Central Kentucky Antiques and Collectibles

Copyright 2010 – Kimberly Clay

Looking for a gorgeous collectible that’s still affordable and stunning when displayed? Antique transferware is just the ticket for collectors who love to mix antiques and décor. In fact, antique transferware collections can often be found displayed in homes featured in interior design magazines. It’s the variety, colors and looks that make transferware “oh-so popular” for casual and serious collectors alike.

Antique transferware is a group made up of dishes that were decorated by the process of transfer of the decoration rather than being hand painted. These dishes became popular in 18th Century England as a new middle class began to emerge from the ranks of Englishmen. With this middle class came the need for dishes that were less expensive than the hand painted masterpieces that were made for the aristocracy.

Transferware enabled dishes to be decorated in an early form of mass production. The pattern of the dish is etched into a copper plate, which is then transferred to a paper, and from the paper the decoration is transferred onto the piece itself. The transfer process is normally found on pottery or earthenware, but ironstone, china and porcelain were also used in the transfer decorating process.

Since antique transferware covers such a broad spectrum, collectors generally specialize in more specific areas. The most popular transferware collections are normally made up of Staffordshire transferware – Staffordshire is a region of England. Staffordshire transferware is normally broken down into two broad collecting areas:

Blue and White Transferware

Decorated in the manner of the early, hand painted Chinese porcelain dishes, blue and white transferware has remained popular over two centuries later. Late 18th Century and early 19th Century English plates, particularly those depicting European views and scenes of everyday life are extremely popular and affordable for transferware collections. Blue and white transferware dishes can still be found for under $50, while larger serving pieces can run as much as $1,000 for finer or rare pieces.

Mulberry, Sepia or Pink Transferware

While blue and white transferware remains popular, other colors of English transfer dishes are favorites for collectors. Dishes decorated in transfer colors of black, deep brown and red are also popular for collections. The colors are normally termed mulberry, sepia and pink in transferware, and like their blue and white counterparts, affordable examples can still be found. They tend to be a little more expensive than blue and white dishes, but can still be found for under $60, and the rare examples can run in to the thousands of dollars.

The patterns and colors of antique transferware are too numerous to detail, but suffice it to say, there’s a piece of transferware to suit any taste or décor. If you plan on building a collection of antique transferware, try to focus on a particular color, pattern or maker and buy pieces with strong, crisp details with no condition issues.

Loch Lea Antiques in Paris, KY is a great place to find quality antiques like transferware in central Kentucky.

Copyright 2009 – Kimberly Clay

On November 6th, I joined an intimate group of collectors, fine jewelry and antiques enthusiasts at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville, KY, to hear a presentation from Patti Geolat, president and senior partner in Geolat & Associates of Dallas, TX, on misrepresentation in the antique jewelry world entitled “Smoke and Mirrors…Is It Cartier or is it Cart-Away?”.

I so enjoyed the session that I thought I might share with you some of the evening’s discourse. So, get a nice mug of coffee (or other favored beverage), and follow along as I summarize what I heard. This is a long read, but I trust you’ll find the contents informative and beneficial. Or, it may be that I just want to torture you.

After only a few moments of what became an hour-and-a-half discussion on the appointed evening, I soon realized that Ms. Geolat’s level of knowledge and expertise in antique jewelry appraisal is considerable. And her eagerness to share with collectors a small portion of what she knows to help us gain better understanding of collecting, buying or selling antique jewelry was quite apparent. She enjoys what she does.

Her firm, Geolat & Associates, specializes in the valuation of gems and jewelry, fine jewelry, 19th and 20th century furniture, china, glass, silver, Avant-garde design, fine art and more. Ms. Geolat is an expert with more than twenty-five years experience, has held faculty positions at both Indiana University and the University of Texas, was made a Fellow of the Gemological Association of Great Britain, and is a graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America.

After the evening’s discussion began (Ms. Geolat insisted that she wasn’t going to lecture) with a few questions from audience members, Patti (by this point in the presentation, we were on first-name basis) talked about some misconceptions about antique collecting in general.

Myth #1
Everything old is valuable.

Many people believe that because something is old, it is valuable based on that characteristic alone. But that assumption is incorrect. Patti explained that while age can be a contributing factor to the value of an item, its age, in and of itself, doesn’t render a thing valuable. There have to be additional factors that would make it so.

Myth #2
Because “Grandma” had it (or it was found in grandma’s house or among grandma’s things), an item is old and valuable.

Often people assume that because grandma is old, everything she possessed must also be old, and therefore valuable (See Myth #1). It simply isn’t true. People acquire things throughout their lifetimes; not only at one particular point. Therefore, you can’t make assumptions about the age and/or value of items without investigating their worth.

Myth #3
Because a thing is “old” is must be “real” (authentic).

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people loved the look and designs of fine jewelry, however weren’t always able to afford to purchase them. So, imitations or reproductions were made, not for the purpose of fooling or defrauding anyone, but rather to give those people who wanted the “look” of gemstones and fine jewelry (but couldn’t afford them) the opportunity to have them through “copies”.

