  On Saturday the 24th of April 2010, Dumpdiggers descended on the Toronto Costume Jewelry Show and Sale at Leaside Gardens. This event was brought to my attention by Kelly Gadzala, one week after she visited my favourite Toronto historical association, the Four Season's Bottle Club Show and Sale. So this was the second half of a vintage collectibles double header.
Here I am with a dealer named Patricia Stark, who does a good job bringing the club sign to my attention.
Below is Kelly Gadzala the author of Toronto's favourite Grunge Queen blog, holding the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club sign with part of the show in the background.
 Within minutes of my arrival, around one thirty in the afternoon, I spotted Kelly in the center of the space, hobnobbing with other media types, dealers and customers. She seemed to know everyone in the room. This was her club. The room contained about twenty dealers spread out over twice as many tables I started talking to dealers and of course I w- my random course – so writing this story one week later its tough to remember which picture is associated with which business card and who had what treasures on display…bear with me
Let’s start with Debra J. Sawatzky C.A.P.P., I.S.A., G.G. who was at the show representing Value the Past (and appraise the Present) which was a unique exhibit that did not require a dealer’s vigilance; she had no merchandise to guard beyond paper brochures. So without much coaxing, she became my informal ambassador to this unique event. Unfortunately she did not wish to be photographed, and she explained to me that because of the work she does in the diamond industry she is forbidden to voluntarily appear in the press, or rather, it would affect her insurance rating. I had heard something like this before, and accepted the blackout. Debra has a lot of knowledge to share and a lot of wisdom spewed forth from her lips. She is an appraiser but also a philosopher as she explained how having and trading vintage jewellery is intensely personal, and the women in the room were culture brokers and relationship vendors. Debra Sawatzky truly Values the Past.
We walked down the aisles and I marveled at all the beautiful objects on the tables and the beautiful and interesting people in the room.
I met Greg and Dawn somewhere along here, and listened to their remarkable story of how they were selling their grandmother's massive collection of costume jewellery while learning about each piece from the hands of strangers who became friends - everyone around then at the show was helping organize, training and teaching the young couple as they worked to liquid their grandmother's collection.
 Debra hoisted one of their pieces which was made with orange and black coral and some manner of black balls. This was selling for more than you would expect, and yet was apparently a great investment? It was some fancy designer's work. Apparently high end 1970's Art Deco costume jewelry had tribal influences from South Africa ? I don't even know why I'm writing all this, because I though the piece was ugly as hell. I'm not even going to link to the email address dbowzdz AT gmail I have a picture of Dawn and Greg somewhere.
Colleen Riley had a magnificent table on which there was a curious sign that read 'Ask here about the Coro brooch 'Hugo Aguilera' $500' or something like that, and when I asked a nice man named John was quick to produce a small white jewellery box in which contained what has to be one of Coro's most exquisite creations. But Dumpdiggers reckons women don't wear brooches anymore - they're too superfluous  Is this the Coro 'Hugo Aquilera' ? This $500 Coro brooch is beautiful, but brooches are not functional and even though its still preserved in the original box, I believe it's a terrible investment. Debra Sawatzky reacted and said, “you buy the items that you love, and will wear again” and she said this is something she would wear.
Debra referenced Renee Newman’s book on jewellery and in particular her thoughts on how to wear a brooch.
"This show is composed of people that have some profound connection to this jewelry" Debra told me, "And if you ask around they will tell you that they have been collecting for years and they started when a friend or family member, often a grandmother gave them their first pieces".
I also learned that nobody called it costume jewelry when it was first made available, or even later... It wasn’t called 'costume jewelry' until the 1970s.
At a table called RECOLLECT, Patricia Stark(the woman in the yellow sweater handing me the sign above) had a wide variety of antiques & vintage jewelry and Jadite glass. Patricia Stark sells in the Bayview Village, and the St. Lawrence Sunday Market. She has a lot of personality. 
Next I interviewed Miriam Gampel of Rococo, a vendor of jewellery, antiques and collectibles. You can email her miriamgampel AT yahoo DOT ca. Here she is holding up a 'German silver' ladies belt made last century that she bought in an estate sale. She found it among the contents of the home of a well traveled woman who often vacationed in England. She believes the piece to be a Victorian era silver plated belt that might have been worn by an Eastern European immigrant girl? or someone with authority. It could have also been used to denote rank, something worn by the head nurse in a hospital ward.  ‘I buy sell and trade jewellery of all kinds’ she told me. The price on the waist belt was $225.00 not $48 as seen below. It could be worth it, but I know from previous readings that German silver is a nickle blend that's also called 'Indian silver' and contains no actual silver. Here is the the only writing on the metal links, and I also have a picture of the unique springs that give the buckle a remarkable movement and closure.
