DELPHOS — Glitter, glitz and glamour was the theme Monday night when approximately a dozen women brought their vintage jewelry to the Delphos Public Library for appraisal by Ann Stratton.
Stratton, who has been in the appraisal business for 48 years, brought some pieces of her own collection for viewing by the audience. While she is slowing down some by training an apprentice and no longer does household appraisals, she still works the Ohio area and the states of Mississippi and Texas.
Stratton explained the history of some of the older jewelry pieces dating back to the Civil War era.
“The lockets sometimes were engraved with initials and contained a photo or a lock of hair of a loved one the soldier left behind when he went to war,” she said.
Three lockets presented for appraisal were valued between $75 to $90.
Cameo necklaces were also a favorite item, usually given as a gift to a young woman. Ladies who were in mourning for the loss of a son or a husband wore only black clothing, including black cameo jewelry, for the required one-year period. Genuine cameos are difficult to find as modern ones are machine-made.
Ann Schaffner showed a cameo necklace and a ring valued at $200.
Glitzy rhinestone jewelry from the 1950s is also making a comeback, according to Stratton. Jane Sadler is lucky enough to own two brooches, valued between $75 to $100 each.
An opal ring, also known as moonstone, was shown to Stratton. She said there is no such thing as black opals. They are simply an opal stone that has been split in half and filled with ink.
Perhaps the biggest bargain of the evening was the two turn-of-the-century gold bracelets with safety chains purchased at an auction for 50 cents. They were valued at $200 each.
Stratton had some advice for the ladies regarding their jewelry, besides wearing it and enjoying it. Cleaning jewelry should never be done with a commercial product. Simply using a few drops of ammonia (or vodka or gin) and a gentle dish soap in water will suffice or brushing with a baking powder paste. Pearls should never be cleaned by using vinegar; it will dissolve the pearls.
Some jewelry items presented were just nostalgia items from more recent time periods. A sterling silver friendship ring from the 1940s and 1950 was shown along with some enameled jewelry from the 1970s. The one item that gave everyone a big chuckle before the evening concluded was a pet rock necklace. Pet rocks were a big fad in the 1960s which came with an instruction booklet on how to take care of one’s newly-purchased item. Maybe a hundred years from now they will be a collector’s item too.