It's occured to me that I've handled so many wonderful, rare old stampings in the last several years that I ought to be making an album of them to share. Many of late have been old European stampings the likes of which we'll never see again. Most of the stampings shown here are definitely things of the past---they've sold through and I have no more, just memories of having handled them and some pictures to share. The color of them is also a delicate, rare thing. Known as gingerbread brass, or gingerbrass, this color is a product of time, air pollution, dirt and old machine oil---as unappetizing as that sounds, it has produced over time via oxidization the remarkable color you find here. There is no commercial solution that will quickly produce it or no way to fake it so that it looks legit. It is what it is, like it or lump it....really rare and quite beautiful. I do carry some remaining product on my large website at B'sue Boutiques (http://www.bsueboutiques.com) and you will also find a revolving door of antique/vintage product---glass, brass, chain and other findings---in my big Ebay store at http://www.ebay.stores.com/bsueboutiques. We customarily load 100-150 new items per week into our bargain auctions and our Ebay store. If any of these items are still available, you'll find them there or on our website. Most however, have sadly come and gone.
Date(s): December 5, 2005. Album by Brenda Sue Lansdowne. Photos by Shelley. 1 - 54 of 54 Total. 12869 Visits.
I haven't purchased yet,, but i love this shops collections and prices and its so neat i know where everything is with measurements etc. Cannot wait to purchase =] - Amanda | dreamalittledream.etsy.com, Sat, 6 Sep 2008 8:01PM
I have always been a person to appreciate art and beauty. But as you know everyday life gets in the way of that imagination and drive to create. I have thought a lot about what pleases me most about this art of jewelry making, I have decided it's not the finished product, but how it gets there. Starting with the center piece, many of these items include wonderful pieces styled in Antique and European tooled filigrees, stampings, glass cameos, intaglios, unique glass doublet stones and beads styled in the Vintage Era, getting the feeling of what would draw that center piece out in a design. The colors to choose, to get the feeling of what the center piece is trying to express, how to arrange those small pieces of stone, crystal, glass, and pearl. I make my jewelry to Delight the Wearer, to give them that special feeling of what creating this piece gave to me. I have chosen to design my jewelry in the styles of Art Deco, Victorian and the Classic or Vintage style, to me these periods can express how you feel about yourself, and the world around you. I treasure the time of Eras gone by, the elegance and thought that was put into the adornment and beauty of a woman. In my journey of searching for the right pieces I ran across your site, what a pleasure, you will have me as life long customer and admirer of your talent, so many inspirations, to choose from and thoughts to begin. Thank You - SUSAN, Wed, 21 Mar 2007 7:26PM
I came across your site purely by accident and was captivated by the designs. I do have some of these in an antique button collection that I have. You were questioning about the cat in the teapot,and the person who sold the vintage/antique button to me makes yearly trips to France and I was told it is French. Also, I have the deer. These are truly beautiful and having some in my button collection has made me long to use silver clay, as I make jewelry, and cast some of them into jewelry. Thanks for your work to provide this site and I will visit your Ebay store. - Vicki, Mon, 15 Jan 2007 4:16PM
BrendaSue, I just love your site. I go window shopping there often and this is the first I've visited here. I have to say that it's been such a delight. I notice many of the findings from your site here and can recognize some which you've decorated with the paint and finishes from your site. You are a wonderful artisan with really cool designs and inspiring findings and beads. Thanks for the inspiration and the sheer joy of looking at your creations! Smiles,Suellyn - Sue, Fri, 15 Sep 2006 9:44PM
Your designs are absolutely beautiful. - Judy C. Kilroy | IE, Wed, 30 Aug 2006 8:59AM
I have a bid on some old brass molds?on ebay. I also love the older stuff that are hard to find. I love to look at each one and wonder what the finished jewelry looked like. each one is beatuiful. I adore your colection! - sharron, Sun, 12 Feb 2006 12:36AM
Hi, B'Sue! This is the ol' frogg. I LOVE your ideas and have some steel shank buttons of my mother's. I even carry one at all times to see if I can find similar ones. I think hers may from high button shoes. HUGS! - kay, Tue, 6 Dec 2005 12:51PM
1 This merry dancer comes from 1950's tooling and looks like she ought to be a fancy old Coro novelty pin. The stamping was quite petite, only about 1.5 inches tall.
2 This is a European finding, quite possibly from the old French Framex stampings factory.
3 Here is a pic of a full selection of Art Deco design guilding brass. This stuff was/is WONDERFUL, if any of you got some from me, my advice to you is TREASURE IT and use it only in your best projects. Stippled all over with tiny depressions for the addition of glued-ins tones, I kinda like it without just as it is.
4 OHMIGOODNESS.....can you imagine what was involved in developing the tooling for this piece? It was VERY SMALL....about the size of a quarter....but look at the detail in the trees, the leaves, the little Bambi-type deer....just remarkable. "This is truly beautiful. ..." "Simply Stunning!!! I have ..." View Comments...
5 Actually this item is still made, but the brass isn't quite as thick and the color is yellow...you won't find this rich a gingerbread anyplace except buried in the bottom of boxes in a dark old warehouse (that's how we found this one.)
6 Here's Rita Hayworth dancing like Gilda...well, it sure looks like it.
7 This huge gypsy lady head has BOHO written all over it. The tooling is actually, believe it or not, 60's, and this stamping was used to make some of the most bodacious hippie chick rings you have EVER seen.
8 What an ornate, delicate piece. Probably a domestic US design and I could just BAWL that the tooling for it has been retired.
