Baubles & Beads & Books....Oh My!

We are excited to announce the launch of our new shop:

"Baubles & Beads & Books....Oh My!" (clickable)

We have opened this new venture at Ruby Plaza, Ruby Lane's new sister site. Ruby Plaza allows all sorts of things to be sold that are not allowed on Ruby Lane, and the fees are structured differently. I am just SUPER excited about all this because I am finally able to sell little tiny trinkets and treasures that aren't terribly expensive that wouldn't have been able to be sold in my Ruby Lane shop for one reason or another.

At Ruby Plaza, I can sell loose beads, vintage buttons, clasps, lots of broken jewelry for crafters and jewelry artisans, lovely pieces of trim...and of course, vintage jewelry! We are also listing lots of books and plan to start putting up listings for ephemera as well. I have a treasure trove of old prints and a fabulous stash of 1920's and 1930's sheet music. The cover art work is phenomenal! Anyway, I have been a busy little bee and have listed so many items...some as low as $5! I plan to keep on listing as I truly want to establish a site where crafters can find vintage treasures for their work. I love buying these little tiny things and truly didn't have an outlet until now. AND, we all ready have 2 purchase orders! What's really exciting about that is that Ruby Plaza is still in "Beta" mode and hasn't even been advertised by Ruby Lane yet except to its existing shop owners. I can't wait to see what happens when they do the official advertising and grand opening! I also signed up early and was awarded with "Flagship" status...so go me! Please come visit our new shop and let me know what you think! Our original store, "Lady and Librarian Vintage Jewelry" will remain open on Ruby Lane. It will be geared towards high-end designer jewelry, exceptionally nice unsigned pieces and genuine jewelry. Hope everyone is well!

Star People - Part II

***If you missed the 1st entry on my fabulous new 100-year old book, please see my post from 4/5/2010.***

"The Comet and the Pole Star"

(we join the Princess as she is talking to the 3 Others - Prudence, Pat and Kitten, 3 little girls whose illustration appear in the 1st post as they watched the sky with the Princess.)

"....They (the Star People) have LAW! - and that's something every one of them obeys without a single word, or ever stopping to argue. When anything is the Rule of the Sky, that ends it. - Unless you're a comet."
"Oh, comets!" exclaimed Phyllisy. "What do they do?"
"What don't they do?" corrected the Princess. "They're silly. Just a head, with the wildest, fuzziliest hair," - she drew on the sand as she talked, - "that never SAW a hairbrush - and tails! - switching and flying and spreading over everything and curling around! - and, as if one such tail weren't bad enough, some of them must have two!" The Princess stopped drawing, because the sand was filled up with comets, as far as she could reach. "The Star People try to be charitable, and when they hear of some fresh, bad thing one of those flyaways has done, they say: 'He doesn't know enough to be good;' and they don't talk about it anymore. But when any really horrid mischief is done, it's always when a comet or two has been around."

The Princess goes on to tell a tale of an extremely mischievious comet - the written descriptions of the comet are wonderful : "small, vagabond head", "fuzzy hair", "long tail with a wicked crook at the end", "danced up and down like an elf." This illustration brings the words to life:

***Illustrations in "Star People" are by Frances B. Comstock, born in 1881 and died in 1922 at age 41. Apparently her husband, Enos Comstock, was also an illustrator and together, they illustrated the 1909 edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Childs Garden of Verses."

Stay tuned for the next excerpt from "Star People" later in the week. Till then, stay happy and remember to gaze upon the nighttime sky.

The Lady Finds a Book!

Over the years, many people have remarked on the name of my business, "The Lady and the Librarian." Most people remember the name, which is good, and I am often asked for an explanation of its origin. I refer to myself as "The Lady," specializing in vintage jewelry and other ladies' accessories, and Darby is "The Librarian," the specialist in books - and an actual librarian to boot! So this past weekend's find was a tad bit unusual for me. I was happily digging thru a box of stuff at a local flea market and came across a rather worn-out looking book with a rather intriguing title - "Star People." What in the world? Curious, I pulled it out and opened the page to the introductory poem....

