One of our favorite things to offer you at the Curious Peddler is vintage jewelry. We love the history and stories that go along with the pieces. We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we had an especially fine collection of pot metal jewelry in our display case right now. Here’s a bit of historical trivia about pot metal.
For years, people had been using pot metal as an inexpensive type of costume jewelry. They used cheap metal, but made it special with intricate handwork on the metals and beautiful craftsmanship of the stone cuttings. That all changed during World War II, when cheaper metals such as aluminum, tin, and lead were needed for the war effort. In fact, metals were in such high demand that they even melted down the tools and dies used for jewelry making.
Of course, this didn’t stop women from wanting their baubles, so jewelers had to find an alternative. Believe it or not, World War II costume jewelry sometimes actually used silver as a base metal. So the quality, value, and cost of costume jewelry went up tremendously.
Truly, you never know what you’re going to find when you get a brooch, necklace, or earrings from our jewelry room. You may stumble on one of the pieces from World War II, or you may find a new piece that has the vintage look you need. Whatever, find the piece that you love, and then ask us to tell you what we know about its history and story. When you take it home, the beauty of the piece will become a part of your life’s story – and your life’s story will become a part of its history as well.
