VINTAGE-COSTUME-JEWELRY-OWL-PENDANTS

VINTAGE COSTUME JEWELRY
OWL PENDANTS

Daniel W. VanArsdale, 7/2007

Since 1987 I have collected over 1000 different costume jewelry owl pendants. Almost all were purchased used, initially at California swap meets and thrift stores, later on eBay. Most were mass produced during a fad for owl pendants during the 1970's. Links are provided here to view the entire collection. Each item is individually photographed and documented. I hope this will assist collectors of owl jewelry and provide the general viewer with an appreciation of this episode in popular design.

THE COLLECTION.
There are approximately 1000 items in the collection, representing about 800 different molds (shapes or types). For many types I have collected variations such as both a goldtone and silvertone example, or different colors of enamel. Of the 1000 pendants, about 265 are signed on the back. Initially I collected all categories of owl jewelry. But there are so many that budgetary and space considerations incline one to specialize. Some of the smaller pieces in the collection are likely charms or earrings. And I have knowingly collected several key chain fobs that could easily be used as a pendant.

My strategy in collecting costume jewelry has been influenced by long established conventions in coin and stamp collecting. There is an impossible attempt at completeness, and thus an interest in very common and undistinguished items as well as the identification of variations and rarities. In addition, I have sought to demonstrate the how designers copy one another or modify their own creations. There are many ways to collect costume jewelry, such as by designer, material, style, period, animals, etc. No claim is made here that my approach is more appropriate than any other. If it can escape the bane of fraudulent copying, inexpensive jewelry should provide a rich province for creative collecting. Each vintage piece once appealed enough to someone to get them to buy it. Some pieces make us wonder how that could be, but these illustrate how tastes (and pretensions) change as the years pass.

My collection is mounted on three large sheets of black velvet tacked to walls. The pendants are hung in rows using 5/8 inch brads with narrow heads. If a pendant has a particularly narrow opening in the bale it is useful to snip the head off the brad so the pendant can be conveniently removed and replaced. Rings or a bit of wire may also be used to hang a piece. Chains are usually removed and tagged to identify which pendant they go with. Some chains are left on and displayed if they can not be removed without damage or are customized to the pendant.

The manner of organizing any collection is important, especially as the collection grows. Designer names are prominent in collecting and marketing vintage costume jewelry, and are featured in the literature. But with many unsigned pieces other criteria must apply. Be sure to organize your collection so that if you look at a picture of a piece you can easily check if you already have it or not. For owl pendants the number of jointed segments (if any) and the total length of the pendant are useful for this.

DOCUMENTATION.
I used a Canon Power Shot S50 digital camera (5 million pixels) for the pictures here. All were shot without the flash and using autofocus and macro (close up) mode. I gave up on "manual" focus, and some pieces presented a challenge to the autofocus. It often helped to change the background color, as from black to orange. But if I were ever have to do something like this again I would invest in a SLR digital camera. It would also have been helpful to purchase a light box, though an improvised arrangement using a cut out plastic water jug helped to suppress reflections. I used natural lighting, shooting only on sunny mornings, and controlling the light by Venetian blinds.

There are several online photo sharing programs available. This presentation uses Picasa, a package of free photo management software from Google. For information on Picasa see the "Links and References" at the end of this page. Google also provides 1024 MB of free disk space for one to share photographs using Picasa. Links are provided below to 33 Picasa Web Albums containing a total of over 1180 jpeg photos. These include a picture of every pendant in the collection (some pendants appear in more than one Web Album). These use only 19% of my 1024 MB. Once within a Web Album the viewer may wish to use the following Picasa options:

View the complete caption to a photo by placing the mouse pointer over the image or partial caption.
Enlarge a photo by left clicking the image. The enlarged image will display the complete caption.
Leave a comment to a photo you are viewing enlarged by clicking "Add a comment" on the right.
Return to viewing the album (while viewing an enlargement) by clicking "View Album" above on the far left.
While viewing the album, activate a slide show of highly enlarged photos by clicking "Slideshow" on the top left.

