Family Museum Room-by-Room - The Dining Room

Yesterday we visited my House Museum Living Room. Today we will tour the Dining Room. How many of you grew up with having a Dining room in your house? This was by far one of the most important rooms in the house because it was where the family gathered for special occasions. Sadly, this room as been reviewed as an unnecessary room by today’s needs. No longer do families gather around a commodious table and share a special meal.  They are now regulated to the big eat-in kitchen or family rooms where buffet tables are set up to offer the food and then everyone finds their own seat to enjoy the meal. Perhaps one day the Dining Room will regain its importance in the home as well as in the customary practices of family gatherings. But for now, I will gladly share all the pieces that are in my dining room that have be inherited, purchased and enjoy a premier spot in our House Museum.    

The dining room buffet, hutch, table and chairs came from my Italian Grandmother whom I called Nana. As the story goes, she had purchased this entire suite from Sears Roebuck in 1920. It could have been via the mail-order catalog or directly from the store since she lived in Chicago. At this time there was a colonial-revival period of which this extraordinary rich mahogany set was inspired by. Six chairs with Chippendale backs, table with built-in extension leaf underneath, buffet with plenty of storage and china cabinet with Chippendale-pane windows was really something in its time. When Nana passed away, the set went to her daughter, my Aunt Viola. I recall many holiday dinners being eaten at this table and how all the relatives sat around it. But of course, all the cousins were regulated to sit in the kitchen. The furniture traveled among family member and eventually came to me. I had all the pieces restored and feel very proud to have Nana’s furniture in my home.

The English Bone China with its castle motif was also very popular. These dishes were used for special occasions only. Perhaps that is why I still have them. Also because my mother inherited the dishes, then passed them down to me. I was thrilled to have them for the furniture and dishes must stay together.  

Over the buffet is a large mirror my mother purchased sometime in 1980. I love the monochromatic white. The pineapple is a sign of hospitality and what better place to hang the mirror than the dining room.

On the buffet are two lead-crystal art deco lamps I had purchased from an antique store in Chicago. Heavy, you bet. And you wouldn’t believe how I got them back home. Each lamp was wrapped in newspaper and a brown paper bag tied with heavy string. No lampshades; they came later. I hulled these lamps with my on to the airplane and placed them in the overhead baggage compartment. Can’t do that today!   

          On a silverware chest sits an Italian porcelain compote with matching candlesticks. This set was purchased by my mother in 1980 as well. The three-piece set was always in the center of the dining room table. I use to do the same until one day while moving it, the fragile basket almost fell off and gave me a fright, so from now on it sits immoveable on the chest.    

This beautiful sofa has a long story to tell. Again, purchased by Nana back in 1920, it has two accompany chairs that are in my bedroom. This set has been in many homes and by time it came to me, it was in bad need of repair and reupholstering. The only unfortunate aspect of this set is that when it was originally purchased, the sofa and chairs had camel backs. Then one day some ignoble interior decorator convinced my mother to have the set update by cutting off the camel backs, and off they went. Oh how sad is that!

Next to the sofa are a pair of fancy pink French lamps that were given to my mother. She didn’t care for them so she gave them to me. Again, they needed repair and new lampshades and look great next to the sofa.

On the wall is a small painting on wood of a gentlemen sipping wine and reading a letter. I found it at an estate sale and again, it needed a good cleaning and new frame. This scene is so apropos for the dining room. I just love it!

When I started to collect Nippon porcelain, I had no idea that the vase that always was displayed somewhere in the living room had belonged to Nana and that it, too, was a Nippon she had purchased back in 1920. And I also remember the day my father broke Nana’s vase and how extremely angry my mother had gotten. I never saw my dad plead for forgiveness like he did then. That night I watched him painstakingly glue the broken pieces together.  

Somehow this eclectic gathering of many different period styles of furniture and accessories share the same space, giving the room a sense of history and more importantly, family history. How many stories can you tell from what is in your dining room?

Next post will be about the Family room.

Jewelry Collecting

Where does one begin on the topic of jewelry?

From the simple shell beads worn by Paleolithic hunters, to the history of jewelry design from the exquisite early medieval pieces and the splendor of Renaissance

gold work, to the sumptuousness of Art Nouveau enamels and Art Nouveau

periods, jewelry throughout the twentieth-century and right up to the present,

the development of jewelry is a fascinating history.

