It's not uncommon to find "antique" in the description of a piece of jewelry containing aurora borealis beads or stones. Sometimes the circa date listed will be way before the technique was even invented. I don't think the author means to mislead. More than likely they have been misinformed. The uneducated reader will assume it's true. "It's on the Internet, it must be true." Right? Wrong!
Since I am a witness to this crime of misinformation, it is my duty to report the crime to the proper authorities. You know I'm kidding don't you. While this isn't necessarily a felony or even a misdemeanor, it should not be taken lightly. The monetary value of an item depends on an item being correctly identified.
So here are facts about Aurora Borealis. I'll even back up what I'm saying with a
link to an article written by an expert in costume jewelry. Matter of fact she has even written a book on the subject maybe you've heard of it,
Warman's Costume Jewelry, Identification and Price Guide.
Fact #1
Aurora Borealis is sometimes listed as AB.
Fact #2
Manfred Swarovski and Christian Dior invented the process in 1955.
Fact #3
The process involves layering thin metal over glass in a steam vacuum, producing a magnificent, sparkling, iridescent finish.
Fact #4
Swarovski produced optical products for the military starting in 1939. Stone shipments out of Austria during this time were highly limited,
Fact #5
Aurora Borealis mistakenly gets attributed to earlier beads with an iridescent finish.
Fact #6
The high quality Aurora Borealis rhinestones produced by Swarovski were widely used in costume jewelry manufacture in the late 50s through early 60s.
Fact #7
AB has been wrongly labeled as "carnival glass."
Fact #8
The aurora borealis seen in today's costume jewelry, doesn't begin to compare to the quality of the originals.
Fact #9
The brand became the name. Like Jello, Band-Aid or Kleenex. Or Vaseline, Q-tips and Post-its. Aurora Borealis has become the name for iridescent finish in costume jewelry.
Before I hook you up to that
link I mentioned earlier, I want to tell you about the website that is host to the article being
linked. This is one
cool website. It's user friendly. The content is massive. They share the kind of information we want to know. They don't make you click and click to find the end of your article. The pictures they use are perfect. It doesn't take forever to load. They cover subjects like collecting coins and include actual price guides. You'll find links to free printable patterns for making clothes for barbie dolls. How-to diy home repair is a listing. Gardening, magic tricks, refurbishing furniture, flea market advice for buyers and sellers, feng shui instruction, getting organized, stain removal with homemade cleaners, All sorts of free printables. There is minimal advertising and I never experienced a pop up. There is nothing but good, useful, informative, fun, helpful stuff oozing every where you look. No body's perfect, right. I did notice some typoss, mispellings, not so good grammar, but nothing that couldn't be overlooked because of the delightful, bursting with awesomeness on every page. I will be revisiting this one many times for sure. Besides I forgot to sign up for the newsletter. Oh, one more thing, click on the three lines in the upper left corner of home page and a search box will appear for quicker access. Let me just say, taking the scenic route will not disappoint.
Still confused about classifying antique, estate, vintage or period jewelry.
Pamela Wiggins, author of Warman's Costume Jewelry tells-all on the subject in
another easy-read article, found on TheSpruce website.
And in case you did not realize by clicking "link" above for the
Aurora Borealis article, here's the
link again.
