Haskell Pearl Beads: Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies June 2013 Special for Newsletter Subscribers

Vintage Japanese glass pearl beads, free with purchase!

Not yet available at Bumbershoot Supplies, we are first offering these vintage glass pearls to our newsletter subscribers.

We recently acquired these vintage glass teardrop pearls as part of a large lot of beads and findings that were purchased from the Miriam Haskell warehouse decades ago. These lovely dark ivory pearls average 12mm long, and do vary a bit in size and shape, due to their handcrafted nature. 
 

During June, we will send 8 of these vintage treasures free with any purchase from Bumbershoot Supplies or Bumbershoot Designs.  See your June 1 and June 15 newsletters for details and the coupon code.

Also, don't forget your 1-time free shipping offer that you received when you signed up for our newsletter.

And YES, you can combine specials. So in the same order, you can have the pearl beads and the 1-time free shipping you received upon signing up for the newsletter.

Not yet a newsletter subscriber? You can read past issues and you can sign up right here and use your free shipping code and get your free vintage glass pearls at your next purchase!

Book Review: Miriam Haskell Jewelry

The bottom line on this book: Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff is THE resource if you are interested in Miriam Haskell jewelry.  Gordon and Pamfiloff discuss the history of the Haskell company and include valuable information on identification and dating of Haskell jewelry pieces, such as how the jewelry was constructed, how it was (or was not) signed, the types of clasps that were used, and so on. The book then dedicates several chapters to examining the work of key Haskell designers, organized in chronological order so you can see the progression of the company’s designs over time. 

This book is an incredible resource for learning about Miriam Haskell designs, and is also a wonderful resource for jewelry design in general.  We turn to it all the time to learn more about the vintage Haskell metal components, beads, and vintage glass pearls we offer at Bumbershoot Supplies. Highly recommended!

Miriam Haskell Bracelet Update: Russian Gold Plate Flower Filigree Identification

I’m busy sorting through our recent purchase of metal findings from the Miriam Haskell warehouse, see my blog post here.

And guess what? I found some of the same filigrees that are used in a Miriam Haskell pearl bracelet I am fortunate to own. See my bracelet blog post here.

Here are the filigrees together with the bracelet filigree… We have a match! 

In this bracelet, the Haskell oval plaque is soldered to one filigree. There is a second filigree on the back, both held together with jump rings, right before the clasp.

Both my bracelet filigree and the Haskell warehouse filigrees are plated with Russian gold plate, a type of 24K gold plating used in vintage Haskell pieces. The bracelet filigree and the warehouse filigrees are dramatically different in color, showing how this type of plating can age over time.  For more, see my blog post about Russian gold plate here.  

We now offer new antiqued brass tiny flower bead caps just like those in my bracelet…

And we also carry various vintage Miriam Haskell glass pearls, also originally purchased at the Miriam Haskell Company warehouse.

I’ll keep researching our Miriam Haskell findings to see if I can discover examples of how they were used, I’ll keep you posted!

What is Miriam Haskell Russian Gold Plate?

Russian gold plate, sometimes referred to as RGP,  is that famous rich looking gold plating used extensively by the Miriam Haskell Company in their vintage jewelry pieces as part of their signature look.  My resource for all the following information is the book Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff, an essential resource for learning about Miriam Haskell jewelry.

Gordon and Pamfiloff say: “…stamped filigrees. They were purchased from suppliers in France and Rhode Island…and sent to Unida Plating of Providence, Rhode Island, which used a process invented by James Brady for coating the metal parts. Parts went through six to seven preparatory steps and then the special dipping process, which created the Russian gold look. The dipping solution contained 24-karat gold, among other (secret) ingredients. It was made by hand with the formula kept locked in a safe, known only to the company manager and his foreman. The process was primitive, according to Sandy Moss, with the dipping timed by hand. As more and more filigrees were dipped in the solution, gold content got lower and lower, causing variations in the coating depth and color on the filigrees…After dipping, filigrees were lacquered.” (page 45).

Because the plating was “primitive”, Haskell Russian gold plate can take a variety of hues.  Also, the plating was done over brass filigrees and other brass findings. Since the plating was thicker or thinner depending on when in the batch the metal was plated, durability and patina can vary over time, as shown above.

While Russian gold plate is what many people think of when they think of vintage Miriam Haskell pieces, the Haskell Company also used other finishes in their vintage designs, including light silver (see the silver leaf charms above), rhodium-look silver and Russian silver, a dark antique silver.  Some designs were also made using black metal parts (Gordon and Pamfiloff, page 45).  Contemporary Haskell designs include gold, light silver, antique silver, imitation rhodium, pot black and oxidized gold, silver and copper colors (Gordon and Pamfiloff, page 45).  Today, Russian gold plating ala Miriam Haskell is no longer available, although you can find companies that attempt to recreate this effect.