I personally enjoy looking at sparkling diamonds, swoon when staring at rubies and opals, thrill at art deco and art Nouveau designs, and harbor a hint of envy when I look at those fortunate to wear fine jewels. But alas, I am but a commoner when it comes to jewelry. I do not own bejeweled brooches, pendants, earrings, and tiaras (do possess a costume version of a tiara – will tell the story behind that later), that encompass beauty and technical virtuosity, but I do have few fine pieces that I dearly love and sincerely treasure. Here are a few of my coveted pieces I displayed in a shadow box:

 

* My first gold (plated) bracelet
* A Minnie (not Mickey) Watch (band long gone)
* Popular in the 1980s, a gold charm holder w/tiny
   icons of affection
* Brass plate engraved with Keith’s (hubby) name 
* Sterling Silver cuff bracelet from Tiffany
   Jewelers
* Olsen European Tours Pin (circa 1972)
* My tiny duck ring & charm bracelet
   (don’t remember wearing either of them)
* My absolutely favorite pin of all time (the ballerina I never became)
* A Garnet Ring (pretended it was a Ruby)  * Souvenir Pin from Paris
* My Father’s Grandfather Ring with the birthstones of his two grandchildren: 
   Diamond for Tiffeni & Alexandrite for Charlie)

* Ivory ring Keith brought home from one of his Naval Duties

* “Pet Rock” pendent (1970s craze),

* My first watch (a grade school graduation gift)

I have other pieces of jewelry I have saved over the year, my favorite is my

“Charm Bracelet.” (I will post in-depth on this subject soon). But the one piece

I have that has a story to tell is this one:

 

Starburst Diamond Ring or Princess Ring

Measuring 1” from top to bottom and from left to right, rounded square in shape, it has 32/2-diamond prongs with a total of 64 diamonds of same size diamonds plus 2 top diamonds of larger size, totaling one full Karat.  The diamonds appear to be a slender, rectangular baguette cut. The two top accent stones in the central are larger and brilliant-cut. Craftsmanship excellent.

As the rings’ facets are rectilinear and arranged parallel to the setting, the diamonds are known as step cut stones, popular in the Art Deco period. The symmetrical arrangement of facets is well proportioned. There is a jeweler’s mark and some initials engraved into the 14K white gold band.  

I purchased the ring from at an estate auction and proudly worn it since. I marvel at the stares it gets and enjoy answering the questions I’m asked. “Are those diamonds real?” “How many karats?” “Can I try it on?”  

Then one evening while watching our local PBS station, a new program was seeking participants who had antiques they would like to have appraised on live TV on a new show called, “Virginia Valuables.”  In the style of “Antiques Roadshow,” guests were paired with local appraisers and their treasures – all while the cameras rolled – captured the owner’s joy and disappointment as the object was being appraised.
What fun! Or was it? 

In order to get on the show, you were required to send in pictures of your antiques.
It could be art, furniture, jewelry, clothing, etc. I thought it would be fun so I sent in pictures of several of my antiques, one of which was the ring.

Guests on the program were identified through the Community Idea Stations Appraisal Fair, hosted at the station over two days in September 2011. From more than 370 entries, 50 were chosen to meet the appraisers.

When I got the call (I was at a grocery store) they told me they were interested in one      

of my offerings. I was thrilled, but was really surprised when they picked the ‘ring.’

“Why,” I asked. 

They said it was certainly a glamorous ring and felt it would look great on the show. 

So my daughter and I drove to Richmond from Williamsburg, over an hours drive. (Would have gotten there sooner but got lost.) Once there, we were ushered into the       studio and to wait my turn. Meanwhile, we watched two other presenters which              gave me a good idea as to what to expect. Now it was my turn!

I had been on live television before and knew what to expect. Calm and inquisitive, I let the appraiser do his job.

With the powerful lights focused on the ring, it sparkled so that even Elizabeth Taylor would have been proud to be its owner. As he talked, he closely examined the ring.    

With his jewelers eye (magnifying tool) he offered a rather cunning smile. I had a suspicion that he was going to devalue it somehow. After all, the show, likes its sister show, enjoys creating tension leading to the moment when they say, “Well . . . he said,”

“Due to the current vogue for brilliant and brilliant-like cuts, step cut diamonds may       suffer somewhat in value. Stones that are deep enough may be re-cut into shapes that are more popular. 

Antique jewelry of the period features step-cut stones prominently and there is a market in producing new step-cut stones to repair antique jewelry or to reproduce it.”

He called it a PRINCESS RING. With its 14K White Gold, one full Karat & excellent craftsmanship, circa 1960, his appraisal result at auction today, could have a auction bid of $900. I purchased the ring for $800 in 1981.

(You would thing a ring so unusual would have gain in value . . .)

Seeing the shock on my face, which the camera and crew loved (perfect for the audience),  he explained that the low appraisal was due to the recession.

(I don’t think so . . .)

I am sure I am missing some details of this event, but for what it was worth, the experience was interesting and now I know how those people on Antiques Road Show, even those who show their things on the new pawn shop show, feel. And if you should have a similar experience and are not satisfied with the outcome, get another appraisal.

This taping aired on Monday, November 28, at 8:00 p.m. on WCVE PBS/WHTJ PBS.

The tagline for "Virginia Valuables" read; "a one-hour special where Virginia residents discovered if their treasures had more than just sentimental value."  

 

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