Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Vintage Eisenberg Brooch by CherryLippedRoses	My last blog post discussed different ways in which you could wear vintage brooches.  To complement that post, today, I'd like to talk about using vintage jewelry as wedding accessories.
Vintage jewelry is timeless, elegant, and modernly fashionable, all at the same time.  Vintage jewelry can be used by the Bride, the Mother of the Bride, and the Bridesmaids to complement and accent their ensembles on that special day.
Vintage jewelry can also help you fulfil those old superstitions for a happy and prosperous wedding by being both something old and something blue.	Vintage German Bracelet by ChrysalisEShop
Victorian Chalcedony Brooch by VictorianSentiments	Or even being something borrowed - what a way to pay tribute to a loved one by borrowing a piece of her vintage jewelry, just like Kate Middleton did, for your accessory.
A highly creative use for vintage jewelry as a wedding accessory is to make a bouquet of vintage jewelry.  Just attach your favorite vintage brooches to the petals and ribbons of your bouquet.  For your man, you can make a matching boutonniere out of similar brooches.	Vintage Brooch Bouquet by HairbowsVonderworld
And don't forget that you can always use your vintage brooch to accent your updo on your special day. Many wedding blessings to you from the Etsy Vintage Team.

Wear That Brooch

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I'd take a moment to showcase some very fashionable ways to wear that vintage brooch you've been dying to show off all year.

In Your Hair
	At parties and special events, show off your updo or brand new haircut w/a fancy vintage brooch.  If your hair is thick, you can just fasten the brooch to your hair like you would a barrette.  For thinner manes, use bobbies pins or hair clips to secure your brooch. Katherine Heigl wears her brooch behind her ear, but you could also use vintage brooches at the crown of your head or in the middle of a bun or at the nape of your neck. For more impressive looks, use more than one brooch and mix it up in both color and size.  Try different placements as well. You don't have to reserve this look for special occasions.  Add a brooch to your everyday hair style to brighten it up.
On Your Head
Vintage brooches make wonderful additions to a hat and/or a scarf. Attach the brooch to the knot of a scarf under one ear or behind the head, or attach them anywhere you like. The Schiaparelli to the right has a brooch in a complimentary color to that of the hat.  To add a bit of pizazz, trying attaching an over-sized brooch or a vintage brooch in a contrasting color. Again, add more than one and mix up the colors and/or sizes.	1960s Schiaparelli Cloche Hat by alexsandras
On Your Clothes
French Dress Clip by CranberryManor	Dress (or fur) clips were a very common fashion accessory at the turn of last century. These often very large, high quality, and very ornate pieces can still be used today to secure a garment in lieu of the buttons. In addition to the above, brooches can be used to bustle up a dress that may be too large or to decorate your waistline on anything from a formal gown to an everyday pair of jeans. For a more traditional route, use a brooch at the nape of your neck to dress up a scarf or attach a brooch over your heart.  To rock this look, try using a heap of brooches and place them everywhere.   You can also adorn just the lapel w/a bunch of brooches. You can use a scarf or bandanna as a wrist band and attach a favorite brooch to glam it up - this makes everyday wear come alive!
Kim Cattrall
On Your Accessories
Use a brooch to dress up a pair of boots, to add bling to a purse or clutch, or to jazz up a necklace. Mix things up by varying colors, shapes, and sizes. There are so many possibilities!	Crepe Clutch with Weiss Brooch by RubysPlace
I hope you can find some more useful ideas for your mother's and grandmother's jewelry after reading this post. If you have other ideas, please feel free to share by including those ideas in your comments.

Vintage Buzz: Portraits In Relief

These Vintage Bergere Enamel Cameo Woman Clip On Earrings from Vintage Goodness are a beautifully affordable way to adorn yourself in cameos.

Cameos are perhaps the most sought after pieces of jewelry in the vintage world. While fine cameos are certainly sought after, the depth of the collector's pocket determines what they can actually acquire -vs- what they can merely drool over. Fortunately, cameos come in a broad range of prices making it possible for all collectors to obtain some degree of satisfaction. 

ChrysalisEShop offers this traditional looking Large Vintage Cameo Pendant on Link style Chain.

 Many materials are used to make cameos: alabaster, shell, porcelain, metal, coral, lava, ivory and plastic to name a few. To the purist, a cameo is only a cameo if it is a carved relief image, but many collectors and creators of vintage and vintage-inspired jewelry enjoy portrait style pieces where an image is painted or transferred upon porcelain, glass or plastic. Intaglio is also a form of cameo, where the image is created in reverse, impressed into glass or lucite from the back, sometimes painted or glazed, and visible from the front. A cameo with an added setting of a precious or semi-precious stone is referred to as 'habille' and are especially sought after. 

From Callooh Callay, this antique White Coral Cameo Vintage Brooch is the classic cameo.

Cameos of beautiful women are most common, with angels, mythological characters and children also common. Whether placed into a simple setting of gold or an ornate setting encrusted with stones, a cameo speaks of class and refinement and were the favorite adornment of the Victorians. Wikipedia has a good article about cameos that's worth reading - check out the gorgeous Roman 27 B.C. eagle cameo! Search the Etsy Vintage Team for a variety of beautiful cameo jewelry.