Grey Long Necklaces & Drop Earrings

Kaks pikka kaelakeed koos kõrvarõngastega. Ainult halliga ei piirdunud, sai tagasihoidlikke pooltoone lisatud. Kõrvarõngastes kasutasin ainult vanu helmeid, uhked klaaspärli tilgad on pärit Jaapanist. Ripatsiga kee on 67 cm pikk. Ovaalse klaaskivi põhjale on lõigatud tähemotiiv, mis mängib põnevalt valgusega. Teine kaelakee on 113 cm ja saab kanda ka topelt. Kaelakeed sobivad hästi ka koos kandmiseks ;)

Two long necklaces and drop earrings. I added some modest colors to go with grey. I used only vintage beads in earrings, gorgeous pearl drops are from Japan. The necklace with rhinestone centerpiece is 67 cm long. Oval glass stone has star-shape carving on the back that reflects light. The other one is 113 cm and can be wrapped two times around the neck. Two necklaces look great when worn together too ;)

Vintage

Sain täna paki Tšehhist. Siin on 1920 aastate näidiskaart Tšehhi klaaskristallidest ning 1940-50 aastatest helmekaart. Esimene on mõnusa tekstuuriga paberil ning tindiga kirjutatud artikli ja värvi koodidega. Viimane on ülevalt lõigatud äärega, paberi külgedel pressitud siksak-muster ja paar helmest on puudu.

I got a package today from Czech. A sample-card from 1920's with rhinestones and 1940-50's sample card with beads.First is on textured paper with bead and color code written in ink. Second on has a cut edge on top and there are zig-zag embossing on sides, couple of beads are missing.

Press

Sensa ajakirjas...

In Sensa magazine...

Grey Beads

Hall on selline värv, mida ma teadlikult pole helmeid valides otsinud. Pigem olen lausa vältinud, sest ei kujutanud lihtsalt ette neid ehetes. Kuna poodlen helmeid ikkagi emotsioonide ajel, siis tulemus mind ei üllata, tõesti... Märkamatult on halle helmeid siit-sealt kogunenud päris arvestatav kogu. Võibolla on nüüd aeg küps halliks ehteks? Siin mõned valikud hallidest materjalidest.

 Vintage helmed Prantsusmaalt, nn Prosser-helmed/ Vintage beads from France, Prosser-beads

 Vintage Swarovski kristallklaasist helmed/Vintage Swarovski crystal glass beads in original hank

 Niit vintage Swarovski helmeid lükitud suuruse järgi/String of vintage Swarovski crystals graduated by size

 Kolmetahulised Tšehhi helmed/Three-sided Czech beads

 Imetillukesed 2,5mm Tšehhi klaaspärlid/Tiny 2,5mm Czech glass pearls

Vintage barokse pinnaga Jaapani klaaspärli tilgad/Vintage baroque pearl drops from Japan

Grey is the color that I've never really looked for when choosing beads. Actually I've been rather avoiding it for I just couldn't image them in my jewellery. Because shopping beads is mostly driven by emotions the result is not surprising, really... Unnoticed how it exactly happened I've gained a rather considerable amount of grey beads. Perhaps it is time for a grey-colored jewellery? Here are some selected grey supplies.

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Lariat & Brooch

Pikk seotav kaelakee koos prossiga ja eraldi.

Long lariat with and without matching brooch.

Coral Set with Prosser Beads

Ehted, kus enamus helmeid on nö vintage, siin on pärleid ja kristalle. Korallivärvi helmed on valmistatud Tšehhoslovakkias (1918-1940) ning valmistatud Prosser-tehnikas. Kõik helmeread on lükitud peenikesele ketile. Ehted jätkuvad.

Jewelry mostly of vintage beads, here are pearls and crystals. Coral colored beads were made in Czechoslovakia (1918-1940) in Prosser-technique. All bead strings are on fine chain. Jewelry continues.

Pink Continues...

Tundus kuidagi, et roosa kaelakee vajab midagi enda kõrvale. Nii saigi tehtud samadest vintage helmestest üks pikk kaelakee, käekett ning pikad kõrvarõngad. Kõrvarõngastes kasutasin värvitud roosat kvartsi.Kaks viimast on müügil Etsy poes, esimene Müürivahe tn LesPetitese poes.

