Welcome. Enjoy the Howard C. Scharfe and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection - known to us, growing up, simply as "the hatpins". These were collected by our parents, Marjorie Scharfe and Howard Scharfe, while they lived in Pittsburgh PA. Great folks. An odd family name, stemming from the Norse, and the Norse colonizing elsewhere. See Orkney Road Ways, Norse, and Icelandic sagas. See Roots.
Here they are: Dad was a kind of Renaissance man, clergy notwithstandi8ng, even offering the very first "blessing" at a meal with Nikita Khruschev, see http://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-Nikita-Khrushchev-University-of-Pittsburgh-Press-Photo-/200762048775. Non-dogmatic, he served on humanitarian cause groups, see Mayor Lawrence's Human Relations Commissoin, see http://www.cmoa.org/searchcollections/details.aspx?item=57831. And, served from 1945-1971 as minister of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, see (Wikipedia for the people!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadyside_Presbyterian_Church
Howard Scharfe; Marjorie Scharfe
We cannot possibly write up each hatpin. They came to my parents, once the interest was revealed, "undique" - from all sides. Remember that from Caesar writing about the Gauls. See ://www.thelatinlibrary.com/caesar/gall1.shtml. Mrs. Hogg, your teaching was not in vain.
1. Fakery - Ours date to pre-1971.
Collection closed, to our knowledge, in 1971, with no additions after. So anybody's "fakes" in this collection are older than 1971. What is a fake? When a stone is so big that is has to be a fake, because the Queen herself wouldn't put a real one this size on a hatpin, but would save it for the Crown itself, then it clearly is a "fake," but intended to be so. A real gemstone? Or faked? Victorians had great ways of faking stones. Takes an expert. We just enjoy.
A real fake with no pretenses is not a fake. Think of rhinestones. Where they crust a hatpin made of base metal, they are surely not diamonds. Not fake. Just costume quality, or lack of it. This is not a Sotheby's type collection. A hatpin made from a brooch - is a real hatpin, made from a brooch.
To us, a fake is a hatpin that pretends to be old but isn't. A fake hatpin is one made for the purpose of the buyer's sale or collection, not for use - as a hatpin. Many of ours are well worn, bent rods. We will describe what we see.
So far we do not see any from those sites that will make hatpins to your specifications - did they even exist back then? Those are real new, we suppose, even though they call themselves "Victorian" - really Quasi Victorian? see ://victorianhatpins.com/pins.html
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2. Area of origin - collected in the Pittsburgh PA area, mostly as gifts from many fine ladies who were last in the line of their families, or were otherwise moving possessions out of their attics. Once word got out that our parents enjoyed the hatpins, more arrived, and more.
Howard Scharfe and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection, Brass holder, for giant sponge for hatpins display
They were cared for and displayed - on a huge set of real sponges on bronze stands. Here is one stand, missing its extension rod (must be in the garage) that made it much higher.
The annual cleaning was not professional - some were damaged, but they were loved. We are leaving old polish and dirt now as is. Long boxed.
..................................................................
3. Metals
Base Metal. Means it looks dull, any old whitish grayish stuff. This is not a collection worthy of Sotheby's. But it is big.
Silvery - means color, not sterling unless sterling is stated. Silver or silvery includes any base metal that shows up as silvery, or white.
Silver Plate - we try to spot it
Sterling - means there is a mark for that on the pin, or the word "sterling"
Brassy - means color, not necessarily bright; we do not know real brass from anything else. May be the real thing.
Bronzey - means color, but we are not good at differentiating it from dull brassy
Coppery - means color; ditto. May be the real thing.
Gold - means we think we can tell because of that lovely shine-glow, but not necessarily
Gold Plate -
.........................................................
4. Findings. The "join" between the long pin rod and the ornament. Experts know what to look for here. We see some repairs, solder, on some.
.........................................................
5. Fast Mass Production. We are looking up how to spot those.
..........................................................
6. Settings. We are ignorant.
.........................................................
7. Technique
Cloisonne. Means the technique looks like it - see ://www.cnarts.net/eweb/knowarts/jingtl/
Molds - ://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm
Pressed - pressed metal hatpins may or may not be good ones.
..............................................................
8. Damaged. Many are. Rhinestones rolling down history, stones long gone, beading undone, roses chipped, somebody cleaned something and the old polish is still in the crevices. Difference between rhinestone and "diamante?"
...............................................................
9. Cleaning. We are not doing it except to buff off rusty places on the cheap ones. We understand that all the years of the house doing it any old way - in the kitchen with all the polishes - has hurt some of them, not helped.
...............................................................
10. