The classic and timeless design elements of antiques is something that many crave in their decorating of living spaces, offices, and other establishments. There are certain factors of period life, love, experience and character that physical material pieces capture and build upon as they age through the years. Wearing antique jewelry implies a certain level of class, worldliness, responsibility, taste and style. It requires a respectable level of confidence and personal responsibility to wear an antique ring or necklace and usually implies the wearer enjoys the finer things in life. Things perhaps with an interesting tale, or series of tales, accompanying them. Was it a gift from one ancestor to another that bought it in their early 20s in their summer romance turned 75-year marriage in London? Or a gift from a perceived enemy to make friends in the 1700s? Whatever the age and history, antiques carry decades and often centuries of stories and experiences throughout their owner’s lives. And, the rarer the piece, the more special the story. What these pieces of jewelry have seen and heard, many can appreciate.
When you walk into a space with antique furniture, the energy of those pieces can often be felt. These items command our attention and respect, as they carry the history of life, love and loss. The stories these items can tell could fill books. Antiques of all varieties from furniture and cars, to smaller items like jewelry and other accessories, and more specifically, imagine the character and beauty of an antique armoire or an antique bracelet that takes your breath away with its depth and flawless design. There’s a newness in the old, especially when it’s been restored, repainted or some factors have been refreshed. There are of course new items that remind us of age-old classic designs and timeless styles, though they lack the authenticity of age and character acquirement and development through the years. An antique ring with a few nicks and marks from its daily wearer’s lifestyle often tells a beautiful story of love and caring for others. An antique chair with a few marks of a wax crayon or marks of paint from a childhood room of a great-grandparent that’s been passed down through the generations is unmatched and unduplicatable, making it all the more special.
Antique cars are just as coveted as the classic and ornate designs of antique jewelry for many, as their simplistic mechanical functionality is straightforward and the challenge is not lost in computer systems or wiring harnesses, but in finding replacement parts and expertise to perform repairs that keep the automobile true to original design and form. As with anything, taking care of material items is sometimes a labor of love, and the rewards are having a classic and aged piece of jewelry, furniture or machinery that is unique and special to you and your life, with a great story to tell of its origins, design and production elements. What antiques do you enjoy browsing through and admiring?