So, it is with great excitement we are able to offer vintage RGP filigrees and other components from the Miriam Haskell warehouse.  The photographs through this post show just a few of the items we have been able to purchase for Bumbershoot Supplies. See this post for more details about our exciting find.

To see many examples of beautiful vintage Miriam Haskell designs, you can visit the authors of Miriam Haskell Jewelry: Cathy Gordon is here. Sheila Pamfiloff is here.

Vintage Miriam Haskell Filigrees, Stampings and More at Bumbershoot Supplies

We are very excited to have recently purchased a large lot of vintage Miriam Haskell stampings, filigree and other metal components. We will be adding this stock to Bumbershoot Supplies and Bumbershoot Supplies on Etsy over the coming days.

This blog post is a sneak preview of some of the fabulous vintage metals to come.

We have filigrees…

Stampings…

Charms and more.

Some items are in raw brass. 

Others are finished with that plated finish that Haskell made famous, Russian gold plate. To learn more about Russian gold plate, see my blog post here.

There are even a few items in silver.

 If you have been reading this blog or the Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies newsletters, you know authenticity and provenance of our supplies is important to us. How do we know this is Miriam Haskell stock?  Decades ago our supplier, who had a friend who worked at Miriam Haskell, was invited to purchase stock at the Miriam Haskell Company’s warehouse.  Fast forward to the present, and now our supplier was ready to pass it on.  So it’s a pretty short and direct journey from the Miriam Haskell warehouse to you! I hope you will enjoy watching as these new vintage treasures arrive at Bumbershoot Supplies. 

Bumbershoot Designs on the Etsy Blog. Handmade Weddings: A Rustic Beach Affair

I'm so excited to have 2 of my designs from Bumbershoot Designs shown on the Etsy blog today! Handmade Weddings: A Rustic Beach Affair shares the story and photos from Lorena and Dustyn's wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Lorena wore the Wagner earrings and necklace set.  I am so excited to actually see Lorena wearing these pieces, she and Dustyn both look so beautiful!

I'm sure you will enjoy a visit to the Etsy blog post to see their beautiful wedding photos and to enjoy all the inspiring and special handmade touches included in their wedding!

Vintage Miriam Haskell Vintage Pearl Bracelet: A Wish Comes True

I do not have a large collection of vintage costume jewelry, although I do love it and I also love purchasing pieces for our daughter Emma. Rather I am a collector of the supplies that create costume jewelry and books about costume jewelry, which I use to date our vintage supplies and better understand the original use to which they were put. But I have always wanted to own a vintage Miriam Haskell piece, and that wish has come true!

I was able to purchase this Miriam Haskell bracelet at an estate sale recently.  Some of the pearls are worn, the brass is quite aged, and some of the wire work for which the Haskell company is famous has seen better days. But it's still got plenty of flair for me and I couldn’t be happier!

A lot is said about “Miriam Haskell pearls”.  The phrase “Miriam Haskell pearls” has now come to be used as a general term to describe vintage glass pearls that have an irregular, dimpled and indented surface and often a baroque or irregular shape.  There were many more pearls made in Japan in this style than were ever used by the Haskell company however, and it is probably more accurate to refer to most of the pearls you will see as “Haskell-style pearls”.

Here is what Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff say about the glass pearls used by the Miriam Haskell company, in their book Miriam Haskell Jewelry (an essential resource if you are interested in Haskell):

“From the 1920s until the late 1950s, glass beads were purchased and sent to Clio Novelty Company in Brooklyn or to Pongratchi on Long Island where they were “pearlized”; dipped and coated in an emulsion of fish scales…Both smooth and baroque pearls were made in a variety of shapes…The pearls people most consistently associate with Haskell’s Signature look came from the Niki Company of Tokyo, Japan. ..Hess visited the firm and was so impressed with the quality of the glass bead pearls he licensed Niki to be the exclusive supplier of baroque and smooth pearls to Haskell. For Haskell collectors, this is a benchmark date; any piece of jewelry using Niki pearls cannot be older than 1958.” (page 32-33)  Haskell's exclusive relationship withthe Niki Company lasted for about 20 years, until the Niki Company went out of business.

Are the pearls in this bracelet Niki pearls and can we use them to date this bracelet?  I don’t know. Gordon and Pamfiloff share that filigrees such as the one in this bracelet began to be used after WWII, so date to 1945 and later. The Haskell company added permanent signatures to their pieces after WWII, and the oval plaque you see in this bracelet was first introduced in 1951-1952. So it is possible these are Niki pearls, although it could also be that these glass pearls were some that were made prior to 1958. 