Myth #4
Family or oral history about an item is fact.

While oral history can be a great tool in investigating authenticity, establishing provenance and authenticating a piece as genuine, making a determination of the authenticity and value of a piece must be done through independent means. Patti discussed several experiences where clients have come to her assuming items are one thing, or worth a particular value based solely on family history. In the cases she shared, the individuals were disappointed to learn that what they thought was true about their item, wasn’t. She cautioned collectors to seek independent expert opinion before assuming the authenticity, value or worth of any item.

As you become more involved with antiques and collectibles, there are a few terms that are often a source of confusion. Here are some that Patti outlined in her presentation.

Estate Jewelry – People don’t often know exactly what this term means. Most commonly, individuals believe that it denotes the age or value of jewelry, or means that the jewelry comes from the estate of someone who has died. It doesn’t. The term “estate jewelry” (or “estate furniture”, “estate property” etc.) means nothing more than the item was “pre-owned”, so collectors should be careful not to read anything else into the term and its meaning.

Vintage Jewelry – Denotes jewelry that “has some age”. It’s a term used to identify jewelry not old enough to be “Period” (articles of jewelry that exemplify the design style of the times in which they were created, such as Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco).

Antique Jewelry – A common definition of “antique jewelry”, with which most collectors are familiar, is jewelry which is at least 100 years old (although the term “antique” is used to describe some items obviously not of that age – “antique car” for example). Patti informed the audience that purists consider that antique jewelry or the term “antique” should only be used to denote pre-“industrial revolution” items, referring to items made before the year 1830. This definition was a surprise to me, as I had never heard this before.

“Married” Jewelry – When a jewelry piece has been repaired or restored and no longer contains all of its original parts, it is said to be “married”.

In addition to “myth-busting” and showing off her prowess as a living jewelers’ dictionary, Patti spoke on two other topics that were significant enough that I’d like to bring them to your attention. The first is the subject of value.

Now I don’t know about you, but for me the term “value” in relation to fine or antique jewelry is quite confusing. It seems that when you ask the question “What’s it worth?”, you can never get a straight answer. Well, after attending Patti’s presentation, I now understand a little bit better why that answer isn’t as simple as it sounds.

According to Patti, value, with regard to jewelry or any personal property of worth, is a “moving target” of sorts. The reason for this is because a determination of value is based on several factors, not just one thing.

Value is determined by the estimated worth of an item, given its various characteristics (in the case of jewelry the Four C’s: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat weight, and Patti added a fifth, Condition). But, and this is very important, it is also determined by external factors.

These ‘external factors’ are related to the purpose for which the valuation is made. For example, are you making a determination of value to insure an item (in which case the value needs to be the amount that it would take to replace the item if it had to be purchased new); are you valuating an item to sell on the secondary market (at auction or private sale); or are you determining the value of an item you need to liquidate (sell immediately, as in the case of divorce, to a dealer or pawn broker)?

Each of these circumstances can greatly influence the valuation of an item, and given each of the situations mentioned, identical items will have quite different valuations. One final factor that will also influence the value of your item is the market – what is the marketplace demand for the item at the time you wish to sell?

In most cases, if you are looking to sell jewelry to settle an estate, as a result of divorce, to make a tax payment or charitable donation, your item(s) will be valued at “fair market value”. Fair market value is what your item is estimated to bring during a public sale (at auction). This is as opposed to a “retail transaction” where your item would be valued as to what it would cost new. This is the valuation given for insurance purposes (replacement cost).

Finally, as the evening’s discussion came to a close, the presentation also touched on appraisers. The question was asked as to how to select a suitable appraiser (“suitable” meaning one who could offer an informed and accurate valuation estimate)?

Patti’s advice? Never engage a ‘retail appraiser’, or one that would have a vested interest in the outcome of the appraisal. For example, if you are looking to sell an item, never have it appraised by an individual who may be the buyer. They would have ulterior motives in undervaluing your property (so they could purchase it at a cheaper price than what the property is actually worth).

By the same token, never enter into an appraisal agreement where the appraiser’s fee is tied to the value of your property. That would give the appraiser reason to artificially inflate the value estimate so that he/she would make more money.

Another important aspect brought out during the session with regard to selecting an appraiser was the suggestion to interview potential appraisers. This is something many collectors fail to do (often out of ignorance), but it is a fundamentally crucial factor in obtaining an accurate appraisal.

Independent appraisers are by definition appraisers who have no monetary interest in the outcome of your appraisal, and can therefore be relied upon to give you an accurate valuation. Finding an independent appraiser who is properly certified, though, is only half of the equation. The rest involves determining the appraiser’s experience and expertise.

Interview potential appraisers to discover whether or not they have experience with antique and period pieces. If so, do they have experience with your particular item, generally and specifically (i.e. furniture/Chippendale chairs, jewelry/Cartier, glass/Tiffany, etc.).

You want to select an appraiser whose experience and expertise most closely relates to the item(s) that you are having appraised.

I once had a diamond cocktail ring which dated from the 1950’s. I purchased it on the secondary market and wanted to know its value. At that time I didn’t know to take it to an appraiser who specialized in vintage jewelry. I took it to a retail jewelry appraiser, who told me the ring was only worth a couple hundred dollars.