 And then across the crowded aisles I spotted my old friend Yank Azman in the company of Pulver Zajfman of Girlztown, holding court in the far corner of the room. After some opening hugs and warm handshakes, I asked Yank how he was feeling about the show? And he smiled and said 'I wish I had the food consession, because there is nothing to eat or drink here.' And we laughed, and we talked about Yank's website; he is doing wonderful things in the world of vintage luggage, and Dumpdiggers will always be there to help promote his category and the campaigns of this creative genius. Here's Yank standing beside Pulver Zajfman above the The Pulver Zajfman Collection * and you can email this jewellery sourceress at Pulver AT Pulver DOT ca
When I asked this remarkable lady to pick up something that I could write about, she snapped her fingers and reached into her glass cabinet, which by the way was a very wide glass counter top and display case. I wasn't kidding when i said they were holding court, for they had an emperor's treasure surrounding them, the best of the Pulver Zaifman Collection was under glass and as I watched she retrieved two earrings and matching necklace designed by the legendary Miriam Haskell. 
The jewelry was composed of faux pearls and Swarovski crystals, all components came from Czechoslovakia and “Bohemia”. The piece was priced to sell today at $550 dollars and that’s a real bargain as it probably sold for eighty to a hundred dollars back when it was first created back in the 1950s. This object was probably considered very elegant and expensive then; it was not something the ordinary woman could afford to buy and own something like this, even though it was all fake, it was not something that even wealthy women would wear out every weekend, but rather saved for special occasions. Thank you Pulver and Yank, look for these two regulars at the St Lawrence Sunday Market, and on TV.
 I had a great time with Dianne Rawski, a veteran collector this woman loves to talk and can always be emailed at chachka AT sympatico DOT ca Dianne told me her favourite piece on her table was a cameo brooch.
 Antique and vintage cameos are highly prized and collectible works of art. This piece is especially fine and I was supposed to notice and document the fact that it's what they call 'convertible', because it could be a pendant, or a pin. Handmade, the item is listed as being worth $175.00 in her price guide, but she would be happy for $125.00 today.  When I asked how cameo brooches are handmade? She revealed to me that they were hand carved from shell or agate, and this masterpiece could be the work of any of thousands of artists that brought the skill from Europe to America in the 1800s. This white ‘cameo’is more beautiful than most. She held it out to me and revealed that it wasn’t as old as it looked, because it had a ball clasp closure which dates from the 1920’s. An unscrupulous broker might attempt to pass off the brooch as being much older, but knowing the details of the closures will help intelligent buyers negotiate a fair price. And also the back of the piece is rounded , concave and that means something too... I forget exactly what.
 Marianne Abraham of CHIC PICK with blue Laguna parure. The gorgeous red haired lady below is Marianne Abraham of CHIC PICK, and she has jewelry for sale that matches her beautiful blue eyes. She has a good business in antique & vintage costume jewellery and she buys, sells and repairs all manner of jewel encrusted acessories. Oh look there's Dawn and Greg in the background, and you can just see the top of the 'big pile of purses' that drew and held every woman's attention for at least five minutes as they rummaged through the selection...
Okay, back to Marianne holding a Laguna, 1950’s two tone blue borealis parure. What's a 'parure' you ask? Well that word means the set is 100% complete and contains all four accessories namely, matching earrings, necklace, bracelet and brooch. That's a parure. And if one of the components were missing I believe it would be called a demi parure. anyway this Laguna is priced competitively at $425 and all I can say is wow!  Marianne also owns two spectacular Sherman brooches priced at $95 each and it didn't take much haggling from me to get the price down to $75 each when I told her I'd take them both. I didn't buy then, but I probably should have as Marshall Gummer, the Appraiser will tell me later that Sherman is an excellent investment - I didn't buy them because they were brooches.
Patricia Gostick of Bijoux and her Alice Caviness necklace  Finally let's wrap this up with a final remarkable interview with a very knowledgeable woman and her stunning treasure. Here is Patricia Gostick of Bijoux and her Alice Caviness necklace. At the end of my visit I found myself standing beside a very busy dealer from a shop called BIJOUX which specializes in Vintage Costume Jewellery and Unique Gifts. Patricia Gostick has the letters BA, MA, B.Ed behind her name. She can be contacted at Bijoux123 AT sympatico DOT ca and is available for presentations and consultations and she also buys, sells, and rents her merchandise to film shoots and all manner of celebrities that hanker for an evening's bling. Here Patricia Gostick shows me her gorgeous green necklace by Alice Caviness, a famous jewelry designer known for highly imaginative pieces – that's a link to her bio, and there are lots of pictures of her work, which is rather rare, on display at that website. The necklace is amazing.
 This brilliant green necklace is made from Swarovski crystals, 'peridote' and other shades of green baggettes and chatons that catch the light at every angle. The piece is very clean and bears the signature stamp of Alice Caviness. This woman was a jewellery designer in New York City that started as a clothing designer in the garmet industry, but quickly sequed into jewellery. She owned her own factory and built a strong local business after the war, and into the 1950's and 60's. This piece is from the end of her career the 1960s, and is on sale today at Bijoux for $365 dollars. Huh, that's just a dollar a day for a year. 
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