Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Cheap Thrills: Bargain Basement Jewelry and My First Piece of Bakelite

I went from zero to sixty in terms of my interest in jewelry, it seems. It wasn't that I didn't like it before, but now I see it more as a part of my wardrobe, rather than just an afterthought. The nice thing about it is that it's much easier to find cute, inexpensive vintage jewelry than it is to find cute, inexpensive vintage clothing. If I have to have an addiction, cheap jewelry is one of the more harmless ones I can imagine.
My dealer of choice for vintage jewelry has turned out to be an antique store on the north side, near Brian's place of work. It's called Ya Ya's Antiques, and I was surprised to find out that they've only been open for a couple of years. They have that cozy, cluttered feeling that I thought took a couple of decades to create, and I love pawing through their "2 for $5" bins of jewelry.
When I went in this weekend, he had an even better deal going on - virtually everything in the store was half off. So now the bins were 4 for $5, and even the more expensive jewelry in the cases was in my reach. It's probably a good thing I only had $20 on me...
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I was so in love with silver confetti lucite that I didn't look too closely at the construction. I was under the impression that they were earrings, but...
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The backs weren't like any clip on earrings I'd ever seen. I can actually still wear them (I have stretched ears), but I was curious about whether they're actually earrings, or something else entirely.
I asked on Instagram this morning, and one person told me they're actually scarf pins. Kind of cool, right?
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These are actual earrings.
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I was so happy to stumble across this brooch. If it's not a set with the pretty hairpin I picked up there last time, it's a weirdly close match.
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I don't think I'm actually going to keep this one. It struck me as cute when I picked it up, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like it might be culturally insensitive. I might be overthinking things a little bit, but that's exactly the kind of cultural appropriation that I try to avoid in my own life. Any thoughts?
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This one was not from the bargain bin. This pretty dress clip is actually my first piece of bakelite! Probably my last one too, since I don't have a particular interest in collecting it, but I really like dress clips, and he was willing to drop the price all the way down to $15 for me. I just couldn't pass it up.
Do you guys have any not so guilty pleasures, or inexpensive ways to get your vintage fix?

8 comments:

  1. What an awesome score. I love that brooch, I found a week or so ago in my favorite antique stores bargain basket. I always check out the little basket on the counter and find a cheap treasure or two. It's a great, inexpensive way to start building a vintage accessory collection. Happy treasure hunting.

    She Knits in Pearls

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    1. It's funny how cheap jewelry can be, when it comes to vintage. It's a great way to add versatility to an outfit - accessories are such an easy way to change the vibe of your outfit.

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  2. I don't know anywhere remotely close to me that does stuff like this! And I really need to find an inexpensive way to get my shopping fix... it seems I only know expensive! Saying that, I have been starting to collect more head accessories recently... scarves, hats, hair flowers... I find any of these makes an outfit look more vintage/pin-up immediately as they're so of their era, usually!

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    1. I've actually been very bad lately about sticking to the cheaper stuff so I definitely sympathize. I think I've got my fall wardrobe sorted out now, though, so I'm back to being good again.
      It's amazing what a difference those kinds of accessories make, isn't it? The right hat or scarf or pin really helps give an outfit that vintage flair.

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  3. Congratulations!!! I'll never forget the first time I found Bakelite in person, too - it was sort of like stumbling across a very small pot of gold (or perhaps a large one, given what Bakelite can fetch at times) at the end of a rainbow. That is such a sophisticated, awesome deco dress clip. If you have a sturdy hat you want to gussy up further, I love clipping my to said types of hats for an interchangeable and unexpected way to sport them.

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. I will certainly have to try that! A lot of my hats don't have a place to clip anything, but I can think of a couple that it would look smashing with. Thank you for the inspiration.

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  4. Nice finds! I am exlusively about cheap thrills at op-shops at the moment, although that means my "vintage" is 60s or 70s, or modern-vintage-appropriate, but I'm ok with that!

    Also, I whole-heartedly second Jessica's suggestion of using dress clips (or any clip or brooch really) on hats for a variation in look. Accessorise your accessories!

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