"To Three Little Katharines"

Oh, Katharines three,

Come sail with me

Where the ship of my Fancy flies!

We'll wander free

Over land and sea,

Then sail away to the skies.

If I were a star,

So far - so far -

From this Earth where the children dwell,

My twinkliest beam

For that ship should gleam;

And my truest secret I'd tell

To the eyes that look

Through Fancy. - No book

Nor telescope serves so well."

Oh, me....oh MY. Something, well, grabbed me. I couldn't put the book down. I HAD TO HAVE THIS BOOK. Who were these "Star People?" What was their story? I felt glued to my spot in this person's booth. Like if I moved or put my treasure down, someone else might snatch it away. Gone was the jewelry dealer...I was suddenly a BOOK LOVER. Stand back! I ended up calling Darby over to negotiate the price for me as this particular copy isn't in the best condition. I turned some more pages and found some of the most amazing illustrations that I will share with you all throughout the next several posts. This most magnificent book, written by Katharine Fay Dewey, was published in 1910 so it is out of copyright - hence I am able to show you these wonderful illustrations as well as share some of the accompanying text. Today, I have featured the front cover and the first 2 illustrations in the book. Take a moment and look at the detail.

Just amazing! I look forward to sharing more beauty from "Star People" with you. Interestingly enough, this book will be 100 years old in October of this year. So Happy early 100th Birthday, "Star People!"

**Stay tuned for the next excerpt from "Star People" in the next few days.**

Shell Cameos

European carved shell cameo set in 14k yellow gold. Love the flower in her hair and at her shoulder! So beautiful when held to the light!

Cameos tend to be one of the most collected categories of jewelry - and in my opnion, one of the most confusing categories of jewelry collecting! I will be the first to admit I know very little about cameos. I think they are beautiful, and I can admire the workmanship that went into them. I am able to tell the difference between a costume cameo and a real cameo. But beyond that? Well, it gets a little hairy. There are so many things to consider when evaluating a cameo; not the least of which: what is it made from? Cameos were made from a wide variety of materials: abalone, wood, coral, agate, bone, glass, shell, hardstone, plastic and resin to name a few. This post will focus on carved shell cameos.

The earliest known use of shell for carving cameos was during the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th Centuries. These cameos were typically white on gray and were carved from the shell of a mussel. In the mid-18th Century, explorations revealed new shell varieties which led to an increase in shell cameos. Conch shells tend to be soft and carve very well. Shell cameos are carved from a single piece of shell.

The Virgin Mary. Carved Shell set in 800 Silver with marcasites. Pin or pendant. Note the halo detail around her head - just lovely!

Shell cameos are usually 2 colors and have a thin, concave back with the exception of abalone and mother of pearl as they tend to be thicker. (information in this paragraph taken from ezine article "All About Cameos" and from Wikipedia). I have been trolling around on Ruby Lane and eBay recently for unusual cameos and have found several I really like. I sense a new collection. SOMEBODY STOP ME. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same cameo from above shown without back-lighting.

Both of these cameos are available on Ruby Lane!

Chrysalis

Along a dusty road in India there sat a beggar who sold cocoons. A young boy watched him, day after day, and the beggar finally beckoned to him. "Do you know what beauty lies within this chrysalis? I will give you one so you might see for yourself. But you must be careful not to handle the cocoon until the butterfly comes out."

The boy was enchanted with the gift and hurried home to await the butterfly. He laid the cocoon on the floor and became aware of a curious thing. The butterfly was beating its fragile wings against the hard walls of the chrysalis until it appeared it would surely perish, before it could break the unyielding prison. Wanting only to help, the boy swiftly pried the cocoon open.


Out flopped a wet, brown ugly thing which quickly died. When the beggar discovered what had happened he explained to the boy "In order for the butterfly wings to grow strong enough to support him, it is necessary that he beat them against the walls of his cocoon. Only by this struggle can his wings become beautiful and durable. When you denied him that struggle, you took away from him his only chance of survival."


May the walls of your cocoon be just thick enough to allow you to struggle just long enough to emerge the beautiful person I already know you to be.