Why I Love Vintage Traditional Jewelry

There are people who just don’t understand. I’m sure you’ve met them. They will ask why I would wear a bracelet that weighs well over what five contemporary bracelets weigh? Why wear earrings that I need to stretch my piercings for? “It’s so big!” “I could never wear that.” “Doesn’t it hurt?” “It’s so heavy!” “It’s so OLD!” Well, yes! It is big, and heavy, AND old. And that is precisely the point.

And here, I’m talking about the pieces that are beautifully designed by talented artisans and superbly produced by skilled craftsmen with time-honored methods, in traditions from across the globe. They are not items that are mass-produced and designed to sell thousands of. They aren’t those tiny bits of metal that look the same as the ones everyone else is wearing!

I’m talking about old pieces that are designed to be treasured for generations, not part of the disposable culture we seem to currently be supporting. The ones that are one of a kind. The ones that are lovely both to look at and to wear.

Not that today’s jewelry can’t be pretty, or even beautiful and I’m certainly not saying that quality jewelry can’t be purchased today. To be sure, you can find recently made jewelry composed of thousands of tiny silver bells, or pieces that are covered in the smallest bits of granulation, or ones precisely etched in the most delicate of designs. When you find the artists producing these pieces, they are worthy of your support. But they are exceptions. Much of our contemporary jewelry is, honestly, quite plain.

For me, older pieces seem to have a quality that transcends time. It’s a quality that is more than the sum of great design, skilled workmanship and simple tradition. These pieces are a call back to days when detailed ornamentation was the standard. A time when more was better, and simple unembellished pieces were the exception. The old, complex pieces that draw attention and give great pleasure to the eye are my true love. The Large pieces, conversation starters, the original statement pieces that have multiple layers of meaning for both the wearer and the observer. The ones designed with every single detail having a purpose. The ones that make you ask “why is it red? (blue? yellow? white?)” What does that little bit there in the middle mean?” “Why use niello here?” “How do you wear this?” And, for the love of the gods, “what is inside this thing??” Those pieces that today you have to WANT to find.

There really is nothing quite like the feel of old silver jewelry under your fingers - with smooth edges from being worn and caressed every day as a much-loved family treasure, or simply rubbed often for protection or luck.

My job as owner of Red Camel has been a true joy. I get to shop for that perfect piece of tribal jewelry ALL THE TIME. Anywhere. Everywhere! And I really must confess that I do keep a lot of pieces for myself. But I can't keep it all, and you may be the next lucky benefactor of my delight in rooting these pieces out of their secretive hiding places!


See what I've found here in the shop at redcamel.com

Tekke Turkoman cuff purchased in Vancouver, BC

Silver from Rajasthan and Morocco