I had a sense that the ring was worth more, and I was right. The appraiser I originally took the ring to only appraised the ring based on the sum of its parts; small diamond stones and white gold. But he failed to factor in that the ring was a vintage piece, the design, craftsmanship or manufacture of the ring and the market for such a ring with collectors.

When the ring was properly evaluated as a vintage piece, it received a higher valuation. It even turned out that the diamonds in the ring (which were very small, but were whole diamonds) had been individually marked and numbered.

The lesson here is to understand that it pays (literally) to have your items valuated by an expert who understands the craftsmanship, knows manufacturers, designers or artists, and is intimately knowledgeable of the market and demand relative to the item you are having evaluated.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a seminar by Patti Geolat or any expert relative to the antiques and collectibles about which you are specifically interested, you should take the opportunity to do so. Educating yourself about the items you collect can only increase your appreciation of them, but even more, it will help you to be a better collector, buyer, seller and enthusiast. Happy hunting!

Ms. Geolat’s presentation was co-sponsored by the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center and EAT Gallery of Maysville.

Copyright 2009 – Kimberly Clay

There are two major reasons for purchasing antique jewelry: as an investment and for fashion. While the term ‘fashionable antiques’ might appear to be an oxymoron, the wearing of old but tasteful jewelry has always been regarded as both fashionable and acceptable in society, and in fact a study of antique jewelry down the ages can tell a lot about the history and culture of a country.

The purpose of jewelry was originally to adorn ourselves, and then became a symbol of status. The ability to afford rare and expensive gems and metals was displayed publicly by wearing them on one’s person. “Look at me: I am richer than you!”

As design became increasingly important, the famous jewelry houses and designers such as Fabergé, Tiffany and Cartier were born from their unique design capabilities, but as the 20^th century came along, design became secondary to setting as many diamonds as possible in a piece to increase its actual raw material cost as opposed to its perceived value.

It is doubtful if today’s jewelry will ever become as sought after as that of the great fashion houses and jewelers, and now is the time to purchase antique jewelry for investment because, as it is snapped up and placed in collections, there appears little capable of taking its place. There is still a lot of antique jewelry to be found in antique shops, and even on eBay you will see many fine pieces selling at affordable prices.

It is still worn, of course, although yesterday’s fine pieces do not always fit with today’s clothes fashions. Nevertheless, as taste is replaced by price, this is less important a factor than it once was, and the days appear to be over when jewelry was designed to suit particular styles of clothing and fabrics. Today, anything goes as long as it is bright, glittering and expensive. In many ways, “Bling” has superseded taste and sensitive design.

So, what should you be looking for when purchasing antique jewelry – whether it is for investment or fashion? First check the symmetry of the piece. True antiques are not symmetrical: they are hand-made and each side is slightly different than the other. You can also tell a lot from the fastenings, because barrel clasps are modern, as are post and clip and clip-back earring fastenings (1930s at earliest). An antique will be smooth to the feel, and have no jaggy edges that catch on your hands and clothing.

Platinum and white gold were not used until the 20^th century, and earlier 19^th century jewelry was made of silver, although gold was used. Also keep in mind that gemstone cutting machines were not used until the mid 19^th century, so any modern cut was not possible until then, the elongated baguette cut being introduced in the art deco and art nouveaux pieces of the 1920s.

If you intend purchasing antique jewelry for investment, therefore, it will pay to learn about the subject. Either that or never purchase a piece until it has been checked by an expert. Fashion, on the other hand, is a different thing entirely. While real antique jewelry prices can be set by the piece itself, the value of fashion jewelry is largely set by trends rather than intrinsic value.

Art deco jewelry, art nouveaux, retro – name it what you will, but a large proportion of jewelry designed and produced under these labels had little real value, and some even less in terms of design. To take a corollary with furniture, the ‘in’ furniture style of the 1950s and early 1960’s, ‘G-Plan’ had no mitigating features other than that it was different, and so became the furniture fashion statement of its era. Although it is now enjoying a resurgence under the label of ‘retro’, G-Plan will never be regarded as antique, irrespective of how old it is.

That is as true as the fact that you could never imagine true antiques being referred to as ‘retro’, yet the term can be, and has been applied to the art deco jewelry designs of the 1920s. Whether these designs will ever become fashionable again is another question, but it does raise a question as to antique jewelry and its place in fashion vis a vis that acquired for investment.

Would an art deco piece of jewelry be purchased as a fashion item? Not at the moment, but perhaps as costume jewelry. Would it be acquired as an investment? Doubtful! Can the same be said of art nouveaux? And what else? So where does fashion end and investment begin, or is there no defining line, and do people purchase the jewelry that appeals to them rather than for its projected future value?

One thing is certain. Real antique jewelry has a part to play in the worlds of fashion and of investment, and it is wise to take expert advice prior to parting with your money irrespective of your purpose in buying it. However, would you wear your investment? Only you will know that, and even then only when the time comes to choose – or to show off!