Holiday Gift Guide - Vintage Gift Ideas Under $100

Is your gift giving budget in the $50-$100 range? We have some stunning items that would make absolutely gorgeous presents this holiday season!

Sterling Silver Rings

One of our favorite metals is sterling silver. You'll find some absolutely stunning sterling silver rings in this price range. Many of these beauties are from the 1920s and 1930s and will rock the socks off of any lady you gift them to! 

Art Deco Necklaces

At Vintage Baubles & Bits we're suckers for Art Deco jewelry and there are some beautiful works of art in the shop from this era. Delicate, intricate and heirloom-quality, these are crowd pleasers!

Our final Holiday Gift Guide will be out next week and it's sure to make you ohh and ahhh!!! Be sure to take a peek at our other guides: Under $20 and Under $50 for even more gift ideas!

Holiday Gift Guide - Vintage Gift Ideas Under $50

In part two of our Holiday Gift guide we share some gorgeous gift ideas in the $20-$50 range. These beauties are sure to please!

Costume Necklaces

Nothing is more versatile than a necklace! Make an outfit go from ho-hum to fabulous with one of our lovely pendant necklaces.  Or try one of our classic choker style selections. We've got colors from sleek to bold and styles from the petite and delicate to the big and eye catching! 

Pendants:

Chokers:

Purses, Handbags and Clutches

Nothing completes an outfit quite like a handbag! From the simple clutch that's perfect for your Holiday party to fun 60s standouts - vintage purses are chic and classic!

Rings

Both men and women can rock vintage rings. From basic metals to sterling silver, you'll find many selections under $50 in the shop that are sure to please. 

Up next is our under $100 gift guide that will highlight gift ideas in the $50-$100 range. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to take a peek at our Under $20 Gift Guide too!

Holiday Gift Guide - Vintage Gift Ideas Under $20

It's that time of year! The holidays are fast approaching and whether you celebrate Hanukah, Christmas or Kwanza - vintage is a great gift idea for anyone on you list!

I'll be posting a series of gift ideas from Vintage Baubles & Bits that fall within price ranges for any budget - providing you with tons of options that are sure to bring smiles to those you love!

Here is my $20 and under gift guide:

Brooches

Almost every brooch in the shop is in the under $20 range and make wonderful gifts!

Here are just a few ways you can utilize a vintage brooch:

1. Put it as the bow on your holiday gift wrapping
2. Provide coordinating ribbons so your gift recipient can make their own necklaces
3. Create a custom necklace with two necklaces and a brooch (see ideas here)
4. Attach a brooch to a head band or hair elastics for an elegant touch
5. Give a brooch with a scarf as a lovely combination present

See other fabulous ways to wear brooches in our 10-part series on brooches.




Earrings

The shop is filled with earring selections all under $20. From 80s fun neon colors, to elegant rhinestones, we have something in every style you can imagine. If you love clip and screwback earrings we have a lot to choose from! They make great gifts for little girls, friends and loved ones without pierced ears and for folks who just love vintage style.











Ties

What man doesn't need a large selections of awesome ties? Most of the ties in the shop are $8-15, including some of our killer Mad Men style silk ties! You'll find a wide variety of styles, colors and prints all at great deals!






Stay tuned for the next edition of the Holiday Guide where we'll focus on gift ideas between $20-$50.

For the Guys - Swank, A History

If you’re a collector of men’s vintage jewelry and accessories then you’ve more than likely have a few (or many!) Swank pieces in your possession. Swank began creating men’s and women’s costume jewelry in 1897, when it went by the name of Attleboro Manufacturing Company, named after it’s location in Attleboro, Mass. The company was started by Samuel Stone and Maurice Baer. The company began making men’s pieces starting in 1908, but they didn’t decide to focus only on men’s pieces until shortly after World War I. During the war the company created dog tags for the U.S. military and it was this shift in manufacturing that led the company to specialize in men’s jewelry. The most notable pieces developed by Swank are cufflinks.  The first line of cufflinks created by Swank were called Kum-a-Part, for their unique snap closure. Cufflinks started to become popular again in the 1920s when manufacturers started to develop pairs of cufflinks that were easy to insert and remove. Swank took advantage of these manufacturing changes and became a powerhouse in the cufflink market. During the 1960s when wearing cufflinks was at its peak in men’s fashion Swank was producing 12 million pairs a year. You can find Swank cufflinks in every shape, size and style imaginable! After the company had success with their Kum-a-Part line and experienced a huge manufacturing increase, they changed their name, officially becoming Swank Products, Inc. in 1936. In 1941 they had a third company change and shorted the name to just Swank, Inc. Starting in the 1950s the brand began to acquire other companies and styles of manufacturing, expanding into leather goods and other men’s accessories. Making them a leader in men’s fashion and style. In the 1980s the brand had a change of heart and began offering women’s jewelry again, mostly under the label Anne Klein. This foray back into women’s costume jewelry was short lived and once again the company does not make women’s jewelry, making Swank’s women’s pieces a little more collectible due to the relative rarity. The company still operates their men’s line today and also creates private labels for designers such as Claiborne, Guess, Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger.  In 2012 they were purchased by Randa Accessories and continue to produce affordable, fashionable men’s jewelry and accessories.

Growing the Business

If you’ve been a fan of the shop for a while you’ve probably noticed some changes in the types of items I carry now from what was in the shop when I started selling on Etsy three years ago. It’s been  

The first item I ever sold on Etsy

a huge leap, but as I’ve gained some traction on Etsy and at shows, I’ve decided to expand what I carry to begin to include more precious metals and gemstones. I’ve been slowly building a collection of vintage and antique gold and sterling silver engagement, wedding and cocktail rings, as well as more art deco era pieces to bring to you.

Gold and diamond vintage engagement ring

While I’m holding true to the brand identity I set up for the shop – being a reasonably priced, mid-range vintage seller that had affordable items for every budget – I’ve taken that identity and grown it to be the same style of business for more high-end pieces as well. Most of the gold and sterling items you’ll see in the shop follow this same model – they’re wonderfully beautiful and unique pieces, priced to be affordable for what they are. You’ll find 10k gold rings in price points from $100-300 and the most expensive piece in the shop, a gorgeous 14k gold diamond engagement ring, is still under $500.

Art Deco Czech glass earrings

In addition to these offerings, I’ve also been diligently adding to the Art Deco era pieces in my collection. This is a personal favorite era of mine and quality, stunning pieces from this time period get me all excited and I’m thrilled to be able to share some of that excitement with you!

I’ll always carry items in every price point; so don’t be worried that you won’t be able to afford things from the shop – more than 70 percent of our items on Etsy are still under $50. As I continue to expand the business due to wonderful folks like yourselves, I’ll use this blog forum to keep you informed and share explanations for the changes you see.

Mandy Heth

Owner, Vintage Baubles & Bits

Where You'll Find Me Next - Wine, Chocolate and Romance

Who can pass up on wine, chocolate and romance? Well if this sounds up your alley get on over to the KC RenFest on September 27th and 28th to get your fill! Be sure to visit the vendor market place and stop in and say hi to us.

For this show I curate a selection of vintage items that fit the Victorian, Edwardian and Renaissance styles, including gloves, purses, costume and fine jewelry!

Where You'll Find Me Next - Chick Events

Coming soon! If you're in the KC area be sure to come out to this brand new show! The show coordinators have done a great job marketing and promoting the show and I'm excited to be a part of what I think will be a fantastic weekend!