SPOTLIGHT: Favorite Blings/Favorite Collectibles

Meet Sylva, owner of Favorite Blings and Favorite Collectibles on Etsy. Sylva's combined love of collecting and passion for creating can be traced back to her earliest years. Her dad, especially, had a positive impact on her life, which translated later into the fabulous vintage finds and beautiful handmade gemstone and retro statement jewelry that fill her wonderful shops.

Carnelian geode druzy necklace from Favorite Blings on Etsy

Rare numbered Camark vase from Favorite Collectibles on Etsy

"I was lucky to have a nurturing dad who supported my creative efforts," says Sylva. As early as age four, she remembers her father applauding her singing. She doesn't remember his exact words, but says that his huge hugs spoke volumes! When she was 10 years old, he encouraged her fashion designs for her dolls, furthering her love of color, texture, and aesthetics. "In my teens, I made necklaces before it was cool to wear 'homemade,'" she adds.

Coral necklace with bronze from Favorite Blings on Etsy

"Dad gave me another gift," Sylva continues, "a love for things of the past." She and her dad "foraged in flea markets, sometimes before sunrise, finding cool, gorgeous, unusual, wearable, and wondrous old things back when pre-owned wasn't chic." They also went to porch sales, lawn sales, garage sales, and thrift stores. "We even got to the huge Englishtown, New Jersey, flea market at MIDNIGHT! No kidding!"

Six-dot authentic bakelite bangle from Favorite Collectibles on Etsy

Sylva, who is a five-star seller on Etsy, introduced Favorite Blings first. "I had studied beading, improved my skills, learned new techniques, and opened my Favorite Blings shop to showcase my handmade gemstone necklaces," she explains. Recently, she also added retro-style necklaces, rounding out her modern handmade items with 80s classic jewelry.

Mother of pearl bib necklace from Favorite Blings on Etsy

Chunky chalk turquoise choker from Favorite Blings on Etsy

A year later, Sylva launched Favorite Collectibles, where she began to showcase her collectibles and antiques, which she had carefully stored for many years.

Rare mini sterling salt/pepper shakers from Favorite Collectibles

1930s necklace with bakelite disks from Favorite Collectibles

To strengthen her presence in the marketplace, Sylva has also creative two off-Etsy websites, one linked to Favorite Blings (www.favoriteblings.com), and one linked to Favorite Collectibles (www.favorite-collectibles.com). She says that linking her Etsy shops to her two websites keeps her busy, but she feels that links matter. "It's also why whenever an item of mine is featured in an Etsy treasury, I mention the treasury name and shop curator in the item's description. I think making connections keeps us viable. Every little bit helps. So I link, link, link."

Have an idea for an article you would like to see appear here? We welcome your comments and suggestions! Feel free to use the comment section below to respond to Sylva's story, give us your opinions, or mention a topic you think would fit in with The Retro Circle's style.

Richelieu Jewelry

-By Lori Lake
Richelieu signature jewelry fascinated me when I first saw the mod era styling in the earrings, so indicative of that era!

Richelieu earrings from the retro mod era

Richelieu pieces come in vibrant colors such as lime green, hot pink and lemon yellow, just to mention a few.

Retro style Richelieu earrings - note the bright neon colors

I'm also fascinated by all of the typical "moonglow" that can be seen on earlier wire-coiled bracelets, cascading bead necklaces, and earrings. For some great examples, visit these moonglow earrings and moonglow bracelet and necklace from other collectors on Etsy.

When admiring Richelieu jewelry, it can take us on a journey through the changing eras of the time. Yet, the pieces can still be worn today, from the classic designs of the 1940s and 50s to the bright mod fashions of the 1960s and 70s.

Mod style Richelieu earrings, Lori Lake Treasures on Etsy

The Richelieu Story
Richelieu has a long and interesting history. The original company was founded by Joseph H. Meyer & Bros. in Brooklyn, New York, in 1911. Richelieu, Inc., was a cultured pearl manufacturer that formed in January 1933 when the Heller-Deltah Company and Joseph H. Meyer & Bros. merged.

