Owls are a popular topic these days, as you may have noticed. You can find them all over the place; from home decoration and clothing to jewelry and accessories. If you are a frequent online shopper, you will find a lot of “vintage” owls, particularly “vintage” owl jewelry.
Owls were very popular in the 60s and especially in the 70s. There were so many unique styles of owl jewelry pieces made during this time that you can wear a different owl necklace or brooch every day. Here are some tips that will help you determine if that owl in which you have the eye is actually a vintage piece.
Let’s start with what I call the “Art Deco” owl pendant. In the image you can see the vintage version in bright golden tone and the contemporary reproduction is “old”. This “old” finish is common in reproductions because they are trying to make them look old.
It is often difficult to say online, but the size of the article is often a factor. The articles of the 1970s are generally much larger. Most of the articulated pieces have an average of 4 “long where the new elements are usually around 2”.
Next we have the faux turquoise gemstone owl that can be found as a pendant and brooch. The vintage article here is the one with the green eyes of rhinestones. This is quite difficult to notice the difference, the ancients have more weight for them, but that is impossible to say online.
The new ones are often “old”, since the vintage pieces are usually quite bright. Proportions are often a key indication since vintage pieces are thinner and have a larger bail.
Finally we have one of the most common owl pendants available, both new and old. This piece comes in many variations in both gold and silver. They often have imitation diamond eyes, beaded eyes or flat, hanging eyes; some have enamel along the beak, wings and tail. Again the size and details are the key factors. The vintage version is always at least 4 “and the original string will be quite thick.
General characteristics to look for in vintage pieces:
- Foil Backed Glass Eyes
- Tummies of “precious stones” of acrylic
- Large pendants
- Articulated segments
- Faux Turquoise
- Average original 24 “strings.
A more common combination is vintage owl jewelry with a cabochon body and Rhine stone eyes. A cabochon is a stone with a smooth, rounded top and a flat bottom. Most of the cabochons used in vintage owl jewelry were synthetic and attached to the body of the owl. Used in this way, some cabochons can be called belly jelly.
Some owls’ jewelry is also decorated with small plastic “stones” along their body. This type of vintage owl jewelry is more unusual.