Except for a few pairs, the photographs are of a single piece. For each photo Picasa allows for a caption whose first line of text is displayed in the Web Albums without requiring action by the viewer. Following is the kind of information I have provided in these captions.

SIGNATURE: The designer or manufacturer's name or logo if it is permanently inscribed on the back of the piece. Also product numbers, dates of manufacture, country of origin, materials, etc., anything that so appears. If information comes from a removable tag, or from the chain, this is either not used or the source is documented. If no signature is given in the caption to a piece it means it is unsigned.

USE: The type of accessory: pendant, pin / pendant, key chain fob, locket, perfume holder, etc. If unstated it means the piece is a pendant.

MATERIALS & COLORS: "Goldtone" and "silvertone" mean any type of metal that is either gold or silver colored throughout, or is coated with a gold or silver colored material. Similar use is made of the terms "pewtertone," "coppertone," and "bronzetone." Though these colors may seem apparent in the photographs, it is common on eBay to see a piece that, for example, looks goldtone in a photograph but is silvertone. This can even result from your browser settings. Thus we generally specify the predominant metal color even it is apparent in the photo. About the only actual metals identified here are sterling silver, copper, pewter and bronze - usually by a mark on the piece. Auxiliary materials used on a piece may also be identified, such as enamel, plastic, faceted glass, ceramic and paint.

NUMBER OF SEGMENTS: This is the number of flexibly attached segments through the vertical midline of the piece. Dangling eyes or wings are not counted as segments. Joining of segments may be by jump rings, permanent hooks on the piece or an incorporated chain. If the number of segments is clear from the photograph I generally do not bother to state it in the caption. This is always the case if there is but one segment (the piece is unjointed).

LENGTH: The vertical length in inches (to tenths) from the highest place on the head (ear tips or top center of the head) to the lowest place on the tail. The bale is not measured, but tassels are. The length of a jointed pendant may vary with the size of jump rings. For multiple or framed owls we measure the vertical length of the whole piece. Conversion: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters. In the Picasa captions we abbreviate, for example, a length of 3.4 inches by L 3.4".

WEIGHT: The weight of the piece in ounces. This excludes the chain unless otherwise specified. Conversion: 16 ounces = 1 pound, 1 ounce = 28.349 grams. Inexpensive electronic scales are now available with accuracy to 1/10 a gram. This allows rapid and accurate weighing to the nearest 1/100 of an ounce. Though weight is not visually apparent, together with the length it provides a useful way to refer to a piece in a Web Album. Also modern copies are often much lighter than the corresponding vintage piece and hence weight may become more useful in dating. In the Picasa captions we abbreviate, for example, a weight 0.62 ounces by W 0.62 oz.

RARITY: The terms below relate roughly to how often I have seen a piece offered for sale at yard sales, flea markets and shops (since 1987), or on eBay (since around 1997). Price is not considered: a common item may be priced high, a rare item cheap. For many items, especially smaller unsigned pendants, I have not kept a mental tally. For these I either give no estimate of rarity, or lump then in the category "AVAILABLE" as defined below. These estimates do not apply to handcrafted, imported or old (pre 1960) items. An estimation of rarity must distinguish between the rarity of the type (mold), and the rarity of a variation of the type, such as the particular colors in the piece illustrated. If it is not clear from the context, we will explicitly state so if the rarity refers to a variation. The word "type" here follows the usage in coin collecting, where in a "type collection" one collects an example of a basic coin design, disregarding varying dates and mint marks

    ABUNDANT: I have seen hundreds just in the past five years. There are always some of the type on eBay.
    COMMON: I have seen dozens over the years. There is usually one for sale on eBay.
    AVAILABLE: I may have seen at least ten over the years. Or I may not have kept a mental tally if the piece is small, unsigned or otherwise indistinctive. Though probably the piece is not "common," if you watch ebay for a month or two one is likely to be offered for sale.
    UNCOMMON: I have seen several over the years. You may have to wait months for one to come up on eBay.
    RARE: I have seen at most a few. And the piece is easily recognized, being large, signed, memorable in some way, or a type I have been looking for. You may have to wait a year or more for one to be offered on eBay.
    UNIQUE: It is probably too soon to presume that a distinctive piece that I have only seen just once is "unique." But if after another few years of looking for it neither I nor anyone else reports another example, such a designation becomes reasonable. As stated above, these rarity estimates exclude hand crafted, foreign or very old pieces.