Whatever the answer, I am thrilled to have been able to purchase this wonderful piece and to be able to share it here. Here's to vintage!

Look What I Found. Wired Flowers from Vintage Japan

Aren't these beautiful?

These are hand wired vintage Japanese flowers, complete with crystal leaf beads.

I just love being in the business of searching out vintage components for Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies. I'm not much of a shopper in general, but oh, the pleasure of discovering yet another vintage treasure, each one so delightful and unique, and never to be made again...it's a fabulous treasure hunt that I get to go on every day. 

These flowers have sat on my work table for several days now, as I enjoy their presence and contemplate what their future looks like.

I recently received some vintage-style scent lockets, designed to look like vintage lockets with pierced fronts, to hold a piece of cotton or cloth daubed with perfume.  Ala Miriam Haskell, perhaps it is possible to wire these flowers onto such a locket.  Looks rather like a winged heart to me. What do you think?



Miriam Haskell Flower Cameo Cabochons at Bumbershoot Supplies

At Bumbershoot Supplies, we are very interested in the provenance and history of the vintage supplies we offer. For this reason, I am constantly researching our supplies to learn as much about them as I can. On the weekend, I was again reviewing one of my resources, this book...

And what did I find on page 353?

This signed Miriam Haskell pendant and earrings set. The pendant features a gorgeous vintage glass flower cameo cabochon. And guess what! We now carry these cabochons at Bumbershoot Supplies!

These are exquisite flower cabochons. They have a decal transfer expertly applied to white glass, and then white accents were hand painted on top of the decal. These truly beautiful pieces are in mint condition, and the delicate hand painting really elevates them to something special.

Many of the items we sell at Bumbershoot Supplies were sold to me as Miriam Haskell stock, especially our vintage glass pearls. But I hesitate to label them as Haskell unless I have further verification. So I'm really excited to be able to say that these flower cabochons are the same ones that the Miriam Haskell Company used in some of their designs.

Vintage Design Inspiration Board #4 with Creativity Quote

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

~Henry Ward Beecher

Inspiration Board #4 features:

vintage yellow glass lampwork flowers (Japan)

antique silk ribbon (Japan)

vintage mother of pearl button card (USA)

vintage occupied Germany millinery flower (USSR zone)

vintage crystal rhinestones (West Germany)

vintage glass ring (Czech)

vintage mother of pearl loose buttons (USA)

vintage Swarovski jade glass cabochons (Austria)

vintage Miriam Haskell beaded flowers (Japan)

vintage beaded letter A (French)

vintage nail head beads (Czech)

vintage tatted and hand sewn doily

antique silk embroidery floss

vintage linen tea towel

vintage wallpaper circles

mounted on 6x9 inch gallery wrapped canvas base

Look What I Found. Miriam Haskell Beaded Flower Filigrees

I just have to share a picture of these vintage beaded flower filigrees. You can see these used in Miriam Haskell pieces, there are a number of pictures in Cathy Gordon's book Miriam Haskell Jewelry. Wonderful! I was very excited to be able to purchase a few to add to my personal collection.  Now I just have to bring myself to use them :)  Perhaps in a vintage design inspiration board...

Vintage Flower Earrings with Haskell Bead Caps Featured in Etsy Stalker

I've been Stalked! What a thrill!!

Bumbershoot Designs' vintage flower earrings are currently featured on Etsy Stalker, as part of a collection, From Russia (and Ivy) With Love, by Curator Ivy. See this collection here!

These earrings feature vintage Miriam Haskell filigree bead caps in that special Russian plated gold finish that the Haskell company is famous for. Thus the Russian connection...

Thank you, Ivy and huzzah for Etsy Stalker!

The Thrill of Touching History

This is is one of my button bracelets, in clear spring shades of pink, white and green. It has lots of really beautiful and special vintage beads, buttons and bits, but for me, the most exciting part of this bracelet are the 5 glorious Miriam Haskell white bell flowers.  

For Christmas, I received a long-coveted book, Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff.  I have spent hours drooling my way though this book.  Imagine my excitement, when there, on page 137, were my beads!  I've photo'd the photo from the book, quality is poor, but I must share!  Oh, how I would love to have this many of these glorious beads to work with!

This bracelet is dated to the period between 1926 and WWII.  It is such a thrill for me to touch a bit of history in this way.  I am privileged to be able to create with materials that are themselves works of art.  Does it get any better?