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Posts Tagged ‘lockets’

For friends old and new, here’s a bonus post just to remind you that this blog is hosted by my daughter‘s vintage and contemporary jewelry company, Luna & Stella.

And that she has a sale going on right now!

Please check out Suzanne’s Shop Small Sale. Everything in the Shop Small collection is 15% off through Monday, November 29, 2021: see https://www.lunaandstella.com/collections/shop-small-sale.

In addition, there are lots of good deals in the Luna & Stella Archive Sale: https://www.lunaandstella.com/collections/archive-sale. Find gold and silver lockets, charms, and contemporary birthstone jewelry for every taste. I think the chains are pretty special, too — hard to find.

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In the picture above, my sister had already had a recurrence of glioblastoma. But, you know, while there’s life, there’s hope. We went on a junket to Provincetown.

Not long before our trip, Suzanne, who pays regular visits to antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts, found the perfect locket for my sister. By some implausible alignment of the stars, it was inscribed on the back with both my sister’s name and her husband’s name. Suzanne does keep an eye open for particular designs for particular customers, but only magic could have turned up a locket with both those names.

Later, Suzanne found a similar design for me. It had my husband’s initials on the back.

Longtime readers know that this blog got its start when Suzanne said that she needed a blog for her jewelry business and that if I took it on, I could write about anything I liked. The offer of freedom was too good to refuse as my knowledge of jewelry, despite having a grandmother in the business, too, did not extend to a post a day. And I wanted to write a post a day.

Here’s a thing to know about Suzanne’s company, Luna & Stella. From its founding a decade ago, it’s been about relationships and the meaning that special pieces of jewelry can convey. At first, Suzanne’s emphasis was on her line of contemporary birthstone jewelry, which remains popular. But as she began to introduce antique lockets created with the craftsmanship of the famed Rhode Island jewelers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, she learned something interesting. Customers not only appreciated the beauty of their lockets but also felt a connection to the previous owners. Some people chose to keep the time-worn pictures inside instead of having Luna & Stella size and place images of their own family and friends.

Do check out Luna & Stella for a holiday gift of meaningful jewelry, here. You can use the discount code CarolineFriend at checkout. And Suzanne even has an installment plan now.

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Hunting for the best vintage lockets for Luna & Stella at the Brimfield antique fair, we really had to bundle up. It was awfully cold (and muddy) for May.

Ever since Suzanne first admired the nearly invisible hinges that characterized the old, handmade lockets, she wanted to offer lockets at Luna & Stella. At first, she investigated whether hinges like that were being made today. They weren’t. So she started an antique and vintage line to complement the way her contemporary birthstone jewelry preserves customers’ special memories.

The best place to start the hunt for vintage is at the Brimfield, Mass., antique fair, a mega event that occurs three times a year and involves thousands of dealers. According to one website, the show extends about a mile along both sides of Route 20 and several hundred yards back from each side of the road.

The dealers are not all selling lockets or even antiques. The event is also a flea market. You can find pretty much anything there. All that stuff you give to the Goodwill, or even throw out because it’s broken, could easily be displayed here with a price tag. It doesn’t even have to be old. People will buy anything.

I had never been on any of Suzanne’s Brimfield expeditions, and as my sister was interested, I decided it was time. Alas, at the last minute, my sister was not able to make the trip. Getting to see pictures is not the same as being in those crazy crowds, eating at food trucks, and using Port-a-Potties, but it will have to do for now. It was definitely fun to see Suzanne in action. She was like a bloodhound on the scent, and I hope my sister will get a chance to watch her in action another time.

Here are a few photos. If a dealer has a dinosaur, you can bet it will get displayed prominently on the roadside. I noticed that the one below eventually talked Lady Liberty into hanging out.

One thing you can do at Brimfield is get ideas here for the stuff you have at home. For example, if you have a fake rhino head collecting dust in your attic, you might want to spray it gold.

I sent Stuga40 the picture of the Swedish tent. Here’s what she said about the clocks, moraklocka: “Mora is a small city in Darlicalia (Dalarna). These clocks were painted and decorated by peasant artists. There are certain areas in Sweden like Dalarna and Hälsingland  where the ‘kurbits’ type of painted furniture is found. The red ‘dalahäst‘ [or wooden horse is] painted in this style and now used as a souvenir from Dalarna and Sweden.”

I loved the morning-glory look of the old Victrola. The quilt picture is for a few of my favorite readers.

The last photo is from the rural B&B where we spent a night. We needed the quiet haven after all the crowds.

You can read about the event here and get “tips on surviving Brimfield” here.

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I have two super kids, John and Suzanne, and I’m crazy about them both. But the reason that this blog is called suzannesmomsblog and not johnandsuzannesmomsblog is that it’s hosted by my daughter’s jewelry company, Luna & Stella. I really wouldn’t know what to write about if I blogged for John’s techy company, but at least I know a little about jewelry.

Lately, I’ve been interested in the idea that vintage necklaces, like the lockets that have been so popular at Luna & Stella, make for environmentally sound gift giving. After all, the mined materials are recycled.

Here’s how Suzanne puts it. “Antique and vintage jewelry is the most sustainable jewelry there is. No new mining + no new metal refining = zero environmental impact.

“Each piece comes with a century of history, and with a photo of your loved ones inside, an antique locket becomes an heirloom for a new generation.”

She adds, “We’ve got over 100 new locket arrivals coming for Mother’s Day. [And] we just added a new payment plan option — you can now pay over 4 interest-free installments. Just choose ‘Slice It’ at checkout.”

