Identify my jewelry

June 22, 2009 11:32 AM

I own two pieces of jewelry. I want more jewelry like them, and I don't know who designed either of them.

The pendant was bought in the summer of 1992 or 1993, at Compliments in Kennebunkport, ME. It's silver with an amethyst, two pieces of tourmaline, a moonstone (I think) and a piece of quartz. I was told that the designer did some kind of crystal therapy in California. The owners of the store have no idea who designed it, nor do they remember the piece. They had a few by this same artist at the time, and I believe it cost about $150 then. It is not signed.

Photo of the pendant. Another photo of the pendant. Picture of the back of the pendant, plus gratuitous shot of cat who likes the camera.

The set of necklace and earrings was bought in the early 80s, at Salamandra Glass in Portsmouth, NH. The store later closed. It has since reopened in a different location (same city), and I believe it is shutting again; as before, the owners do not know the manufacturer, though they remember the pieces. It's made of a number of very thin pieces of dichroic glass, much unlike the dichroic glass available now, in various triangle, rectangle, square and diamond shapes. There is no pattern on the glass. The pieces tend towards different colours, though it's quite subtle when worn. I think it was done by a glass manufacturer more than a designer.

Photo of set. Another photo of set. On white instead A set of photos because I am not good at photographing glass.

I would like to know the actual name of the designer of the first piece, and either the name of the designer/manufacturer of the glass or any way I could find very similar pieces for the glass jewelry.

posted by jeather to clothing, beauty, & fashion (6 comments total)

Unless someone happens to know who made those pieces, I think Etsy Alchemy is your friend. I've had great success posting pictures of jewelry I like and asking for someone to make me something in the same style. You post what you want, and people bid for the chance to make it.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 11:39 AM on June 22

I've had bad luck with asking for custom-made jewelry and am unwilling to do it at this point. I am hoping someone will have some idea who the designers are. I know it's a shot in the dark.
posted by jeather at 12:02 PM on June 22

I've no idea who the designers are, but I grew up around hippie and new-agey folks who wore a ton of jewelry like this. Try shops in that vein to find more things of that sort.
posted by mollymayhem at 12:55 PM on June 22

Ah, sorry, I thought from the part of your question where you asked for a way to find similar pieces for the glass jewelry that you were looking for broader suggestions.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 1:45 PM on June 22

Let me try again. I don't need the identical designer for the glass. It's something I think other people may be doing as well, though non-fused dichroic glass isn't really big. (It's not fused because the glass pieces were too thin to have slumped.) I do not want to purchase jewelry where I cannot see substantially similar work they have done before, so this is why I say no to etsy alchemy.
posted by jeather at 3:22 PM on June 22

Have you gone over these with a magnifying glass looking for a jeweller's mark? Did you check the clasps? I know you said they're not signed, but it might not be that obvious.
posted by x46 at 9:42 PM on June 22