NOTES: At the end of the caption I may add such information as: (1) comparisons to other pieces, especially different versions of the same mold, (2) different signatures found on the same type, (3) assessment as to whether a piece is vintage or not, (4) a selling price (excluding shipping) on eBay with month of sale, (5) where and/or when the piece was purchased.

Web Albums - Finding an owl.
All the clickable titles below are links to Picasa Web Albums. We began with some expository groupings: Ten most common signed pendants, Ten most common unsigned, Ten most rare signed, Ten most rare unsigned, Rare Variations, Oval Eyes Derivatives (variations on a classic and abundant design) and Shared Parts (recommended - documents many examples of copying).

If you wish to look for a specific owl pendant whose photo may appear here, do the following.
(1) If the owl is enclosed within a frame or backdrop - search for it by length in FRAMED.
(2) If only the head is depicted, or multiple heads - search for it by length in HEADS.
(3) If the owl is marked sterling, .925 or is unmarked silver - search for it by length in STERLING.
(4) If the owl is signed on the back (and is not sterling) search for it by the name, organized alphabetically, in one of the following categories: A-C, Alice Caviness, D-G, Eisenberg, Gold Crown Inc., H-K, JJ, L-P, Q-Z, Razza, SAO (or SA?), Tancer II, Torino & Trifari.
(5) If the owl is unsigned and not jointed search for it by the following lengths (in inches): 0.-1.9, 2-2.4, 2.5-2.9, 3. or more.
(6) If the owl is unsigned and has exactly two vertical segments search for it by length in Two Segments.
(7) If the owl is unsigned and has exactly three vertical segments search for by length in: 0-2.9, 3.0-3.9, 4.0 or longer.
(8) If the owl is unsigned and has four or more vertical segments search for it by length in Four or more segments.

Finally, there are some auction photographs of interesting owl pendants in Notable pendants not won. More information about all these Picasa Web Albums, with sample photographs and links repeated, appear below. The numbers in parentheses after the links are the total number of photographs in the Web Album.

TEN MOST COMMON - SIGNED (10)

By informal observation over the years, and some counting on eBay, I have selected ten types to be the most abundant of all the signed owl pendants. They are listed in order - the most numerous appearing first. As for all these lists of common or rare pendants, estimates are less reliable toward the end of the list.

LEFT: Signed Alan. Silvertone. Length 5.0 inches. Weight 1.25 ounces. Abundant.

TEN MOST COMMON - UNSIGNED (10)

We have selected ten owl pendants that are usually (or always) unsigned, and that we estimate to be the most frequently offered for sale. We have also taken the liberty to give these designs names.

LEFT: Unsigned. L 2.2", W 0.83 oz. Ceramic on goldtone. Abundant. The "Spaghetti Wings" pendant.

TEN MOST RARE - SIGNED (10)

Selecting owl pendants above as the most common involves some guesswork. Selecting which are the most rare is mostly guesswork. In this Web Album we present photos of ten signed pendants from the collection, each of which I recall having seen only one over the years. There are many such pendants, so we have selected the ones that I have specifically been looking for, at least for a few years. These lists exclude imports, hand crafted and old pieces. You rarely see two of them that are alike.

LEFT: Signed Kim. L 3.3", W 4.70 oz. Enamel on goldtone. Rare.

TEN MOST RARE - UNSIGNED (11)

The ten unsigned rarities in this web album are our first candidates for the "unique" designation defined above. If you see one of these, send me a jpeg and I will replace it on this list with another candidate.