Richelieu was well known in its earlier years for their simulated pearls and lucite moonglow beads, which were particularly popular during the 1940s and 50s. The manufacturing process of the simulated pearls is fascinating. "Richelieu pearls were made by the Japanese who placed bits of mother of pearl in oysters. The oysters covered the bits of pearl with layers of nacre. The pearls grew to maturity within five to eight years. The pearls are perfect on one side, the lower side being coated with mother of pearl. Their cost was about one tenth the cost of genuine pearls." (ref: Wikipedia)

Richelieu earrings & brooch with characteristic simulated pearls

Many of the jewelry pieces would be made using rhinestones with spaces between the stones and rhinestones on the clasp. The jewelry was of high quality and style, using gold plating, silver plating and platinum as the base metal.

For more great examples of Richelieu jewelry from this era, see a wonderful simulated pearl necklace with gold tone leaves, a multi-strand faux pearl necklace with interesting clasp, and a triple strand choker with pearls and clasp from other collectors on Etsy.

Identifying Marks
There are many different identifying marks when searching for Richelieu jewelry pieces. I found the  site Illusion Jewels to be quite helpful. Look for "Researching Costume Jewelry Marks - J," then scroll down to "Joseph H. Meyer & Bros., Brooklyn, NY -- 1911-present(?)."

The current day company, Lisner-Richelieu Corporation, still uses the hallmark Richelieu. Saul Ganz Became president of Lisner in 1916. Saul's older son, Paul, ran the company until the late 1940s. Saul's younger son, Victor Ganz, became president of Lisner in 1953. In the mid-1970s, Victor Ganz purchased the Richelieu Pearl Company from Joseph H. Meyers & Bros., and the company was renamed the Lisner-Richelieu Corporation. (Ref: Collectible Jewels)

Lori Lake is the captain of The Retro Circle Team on Etsy, and owner of two Etsy shops: Lori Lake Treasures, and Lori Lake Collectibles.

Retro Dolls

Our first post! Today's spotlight is on vintage collectible dollikins, which were manufactured by the Uneeda Doll Company back in the 1950s-60s. Below is a picture of an authentic dollikin, owned by Lori Lake, captain of The Retro Circle team on Etsy. 

Wig dollikin, Lori Lake Treasures, Etsy

Lori points out that the clothes aren't original. "My niece made her skirt and her pink scarf and bought the go-go boots. The belt is actually a vintage rhinestone bracelet. And the blouse and handbag (lipstick case) were purchased at a thrift store. Voila! A fashion model!"

Lori first fell in love with a dollikin when she was eight years old. "I found my sister Susie's dollikin in the hall cupboard in pieces. Dollikins are articulated with 16 joints and held together with metal hooks and thick rubber bands. Those connectors can get brittle with age and can break. I immediately put the dollikin back together with elastic bands and played with her. Years later, I gave the dollikin to Susie's adult daughter, Dana. She put her in a "doll hospital" and made her beautiful again! Dana then gave her back to my sister as a gift. Since then, I have been collecting dollikins, including the rare 14-inch size."

Here's a group photo of some of Lori's dollikins.

Authentic dollikins. Note the articulated limbs.

The dollikin in red has her original hair, which came in a pony-tail. Those are her original shoes, too. Her red outfit is an authentic dollikin ensemble but was found separately, and when new was probably paired with red or black rubber pumps. The other dollikins are wearing wigs. As Lori explains, "Often dollikins had coarse hair that would wear over time with play. Eventually dollikins can get bald spots or worn hair plugs. When that happens, the rest of the hair can be plucked out and a wig can be purchased for them. The modern Cissy doll wig works perfectly on the 20-inch dollikin.

Do you have more information about dollikins? Please feel free to comment with insights, interesting facts and anecdotes. In future posts, we'll be showcasing other wonderful retro items, and will have special features on retro era designers, how to identify retro jewelry, where to find genuine vintage retro items, etc.

Is there a topic you would like to read about? We would love to hear your ideas!