9 Deeply patina'd kitty with his face in a cup. Actually I gotta wonder about this guy. I got this piece with a bunch of stuff that had been thrown back in the 80's from the Piddiddly Links company, so I don't know if these were stock or custom designs. Probably they were made in France.
10 Another one from the same batch of stuff that had Piddiddly links findings in it. This silly monkey is looking at his face in a mirror and scratching his, um, derriere.
11 A fabulous piece that was probably used on photo items and jewelry boxes as opposed to jewelry.
12 This is another gorgeous European finding, the center was about 20mm and the design extremely delicate.
13 These were used by a business friend of mind extensively in the 60's when he was making trend and novelty jewelry, in particular rings. They are very versatile and malleable and can be delightfully manipulated.
14 Here are some examples of a few European findings of which I only ever had ONE PIECE....sigh.
15 This is an extremely versatile filigree that I had, at one time, in three sizes, about 50, 64 and 80mm length, respectively. I have actually SEEN old jewelry, earrings in particular, from the 20's-30's era, made from this finding. It is a US-made piece, very malleable and easy to manipulate.
16 Here is an example of something I did with the filigree shown in photo number 15. I took two and faced them inward, bent back the back edges and them wrapped them in the center with another. The result was extremely firm and needing nothing more---no glue or solder. "CAN THESE BE USED TO MAKE ..." View Comments...
17 Here we go with Cinderella's coach and her two fancy footmen. The detail on this one was just unreal.
18 Beautiful European stamping with opposing bird motif, oh how wonderful....I only ever had ONE. "Hello
I want bay this Sta..." View Comments...
19 Darling cat family, at the bottom a series of holes to dangle tchochkalas. Again, these I found in with the older Piddidlylinks stuff.
20 A silly elephant stamping...with such detail! All I ever had was ONE.
21 Typical mysterioso Art Nouveau dapt out lady head motif.
22 Again, Art Nouveau at its best....old European findings with pretty dragonflies incorporated into the floral motif.
23 Sort of Middle-Eastern in feeling, this was probably made from already vintage tooling in the 50's. Looks like something Ali Baba's wife would have worn around her neck.
24 This piece again is actually still made, but the tooling is wonderful old Art Nouveau era. These are not as old as others here in this album, but they weren't made yesterday either and have a lovely, warm patina on them. From time to time I am able to order more of them, but the house does not frequently run this die.
25 Beautiful lady on rectangular plaque, these were very, very rare and completely wonderful.
26 Again I have to just sigh to think of the skill this tooler had to have possessed. Here we are, twin children, probably produced to make a mother of twins breast pin, very old Victorian period, European stamping. I only ever had ONE. It was very small, too, maybe 28-30mm.
27 This gorgeous late Victorian style stamping just spoke to me....I loved the look of it, it reminds me of antique Eastlake period furniture. "This piece is beatuiful.
..." View Comments...
28 A popular motif, those snakes. This guy's kind of doubled back on himself.
29 Again another typical Art Nouveau motif.
30 Here's another one of those Nouveau flower girls. I only ever had just ONE of these.
31 I love this piece....it's sort of Art Nouveau kisses Art Deco and then embraces Arts and Crafts period....hard to define. This was made in the US. Sure wish the tooling still was available.
32 Another lovely Art Nouveau piece, opposing birds with really long beaks. I still have a bag or two of this item around.
33 Finely done little segment piece, the gingerbread color of this was very high and rich.
34 If you set stones into the depressions on this Art Deco piece, it will reveal a lovely flower basket full of blooms.
35 This is a French stamping and oh so elegant...imagine a panelled bracelet made with them.
36 Look at this lazy lass.....must be nice to lounge around in a tree branch all day. At one time I had several big bags full of this one, but they've all found homes. If YOU bought one, treasure it!
37 Another funky Boho type medallion with gypsy style lass embossed on the blank.
38 I only ever had ONE of this stamping, how curious----a big lotus type flower with a branch of smaller flowers bursting from its center. Does this ever REALLY occur in nature? There was so much detail in this stamping.
39 This was a real favorite, a sweetheart of a necklace centerpiece, demure and lovely. Shelley and I found these buried in an old backroom on one of our buying trips, and at one time I had a big bagfull...but sigh...I believe they are all gone now.
40 This is another piece for which tooling is still available and in service. The die that produces this piece has been popular in the jewelry trade for many years. Here is what it looks like with the gingerbread patina.
41 There is a die still in service that produces a piece very similar to this, but not quite. This stamping was made probably back in the 70's and has aged beautifully.
42 Another intricate European finding....and I only ever had just ONE. "I know someone who has lot..." View Comments...
43 A piece of Art Deco guilding brass that had been hardglass enamelled. The brass aged to gingerbread but the enamel looks as good as the day it was produced.
44 European fairy design on a shield shape. We still have some of these at Ebay at this writing.
45 Interesting piece that was a real favorite of mine...we're out of them now.
46 Fine domestic made filigree, the dies are now out of service. Very intricate.
47 This guilding brass plaque made great vintage style pendants! Made in France.
48 There are findings similar to this that are still available today, but not as finely done. Tooling for these pieces was produced with great labor,and the finish work involved several processes, piercing and re-piercing, and then dapping.
49 Another intricate finding that I remember seeing in shoe buckles back when I was a kid.
50 Another favorite that was once produced in the United States. This one had a very interesting, wavy dap to it.
51 A fabulous European finding of which I only had one....sigh.
52 Unique Boho lady that we found in the Piddiddily Links stuff.
53 This is one of the most beautiful crescent stampings I've ever seen, and it the flowers are stamped into it in such a way that it could have been enamelled.
54 Intricate Art Deco design made in guilding brass.
