Ever hear of the magpie, a bird notorious for hoarding sparkling objects? That’s me. I can’t resist the lure of dramatic jewelry, whether it’s the fire of diamonds or the twinkle of rhinestones. Especially old pieces, called estate, vintage or period jewelry. Which explains why I had my nose up against the glass of booth 203 at the Emporium At Warson Woods (10001 Manchester, 314-909-0100), drawn like a kid to a candy jar of gumdrops.
Shelf after shelf sparkled with vintage brooches: A starfish studded with five fat purple rhinestones, a spectacular mum in various shades of autumn, a black and silver Kenneth J. Lane the size of a Texas buckle. I panted for the three Stanley Hagler collages of beads, enamel and glass that glistened like small sculptures.
They all belonged to Eloise Comer, a jewelry maven who died four days short of her 102nd birthday. “She was the best—her soul just brightened up the world,” says Heidi Pollard, a granddaughter by marriage and executor of Eloise’s estate. She kept some favorites but, as she says, “there’s only so many rhinestones one person can wear.” Obviously not a problem for Eloise.
Eloise had many of the name brands coveted by collectors of vintage costume jewelry. Prices vary widely, depending on condition, craftsmanship, design, designer and, frankly, whether the dealer knows his or her stuff. You might get lucky and find some of this at garage sales for little or nothing. Or you can shop department stores and pay ridiculous prices for pale imitations. I like haunting antique stores and emporiums, where someone else has sorted through the junk to get to the good stuff. Run-of-the-mill pins usually range from $5 to $40. Eloise’s collection, several cuts above average, ranged from about $50 to nearly $300 for the Stanley Haglers (which are considerably more on eBay).
One of my favorite places for vintage, especially watches, is TimeKeepers (17 N. Meramec, 314-721-4548; 9495 Olive, 314-991-0994). Owner Semyon Ilyashov and his daughter, Ella, specialize in the repair and restoration of fine timepieces, clocks and music boxes. Semyon has been in business in St. Louis for 25 years.
Once, during a tumultuous life episode, I was visiting TimeKeepers and took a liking to a clean-lined Hamilton priced at $200. I didn’t need a watch, so I resisted temptation. But a few days later, I was harrumphing about my circumstances and telling myself it was “time to move on.” Inspiration struck—I bought the watch and had that phrase engraved on the back. As you might have guessed, I have little trouble rationalizing unnecessary purchases.
Even if you’re not motivated to buy by your personal circumstances, TimeKeepers does have sweet deals on pre-owned watches. A gold, 20-year-old Rolex Presidential is $7,500, compared with $18,000 for the newest version. A Patek Phillippe—the crème de la crème of name-brand watches—is $4,500. They start at about $8,000 new. And I fell in love with a platinum ladies Hamilton from the 1930s, tastefully encrusted with 8 carats of diamonds for $9,500.
If costume jewelry brooches are like gumdrops, I can hardly think of words to describe the sweet estate jewels at Elleard Heffern (101 S. Hanley, 314-863-8820). I’m pretty bold about trying on outrageous—or outrageously priced—jewelry, but I couldn’t keep a straight face while wearing a pair of 1965 platinum and emerald clip earrings featuring two pear-cut emeralds totaling about 13.5 carats and costing a mere $260,000.
With Kit Heffern, president of his family’s 91-year-old business, by my side, I tried on a stunning bracelet—a two-inch-wide flexible band of diamonds streaked with black onyx—that put me in mind of a white leopard. A French manufacturer for Cartier made it in the 1930s. If I could, I’d plunk down $56,000 and never take the bracelet off. Go for the flamboyant when it comes to costume jewelry, but stick with the classics when serious money is involved.
Not all of Heffern’s estate jewelry is over-the-top in price. I lusted after a double-leaf brooch in platinum and gold, set with a spray of diamonds, for $2,600. At the very high end, the financial savings aren’t as significant for estate jewelry, but the value in craftsmanship is incredible. Heffern showed me the inside of a ring by Oscar Heyman (jeweler to, among others, Elizabeth Taylor in her Richard Burton era). It was as polished and complete as the outside. A carefully finished back, whether on fine jewelry or costume, is a sign of quality.
More than anything, estate or vintage jewelry comes with a sense of history.
“The jewelry talks to you,” says Heffern. “Sometimes you know the history, sometimes you don’t. But it was always given on happy occasions—birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas. Or because it was Tuesday.”
(Ahh, for the occasional celebratory Tuesday!)
“The jewelry,” Heffern says, “has lived other lives.”