LEFT: Unsigned. L 5.4", W 2.11 oz. Paint on pot metal. The "Turtle Back" pendant - perhaps the most rare of the large vintage owl pendants. See the start of the "Shared Parts" web album for a explanation of this name.

R ARE VARIATIONS (12)

In the above two Web Albums we presented pendants that are rare in every variation (of colors, signatures, etc.) of the type. This Web Album contains rare variations of otherwise common pendants.

LEFT: Signed Gold Crown Inc. L 2.4", W 1.12 oz. This is a fairly common type of pendant but this is the only one that I have seen with this color scheme.

OVAL EYES DERIVATIVES (19)

There can be reasonable disagreement about which are the ten most common unsigned owl pendants. But there is no doubt which is the most abundant. I call this "Oval Eyes," and it is the King of Owl Pendants. Very few other owl pendants have full oval eyes. Note it has three segments, a barred beak, upflared feathers on the head and no perch. On a typical day (3/17/2007) I counted about 30 Oval Eyes pendants for bid on eBay or in eBay stores. There were only 8 of the next most frequent type (Spaghetti Wings). Oval Eyes is probably the most popular figural jewelry design ever produced. Yet the designer is unknown. I have never seen a vintage example that is signed on the back, and I have seen or read descriptions of hundreds. Some with feathers attached to the breast also have a metal tag reading "Sumthing Special." This does not seem to be a proprietary claim to the Oval Eyes design since it only appears on some feathered versions. Sometimes the pendant may come in its original box with a company name, marketed as the "Wise Old Owl" pendant. But these company names vary and never appear on the pendant itself. If you have any knowledge of who designed this pendant please email me and I will share any verifiable information here.

ABOVE: Unsigned. L 4.7", W 1.37 oz. Goldtone. Abundant. The "Oval Eyes" pendant.

In the web album we present both vintage and recent designs that are derived from the Oval Eyes design. Almost all of the new designs are not claimed to be vintage by the seller, although such odd terms as "new vintage" may be seen. These recent copies are often smaller and lighter than the vintage originals.

SHARED PARTS (76)

The same, or nearly the same, parts (head, belly, tail) often appear on more than one type of pendant. We begin this album with three "chimera" - combinations of parts from totally different vertebrates. Most of the pictures are of certain stylized owl heads, such as the "Brainy Head" shown here, that many owl pendants share. One sees these heads over and over, and I have taken the liberty to name them. Some shared bellies, tails and talons are also illustrated.

SIGNED OWL PENDANTS

In the following links to Picasa Web Albums you will see all the signed owl pendants in my collection, plus a few auction photos of ones I do not have. These are organized alphabetically by the signature, except for several more common signatures which have their own separate web album. Signed sterling pieces appear only in a separate web album (Sterling).

LEFT: Signed CINER. L 3.3", W 2.54 oz. Enamel on goldtone. Uncommon.

A - C (37) Designer names are: Aachener, Alan, Art, Avon, BCO, Bell, BJ, B/Line, Bergere, Blackington, Bremin, CA?, Cadora, Capri, Hattie Carnegie, Cathedral, Celebrity, Ciner, Cinerama, CMI, Coro, Coventry, CP.

ALICE CAVINESS (13)

D - G (20) Designer names are: Disney, Dodd's, D'Orlan, George S. Dreissmer, Fab, JC Ferrara, FFA, Florenza, Gerry's, Goldette.

EISENBERG (26)

GOLD CROWN INC (25)

H - K (23) Designer names are: Handcrafter, Heirloom Pewter, Henderson, HMS, Hobe, Hollycraft, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, JED, JEM, Jorgen Jensen, Joel, JPD, Kim, Kramer.

JJ (14)

L - P (32) Designer names are: LBS, LG, lighthouse image, LIN, LJM, Lunt, Mandle, Maxine Marsh, Mexico, Mimidin, Miracle Britain, Nadia, Napier, Ned, Newbury, NK70, Onix, P, Parklane, Pewter, Philippines.

