacks were added later...

They're so beautiful... And they certainly don't look "dishonest" in any way...

I've got my direction. I will be honest - to multiple periods. I especially like the buttercup + collet pair - I wonder if that would be viable with larger stones, or if it would get too heavy? I will ask Caysie...

Thank you so much for sharing these!!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have used antique pieces as inspiration for most of my custom projects. I ALWAYS let Caysie improve on the original design! In your case I would definitely not use silver. However, I tend to like periods after Georgian better, personally. So use the elements that you love the most! Antique style has a lot of leeway to combine the best elements!

 

[yssie]

@diamondseeker2006 Haha yes, I trust Caysie’s eye implicitly as well

She said she’d inquire on using steel. She’s had enough weird requests from me in the past that she probably just, yknow, rolled her eyes and ran with it

 

[yssie]

@bright ice Couple questions? How many buttercup motifs will your new earrings have - and how large are the stones? And did you and your vendor take any especial steps to minimize weight?

 

[bright ice]

@bright ice Couple questions? How many buttercup motifs will your new earrings have - and how large are the stones? And did you and your vendor take any especial steps to minimize weight?

My OECs are much smaller than yours.
I’ll upload my CADs from DK, this is my first project with him. I bought the larger pair from @ForteKitty which are 2.02 ctw, she dropped them off for me so it made it more convenient. Amy found the smaller pair which are 0.78 ctw so total 2.80 ctw. Mine will be all 18k YG but honestly I don’t know what the final overall weight each earring will be.

I’ll add my inspiration designs.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

One of the details of antique pieces that is often overlooked in new fabrication is the glorious patina of wear over time. Not that you’d want to imitate age or distressing in any disingenuous way, just that sometimes a satin finish, or matte finish, can help highlight the details of design that the eye might gloss over (literally) if there’s a modern, high-polish finish.

Film animation specialists pay careful attention to what they call ‘reflection management’ and it makes a huge difference to the end image, as you can imagine.

I’ve gotten so picky about this detail lately! It’s on my mind, thanks for letting me share that!

 

[yssie]

My OECs are much smaller than yours.
I’ll upload my CADs from DK, this is my first project with him. I bought the larger pair from @ForteKitty which are 2.02 ctw, she dropped them off for me so it made it more convenient. Amy found the smaller pair which are 0.78 ctw so total 2.80 ctw. Mine will be all 18k YG but honestly I don’t know what the final overall weight each earring will be.

I’ll add my inspiration designs.

Your double halos will be glorious Stately and royal! And the CAD looks open and airy, I think they're already designed to be as light as possible Thank you for sharing your inspirations, too!!

I can't wait to see them and hear what you think Will you be using leverback hooks?

 

[yssie]

One of the details of antique pieces that is often overlooked in new fabrication is the glorious patina of wear over time. Not that you’d want to imitate age or distressing in any disingenuous way, just that sometimes a satin finish, or matte finish, can help highlight the details of design that the eye might gloss over (literally) if there’s a modern, high-polish finish.

Film animation specialists pay careful attention to what they call ‘reflection management’ and it makes a huge difference to the end image, as you can imagine.

I’ve gotten so picky about this detail lately! It’s on my mind, thanks for letting me share that!

This makes perfect sense.

So far... Still absolutely *loving* this collet inside buttercup look