It seemed that the pink necklace needed some matching pieces. So I made using the same vintage beads a long sautoir-style necklace, a bracelet and long tassel earrings. I used dyed rose quartz in earrings. First one is on sale at LesPetites, others on Etsy.

Selecting Beads...

Ehk on liig julge neid helmeid kokku panna?
*Korallivärvi Prosser-helmed Tšehhoslovakkiast

*Vintage Tšehhi baroksed klaaspärlid

*Tšehhi türkiisivärvi seemnehelmed

*Vintage Swarovski Turquoise ehtekivid

*Uued Tšehhi ametüst-lillad klaashelmed

Maybe mixing these beads would be too bold?
*Coral colored Prosser beads from Czechoslovakia

*Vintage Czech baroque glass pearls

*Czech turquoise colored seedbeads

*Vintage Swarovski turquoise oval cabs

*New amethyst glass beads

Vintage French Prosser Beads with Pearls and Bronze

Sain pakiga vintage klaashelmeid Prantsusmaalt, Bapterossesi tehasest Briare linnast. Helmed on sellist värvi, mille üle inimesed ikka kipuvad vaidlema, kas on sinine või roheline, rohekassinine või sinakasroheline, või hoopis türkiis või... Samuti jääb see fotole kord ühtemoodi kord teistmoodi. Ka need on valmistatud selles nn Prosseri tehnikas, kuid on kujult ovaalsed.Tundub, et Prantsuse Prosser helmed on siledamad ja viimistletumad kui Tšehhi omad.

See lihtne kaelakee on pikemat sorti - 63cm.

I received a package of vintage beads from France, from Bapterosses factory in Briare. The color of beads is the kind that makes people argue if it's green or blue, bluish-green or greenish-blue, or perhaps turquoise or mint or... And my camera can't make it's mind either so the color on photos vary a bit. These beads are also made in the Prosser technique but have elongated shape instead of rounds I previously had. It seems that French Prosser beads are more smooth than Czech beads.

This is a long necklace - 63cm.

Discovering Glass vol.7 - Prosser Beads & Bead Revolution

In the year of 1840 "Prosser" technique was invented by the Prosser brothers in England for the purpose of making buttons. The technique was  molding a cold paste under great pressure and then firing it. It is not clear if the Prossers themselves made any products from their invention. Minton and Chamberlain bought their patent and started producing buttons in 1843 (2, 5).

Jean Felix Bapterosses (1813-1885).
Photo from Hospital Saint Jean site.

The same year Jean-Félix Bapterosses left France for a study trip to England and visited the first button-making factories of Minton and Chamberlain. After he returned to France he improved the machines (patented in 1844) to produce 500 buttons at once compared to one like machines seen in England. As a bead collector he realized the potential of the machines and started producing beads in 1860-1864. By improving the machines and paste formula (7, 2, 5) Bapterosses factory produced 400-500 tons of beads per year. One of the ingredients of the formula was milk.

Milkfarm of the Bapterosses factory in Briare.
Photo from beadcollector.net

Of-course competitors couldn't keep up with that. Minton stopped making buttons and started to produce high-quality china, Chamberlain made a deal with Bapterosses to use some of his patents (2). Also Czechs (Redlhammer Brothers), Italians ( the Brothers Simonis) and Germans (Risler and Company and Ferd. Schmetz) were very interested and nowadays it is difficult to tell who was making beads and who reselling (read further 2). Because of the use of plastic as a primary source, the competition of less expensive Czech beads, and the independence of the African countries in the 1950s and 60s the demand for Prosser beads declined and ceased by the end of the 20th century (2, 4).

French Prosser beads white opalescent. I got these
loose in cotton/linen bag or strung into interesting hanks.

Prosser beads are any beads made by the "Prosser" technique. They look glossy as porcelain, have pronounced equatorial ridges created by mold seams and while one end is typically smooth and somewhat rounded the other end is flat and rougher. This method allows for only opaque colors, not translucent ones. 

(see links for more below)

Czech Prosser beads close up - ridges from the mold.

