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!

Where You'll Find Me Next - Vintage & Made Fair September Edition

Iowa friends, I had so much fun that I'm coming back again! See me Sept. 6th and 7th in West Des Moines!

For the Guys: Keep Your Pants Up!

Suspenders are an excellent way to make sure you don’t accidently moon someone very important! To American’s, the suspender is a set of fabric, elastic or leather straps, with button or clips at the ends used to hold up trousers. Outside of the US, the word suspender has a much broader scope and is often used to refer to items we call garter belts today, the term simply means, any garment used to hold up pants or stockings.

The modern suspender was developed in 1820 by Albert Thurston as a solution to a fashion issue where pants became cut to high for belts to be practical. The first U.S. patent for suspenders came about in 1871 and belonged to Samuel Clemens, more famously known as author Mark Twain.

Suspenders remained popular until the 1920s, but went out of fashion in the 30s because they were seen as “underwear”. Since then suspenders have resurged in fashion from time to time, but they’ve never again out-paced the belt in the popularity race.

Check out the collection of suspenders in our men’s section!

Stunning Sterling Silver

 I’ve always been a fan of silver jewelry and quality sterling silver is elegant and timeless. From the handformed artistic beauty of Native American jewelry to the stunning, intricate details of a sterling art deco piece, there is much to be admired about sterling silver jewelry.

 

First – what makes an item sterling versus just silver? It’s the metal content. Like many metals pure silver, like pure gold or pure copper, can be pliable and to soft to make jewelry with. To counter the metal’s natural qualities it is often blended with other metals to create stronger, more durable pieces. To be classified as sterling, the metal must contain 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metal, often copper.

In jewelry pieces sterling silver is often marked 925 or sterling to signify the metal content. Looking for these marks is a good way to ensure that you’re getting a more quality metal that is likely to hold up better with wear and use.

Sterling, as a metal alloy, was developed in Europe and can be traced back to at least the 12^th century in the form of coins in the area now known as northern Germany. The popularity of sterling silver grew in Colonial America when American silversmiths began using the metal standard in all the pieces they created.

As trade increased between colonist and Native Americans, many tribes began using silver in the making of their jewelry. This process started in the early 1800s and by the 1850s many Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes had adopted silverwork into their jewelry. Today Southwestern jewelry and sterling silver go hand-in-hand.

Discover stunning sterling silver selections in the shop!

Where You'll Find Me Next - Huge Sale at Bitterman's Eye Candy

So this is the kind of news I never love sharing, but after a year and a half of trying to give it a go, the Bitterman's have decided to close down the Eye Candy shop. There will be big discounts in my booth and many of the other vendors will be joining in the sale as well.

I had decided at the beginning of the month that this would be my last month as a vendor and had marked down my items 25% off (booth code #24MH) before learning that the shop would be closing permanently at the beginning of September.

You'll have two discount tiers for my items - from now until August 15th everything is 25% off. Then starting on Saturday, August 16th the entire store goes on sale at 50% off. I'll keep my items at 50% off until the end of the month - so be sure to go check it out and get some wonderful deals before we pack everything up!

Hours of Operation - 11-4pm Thursday-Sunday