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If you have a metal detector,  the place to use it might well be the UK.

Several months ago, I wrote in my google blog about a UK man who found an Anglo Saxon hoard of gold using a metal detector.

In May this year, J a 4 year old boy in Essex also use a metal detector to find gold.

James Hyatt, of Billericay, Essex found a gold pendant locket, which is believed to date from the 16th century. He found the relic which searching in a field in Hockley, UK.

The pendant is believed to be worth up to £2.5m, a sum which the Hyatt family would share with the landowner if the pendant is sold. The religious locket is diamond shaped and decorated with images of the Virgin Mary and the five wounds of Christ.

It appears that little James will not have to worry about paying for his college education in years to come!

Two of the most common questions that I get from viewers on my wesbsite are

1.  Where can I find rhinestones to repair my vintage jewelry? &

2.  Who can you recommend to repair my vintage jewelry?

The first answer is relatively easy - I recommend Mr Stones.  The answer to the second question is far from easy.   The reason is because there is a real lack across the United States of people who actually do the type of repairs about which my customers are constantly inquiring.

So, I was interested to read one of the recent interviews done by my friends at Collector's weekly. The interview is with Rosalie Sayyah, an appraiser on the famous PBS show, Antiques Roadshow and the owner of an interesting store in Seattle, Washington called Rhinestone Rosie.  H3r store actually specializes in this type of restoration.    If you live in Seattle or any other place in the US, she would be willing to have a look at your piece. This wouldn't be feasible if your piece is a low end costume jewelry piece, but if you have a Haskell, Eisenberg or other famous designer piece which needs repair, you might consider giving her an email.

In the interview with Collector's Weekly, Rosalie talks about the most common types of costume jewelry repairs, her job as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow, and the history of the use of rhinestones in vintage jewelry. She also discusses the use of Swarovski rhinestones, and some of the most famous designers who used rhinestones in their vintage jewelry designs.

The discussion is informative and well thought out.  Plus it now gives me a place to direct my customers when they are in need of this type of repair.    You can view the whole interview with Rosalie Sayyah on this page of the Collector's Weekly website.

I love to read the interviews that Collector's Weekly conducts every few weeks.  They are done with various people in the vintage collecting field and many of these are jewelry related.

The latest interview is with Jeff Stein, a collector of various watches, particularly Heuer chronographs. Jeff is the operator of a leading online guide to Heuer chronographs and timepieces.

Jeff became interested in collecting watches, when he attended a vintage car rally in the 1960s.   At the rally, another visitor had a display of Heuer timepieces, and Jeff has been hooked ever since.

In the interview, Jeff discusses all types of chronographs and Heuer in particular. You can read the full interview on this page of the collector's weekly website.

Collector's Weekly has a very interesting series of interviews which they conduct with a wide variety of collector's of vintage items, including jewelry. The interviews are always well written and very interesting.

The latest one which caught my eye is an interview with Reyne Haines, a specialist in Art Nouveay glass and Tiffany who has also written a book called "Vintage Wristwatches".

The article discusses the inspiration for her book, as well as both men's and ladies wristwatch collecting.  She also touches on the early wearers of wristwatches and how the designs have changed over the years.   Of particular interest was the discussion of designers of ladies wristwatches and the use of jewels in the designs themselves.

You can read the whole interview on this page of the Collector's Weekly website.  Reyne's new book is available at Amazon.com or leading book retailers nationwide.

The first lady, Michelle Obama, dazzled on May 19th, 2010 at the second state dinner at the White House.  The first lady wore a stunning one shouldered royal blue gown designed by Peter Soronen.  Her accessories set the look off perfectly.

The blue gown was made with 3 layers of fabric - chiffon over lame chiffon and silk.  The shoes she wore were Jimmy Choo's "Jasper" rhinestone sandals, and the earrings were blue sapphire and diamond earrings by Sutra Jewels.  The final touch was a dazzling rhinestone belt.

What do you think of the look?

This will be a delight for all you DeLizza and Elster lovers out there. This YouTube video features Ann Margaret and Dean Martin singing. The belt that Ann Margaret is wearing is a D & E design.

Mr DeLizza looked at the video for the Juliana Jewelry website and said that he didn't sell the belt to her directly. but thinks she might have gotten this from Kenneth Lane.

D & E (Delizza and Elster) is most well known for their Juliana designs but also made designs for other well known designers of the mid 1900s.

Please note tha if you view this blog at work, please note that there is singing in the video.

Dean Martin Variety show aired from 1965 - 1974. These belts were made in the late 1960 and into the 1970s/1980s, so I would say this belt, is likely from from the early 1970s. The first part of the video is a fairly long song, and as the camera slips down, you'll see the D $& E belt.

Are you a person interested in how to recognize and test gold.  Would you like more information about the various gemstones, including diamonds?   If so, Iona College in New Rochelle, NY will have a summer camp for the beginner to the seasoned connoisseur of jewelry.  The camp will give information for those just starting out and will answer questions about pricing, testing jewelry and where to find answers to questions that come up all the time about jewelry.

The camp will take place on Friday, July 16 to Sunday July 18, 2010.   Spaces are limited.  You can find more information about the camp on this page of the college website.

I have some exciting news to announce. I have just opened a new shop at Ruby Plaza. That's right - Plaza. Ruby Lane has a new sister site which has just opened this week.

The new site allows the sale of items that aren't permitted on Ruby Lane where one can only sell vintage and antique items. Ruby Plaza, on the other hand, also allows the sale of new contempory items.  For my customers who like to purchase items that have never been worn, this new site will give you just that.

Do you have a piece of jewelry and you wonder how much it is worth?  It get emails almost on a daily basis asking me to appraise jewelry that a reader has received, perhaps as part of a family bequest.  I don't do any appraisals myself, since this is something that needs to be done in person, not based on details in an email or a few photographs.  But there is a wealth of information online which will help you to determine whether you should get a piece professionally appraised.

Our friends at the Collector's Weekly have a new interview which talks about just this subject.  It discusses turn of the century jewelry styles with appraiser Joyce Jonas, a well known appraiser for the Antiques Road Show.

The interview is a fascinating talk about the various periods of early antique and vintage jewelry from the Georgian period through the Arts and Crafts movements.  She talks about the various influences in both the UK and other areas of the world for each period of time.  I particularly enjoyed the section of the interview where she discusses the details that set the Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Arts and Crafts movements apart from other periods - including the styles of jewelry found within these three movements

Whether you are interested in the styles themselves, the cultural influences, or the designers of the time, this interview is a fascinating read.  You can find the whole interview with Joyce Jonas on this page of the Collector's Weekly Site.   There are several photographs included in the interview which correlate with the various points of view in the article.  One delightful piece is  the fascinating sterling silver embossed brooch with a Gibson Girl influence shown here.  It is a fabulous example of the Art Nouveau period and appeals to the cameo lover in me.

Grab a cup of coffee and have a read of the interview.  It's time well spent.

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Haute Couture jewelers in Paris recently unveiled a collection of 20 fabulous necklaces, inspired by the performances of the Dance Troupe - The Cirque du Soleil.  All 20 pieces were purchased by Guy Laliberté, founder of the troupe, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the group.

Anyone who has seen a performance by the Cirque du Soleil, knows how flamboyant it can be.  It is easy to see why the necklaces would have been inspired by the group.

The collection will also be on display at the Montreal Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art in an exhibit called Inspiria. It will be on Display from April 1, to August 29, 2010.  Here are a few photos to show how fabulous the collection is.

Photo credit:  The Luxe Chronicles