Bapterssoses beads on a sample card.  Photo from eBay auction.

R.B as short for Redlhammer Brother (Czech). They also
had a panther head as logo. After the II WW
the panther logo appeared without the RB letters.

Beautiful array of bead colors - here are French and
Czechoslovakian beads made into bracelets.

Black Prosser beads from Bapterosses factory in Briare
in original box.

Turquoise colored Prosser beads with lustre finish with a
paper tag from Briare.

Pink Prosser beads made by Redlhammer Brothers.
Cardboard box contains loose beads appr. 5000
pieces. Paper wrapping contains beads
strung on thread. There is a panther logo on the
paper wrapping.

Aastal 1840 leiutasid Inglismaal Prosseri nimelised vennad portselanist nööpide tegemiseks uudse tehnika. See oli põhimõtteliselt külmalt kokku segatud pasta, mis pressiti tugevalt vormi ning saadud toode kuumutati ahjus. Sellest, kas Prosserid ise midagi oma tehnikas valmistasid, ei ole teada, aga nööbitootjad Minton ja Chamberlain ostsid patendi ning alustasid tootmist 1843 (viide 2, 5).

Award, Philadelphia, PA - 1876 for Bapterosses & Cie.
Photo from Wikipedia.

Samal aastal külastas Inglismaad Jean-Félix Bapterosses, kes õppimise eesmärgil külastas Minton ja Chamberlaini tehast. Naastes Prantsusmaale suutis ta nähtud tehnikat edasi arendades luua masina (patendeeris 1844), mis ühe nööbi asemel valmistab 500 tükki. Helmeste kollektsioneerijana tabas ta ära võimaluse mugandada masin helmeste valmistamiseks. Aastatel 1860 - 1864 hakkaski tehas helmeid valmistama. Viimistledes masinaid ning külma pasta retsepti paremaks vormimis-omaduste saavutamisel (viide 7, 2, 5) suurenes ta tehase  toodang 400-500 tonnini aastas. Üheks koostisosaks oli pastas lehmapiim.

View of Bapterosses factory with canal where boats delivered
feldspar for the paste. Photo from beadcollector.net

Loomulikult ei suutnud Inglismaa konkurendid sellele vastu, Minton lõpetas nööpide valmistamise ning suundus edasi kõrgkvaliteetse portselani juurde. Chamberlain aga tegi Bapterossesiga kokkuleppe, ostes osaliselt õiguse valmistada uute masinatega helmeid (viide 2). On viiteid, et ka tšehhid (Redlhammer Brothers), itaallased (the Brothers Simonis)  ja sakslased (Risler and Company and Ferd. Schmetz) tundsid suurt huvi ning praeguse ajani on keeruline järge ajada, kes tootis prosser-helmeid ise, kes aga müüs edasi (loe rohkem viide 2). Prosser-helmeste valmistamine vähenes1950-60ndatel aastatel ja kadus 20nda sajandi lõpus seoses plastiku kui odavaima materjali kasutusele võtmisega ning suht odavate Tšehhi pressitud klaashelmeste tõttu, samuti Aafrika turu kokkukuivamisega seoses selle riikide iseseisvumistega (viide 2, 4).

Prosser-helmesteks loetakse Prosseri tehnikas valmistatud helmeid. Neile on iseloomulik  portselani-moodi läikiv pind, rant pressimisest ning üks pool, mis kuumutamisel vastu ahju põhja oli, on ebaühtlane. Selles tehnikas sai valmistada ainult läbipaistmatuid värve.

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More info:
1 Beads from Briare book introduction. by author Floor Kaspers. Available for purchase HERE
2 The French Connection. John and Ruth Picard. 1995
3 Kakamba Prosser Beads. African Beads Wiki.
4 Prosser Beads. Bedazzled.net

5 Emaux de Briare the company. Wikipedia

6 Today Emaux fde Briare site. 

7 Prosser Beads: The Milk Myth. 

8 Bapterosses Bead Sample Card. by Floor Kaspers.

9 PDF: Bapterosses Glass Machine Patent Document for US Patent Office, dated April 20 1880.

10 Bapterosses Machine Patent, dated September 23 1884

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