Q - Z (38) Designer names are: Queen?, Rafaelian, Rawcliffe Pewter, Reed, Reed & Barton, Revlon, J. Ritter, Original by Robert, Nettie Rosenstein, Sarah, Sascha B., Scitarelli, Selandia Pewter, Sir-R, Sovereign House, Sumthing Special, Sweden, TC, Tish, Tortolani, TSG, TTP, Mr.We, Wee Wisdom Nursery School, West Germany, Winnard, Woodsy.

RAZZA (11)

SAO (or SA?) (23)

TANCER II (12)

TORINO and TRIFARI (15)

UNSIGNED OWL PENDANTS

In the following links you will see images of hundreds of unsigned owl pendants. These are organized automatically by file name, and we have chosen the file names so the images will ordered by:

   (1) the number of vertical segments in the pendant, beginning with unjointed pendants (one segment)
   (2) for pendants with the same number of segments, by increasing length (to the nearest one tenth of an inch)
   (3) for pendants with the same number of segments and the same length, by increasing weight (to the nearest one hundredth of an ounce).

With these conventions the viewer can see if a pendant in hand is in this data base. Some signed pendants are also added if they also appear unsigned, or if the signature is difficult to read. Most sterling pieces are listed separately (Sterling).

ABOVE: Unsigned. L 2.7", W 1.24 oz. Plastic on silvertone. Rare.

ONE SEGMENT 0.0-1.9 INCHES (116)
ONE SEGMENT 2.0-2.4 INCHES (90)
ONE SEGMENT 2.5-2.9 INCHES (69)
ONE SEGMENT 3.0-9.9 INCHES (58)

TWO SEGMENTS (55)

THREE SEGMENTS 0.0-2.9 INCHES (34)
THREE SEGMENTS 3.0-3.9 INCHES (65)
THREE SEGMENTS 4.0-9.9 INCHES (67)

FOUR OR MORE SEGMENTS (45)

SEPARATE CATEGORIES

The following categories of owl pendants appear in their own Web Albums.

FRAMED (63) The figure of the owl is enclosed within a frame or backdrop. If signed, they also appear in the appropriate Web Album as above.

HEADS (28) Only the head is depicted, or multiple heads. If signed, they also appear in the appropriate Web Album as above.

STERLING (37) Marked sterling, .925 or unmarked silver. Whether signed or not, these appear only in this Web Album. Designer names are: Bergere, Danecraft, G, Gorham, IS, Ferrara, LW, Reed & Barton, R.M. Trush, TSG, Uno A Erre. Also Mexico: APA, JPO, TJ-17, TM-12, TM-65, TM-120, TS-01, TV-69 and Taxco MPL.

ABOVE: Signed Nettie Rosenstein. L 2.2", W 1.80 oz. Goldtone. Rarely offered.

NOTABLE PENDANTS NOT WON (57)

In this Web Album we present some auction photographs of owl pendants that I did not purchase, usually because I was outbid. No copyright protection was claimed for any of these photographs, but if they are your work and you wish me to remove them I will. Or I will just give you a credit if you prefer. I have not used any of these photographs for commercial purposes. This also applies to several other auction photos in the Web Albums linked to above.

LEFT: Signed Beau. Sterling and faux turquoise. L 2.0".

LINKS and REFERENCES.

eBay search string for owl pendants. This will list owl pendants currently for sale on eBay.
Junkyard Jeweler. Items for sale plus many links.
Picasa Official Site. General information and download box for Picasa.
Researching Costume Jewelry. Includes a large alphabetic listing of trademarks.
Collecting Rhinestone Jewelry, Maryanne Dolan, 1984. Has over 40 pages of older trademarks.
Costume Jewelry 202, Julia C. Carroll, 2007. Information on identification and dating, organized primarily by designers.

Other key words: Owl jewelry, owl necklaces, owl drops, owl pendents, my costume jewelry collection, fashion jewelry owl pendants, costume jewelry of the 1970's.

If you have any corrections or comments please email me. Also send a good photo and description of any owl pendant not listed and I will include it and give you a credit.

Email: Daniel W. VanArsdale

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