A Few of Laura's Favorite Things

Victorian Gold Dangle Earrings

For their feminine royalty.

Art Deco Marquise Shaped Ring

For the color of stone and the softening of the tradition marq shape..

But absolutely -- my 3 favorite things are ...

Elizabeth -- Miko -- and Mandy.

Everyday of my life I have the joy and honor to work with three of the most wonderful young women I have ever met.

How I silently smile, when almost every time I call the store, I hear one of you giggling in the background.

Your commitment to love and life spills over Isadora's and our amazing clients.

For the past several Holidays I know clearly what my gifts are ...

They are the three of you. I couldn't do this without you ... you are my order and my joy.

I love you, and hope to show that every day.

Happy Holidays Elizabeth, Miko and Mandy.

Thank you to all of our supporters -- may your Holiday Season be blessed and your New Year wondrous.

I know clearly there would not be an Isadora's without you ..... Heartfelt gratitude to all of you.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things . . .

Because we at Isadora’s love to share what we are passionate about, we are instituting a new regular feature in our blog, “These are a few of my favorite things”, in which one of our staff members will talk about five of their favorite pieces of jewelry. So here are mine!

Mid 20th Century Yellow Gold Necklace

If I had to name one essential jewelry item I would say it is a yellow gold necklace.  And this one is particularly beautiful.  It has a big wow factor, which I have to admit is a must for me, with gold links that drape beautifully over the neck.  It is also a very good length and it has a subtle graduation which I adore.  And one of my very favorite things about this particular necklace is that, while it looks heavy, the links are hallow so it is really comfortable to wear.  

Victorian Men's Bloodstone Ring

Lately I have really been digging men’s wear for women, much to my husband’s dismay, as I keep stealing his cardigans.  But there is something sophisticated and sexy about a Coco Chanel appropriation of men’s clothing for women.  And when I see this ring I think of one of the recent Chanel bio pics “Coco Avant Chanel”.  There is a scene in the movie in which Chanel’s hands are bare except for a striking, masculine onyx pinky ring.  I’m sure that scene was fantastic but I couldn’t stop looking at that ring.  And I actually think this bloodstone ring is more handsome than the one in the movie.

Victorian Silver Bangle

So many times I have people come into the store, fall in love with a piece of jewelry, and then profess surprise when I tell them it dates from the Victorian era.  To their eyes the piece they are looking at is too exotic, to modern, too fantastic for the Victorians.  I think this because one of the sterotypes of the Victorian era is a highly corseted women wearing fussy hearts and flowers.  And it was that era.  But it was also the era of Sarah Bernhardt and many other women terribly exotic and interesting.  I love this bracelet for its Victorian ferocity and I would like to meet a Victorian woman like that.

French Sodalite Rosary

I love color.  And sodalite is one of the prettiest colored stones I know.  This rosary makes me think of the beautiful blues used in Titian and Renaissance paintings, from when they painted with ultramarine the price of gold.

Victorian Turquoise Buckle Ring

I love turquoise and I love almost anything with a buckle motif so what could be more special than a turquoise buckle ring.  This one is particularly enchanting with its subtle engraving.  Plus it is hallmarked, so we know it was made in Birmingham, England in 1868.  I love anything from which I can glean a bit of the past.  (On an interesting historical side note, the hallmark for Birmingham is a little anchor.  This is funny because Birmingham is no where near the water but the office in charge of assuring things were hallmarked correctly was located in a building called “The Anchor”.)

And there you have it, a few of my favorite things.  Please check back to hear from our other staff members.

Miko

“The One That Got Away”

In my other life, I direct plays for the theatre and the show I just directed is entitled “The One That Got Away”.   It is about the man or woman in our life that we broke up with or parted with but are never able to let go of in our heart of hearts.

            This may make me odd but I have many more “The One That Got Away” moments with pieces of jewelry than with people.  Maybe I am more decisive when it comes to jewelry or maybe I have a stronger affinity for jewelry than people but whatever the reason I have a little photo book of “The Jewelry That Got Away” in my head (and saved on my hard drive.)

            And it is not just I; I hear it from our clients all the time.  They wax poetical about the piece of jewelry they let slip through their fingers because like with most antiques once it is sold it is gone.  There is no back stock of ring item xxy so there is almost never a second chance once a piece is sold.  And while you might find something similar you will never find something exactly the same, kind of like with people. 

            Is the fact that I equate jewelry with people scary?  I just feel really really passionately about jewelry.

            This fact came home to me the other day when I walked into the store to see my co-worker Mandy with a sad look on her face and a bottle of diet coke proffered in one hand.  I knew something I really really loved had sold.  We save treats only for when our very favorite pieces have sold and then we comfort each other with chocolate, diet coke and memories of said pieces of jewelry.

            My favorite Victorian silver chicken foot brooch with two lemony yellow citrine stones had sold and I thought to myself why hadn’t I purchased it.  It was among the pieces that got away that I actually could have afforded but I was being so called practical. 

And I ask myself, when do we go with practicality and when do we go with impulse. 

This is not an art I have yet mastered.

            My grandmother was excellent at it.  In general she would way each decision carefully.  It might take her three months to buy a trench coat but then once in awhile she would just know. She bought her favorite ring, a beautiful diamond band sparkling with thirteen marquise shaped diamonds in a spray across the top of her hand in less than an hour.  She saw it in the window, walked into the store, conversed with the sales person, looked at the paperwork and purchased it. She bought it in the 1970’s.  She wore it for forty years before passing it on to me.  And I am wearing it as I write this blog entry right now.  She just knew.

            Where does that art come from? 

I have three major items that I let get away and I still think about them.

1.     A beautiful Art Deco Emerald Ring with a perfectly imperfect emerald a minty green color with beautiful inclusions.

2.     An Edwardian mourning medallion with the repousse figures of mother and child.

3.     A Victorian citrine chicken foot brooch considered good luck in Italy.

And I ponder, how will I know next time, when it is a piece, that could potentially become another “The One That Got Away”.

-Miko Premo

CHRISTMAS COMES TO ISADORA’S. . .

For the last few months we have been making a list and checking it twice and filling our store with beautiful baubles and gems fit for the Holidays.

This holiday season, owner Laura Dalesandro and her daughter, manager Elizabeth Schoebleber have been meeting with dealers the world over to make sure the store is filled and bursting with exquisite antique pieces from the 1840’s through the 1950’s.

A couple of my personal favorites include a long Victorian watch chain made out of gunmetal, a fantastic Art Deco star sapphire ring and a pair of the prettiest circa 1840’s gold dangle earrings I’ve seen.

And they did not forget about the men this Holiday season. Just a couple of accessories for men include-- circa 1940's watches, a cigar clipper and a pair of enamel Georg Jensen cufflinks.