Write Suzanne at service@lunaandstella.com, and she will try to answer any questions you have about individual pieces. All one of a kind.

By the way, here is Suzanne herself in New York for a meeting at instagram, where if you follow her account, you can get previews of new arrivals. She’s wearing vintage lockets and the signature Luna & Stella moon and stars.

Photo: Vicky Vitello 

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When you want to bring a small token of your esteem to a party and you are not sure of people’s interests, you can start by making a list of things pretty much everyone likes.

Candy, flowers, wine, specialty coffee, exotic tea, unusual soaps, fancy olive oils, and candles. If it’s a Christmas party, maybe Christmas cookies, a tree ornament, or holiday napkins would be good. I know you’d rather not see your present regifted all around town, but be sure you’d like it for yourself in case it comes back to you.

Next: How about finding a gift that serves a second important purpose? My first thought was to get something at a retail shop in town whose business has been hurt by a chain that just moved in. But I was also thinking about buying from a nonprofit that helps the needy. Then by chance I ran into a charity representative on the street and was delighted with the soaps pictured above. I hope my friends like and use these soaps, but if they regift them, I’m fine with having them land back at my house. I hardly ever entertain, though, so seeing them again is unlikely.

Meanwhile, if you want a really special gift for someone you adore, you’ll check out Luna & Stella — the business this blog is connected to — because Suzanne sells meaningful contemporary birthstone jewelry and amazing vintage lockets. Of course, each locket is one of a kind. (Men can wear lockets, too, you know.) If you want your locket delivered by Christmas with your digital photos sized and placed, then December 17, 2018, is your deadline. That’s today! (Click now.)

For other occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, and Valentine’s Day, you have more time, so what would it hurt just to take a look?

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Mother’s Day is a week from today. Be sure to check out Suzanne’s antique lockets and contemporary birthstone jewelry at Luna & Stella.

 

 

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Suzanne’s lockets were featured in the Boston Globe last week, and I wanted to tell you about that — and the lockets — in time for Valentine’s Day.

Longtime readers know this blog has a connection to Luna & Stella, Suzanne’s jewelry company. It’s easy to forget that, as she was willing from Day One to let me write about whatever interested me, and I’m interested in an awful lot of things in addition to jewelry.

The antique and vintage lockets are a fairly new addition to Suzanne’s offerings, and they have been a pretty big hit. Although Suzanne acquires them from all over, many, if not most, originated in the greater Providence area, once known as the jewelry capital of the world. Some of the lockets have the original photos in them, but Suzanne will size your photos to fit if you like.

Among the more fascinating aspects of the lockets, in my opinion, are the handmade hinges, which are practically invisible. Hinges made today tend to be clunky and stick out. Suzanne went through a long search to see if anyone could make hinges the old way and even looked into buying some antique machinery, but in the end, attending flea markets and working with vintage dealers meant she could sell the lockets for a more reasonable price.

You can see lockets here, some in Valentine shapes. And the website also has chains and birthstone charms to pair with a locket — Luna & Stella‘s trademark stars, moons, suns, hearts, and more.

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Today’s Bonus Tidbit

Suzanne will be showing Luna & Stella antique lockets Fridays at noon (Eastern Standard Time) through December 22 on Instagram Live. Go to @Lunaandstella .

You can also see these one-of-a-kind lockets on her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lunaandstella/. Suzanne will size and place a photo of your loved one in the locket of your choice. A few of the antique lockets are shown below.

Suzanne’s Mom

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What is important to you? Who is important to you?

Today I’m thinking about all the ways we hold what we care about as close as we possibly can. Maybe we love to wear an article of clothing that reminds us of the dear friend who gave it to us. Or a ring that belonged to a great-grandmother. Or a child’s photo in a locket.

As you know, this blog appears because my daughter, Suzanne, suggested five years ago that I write a blog tied to her contemporary birthstone jewelry company and (I’m still amazed by this) basically said, “Go forth, and write about anything that interests you.” Wow.

Today what interests me is letting you know that Suzanne’s company, Luna & Stella, is now offering antique lockets that are rapidly finding a mix-and-match niche. The handmade hinges, just to mention one highlight, are nearly invisible, impossible to find today.

Dear Friends, carry what’s important with you wherever you go. In your heart. Or maybe in a locket. Get those creative juices flowing … maybe a photo of Lady Liberty would be good.

From the founder: “Luna & Stella blends its own contemporary heirlooms with antique and estate pieces.  Influenced by the moon and star icons used in Victorian jewelry, Luna & Stella creates fine jewelry that is symbolic of loved ones, using birthstones and other symbols to represent the relationships between parents, grandparents, children, partners, siblings, and friends. 

“A passionate collector of antique jewelry, Suzanne curates a selection of antique lockets and Victorian and Estate stacking rings chosen to layer with Luna & Stella’s collection of modern talismans, charms, symbols and birthstones. 

“I love finding lockets with the original photos inside.  It is a glimpse into another time and place.  I wonder about the people in the photos – were they her parents?  Her husband? Her children? Her sister or someone else important to her? Whoever they were, they were important to the wearer and I think it is so special that those memories have been preserved in some way, over a 100 years later.  When the new owner puts in her own photos, the locket gets new life and new meaning to each caretaker.

“The url to our website is http://www.lunaandstella.com/ and to the collection of lockets is: http://www.lunaandstella.com/collections/vintage-locket-collectionNot all of the pieces you have are online, yet but they will be by Nov 15.  Clients can customize the lockets with a new or antique chain, and charms from our or their own personal collections.”

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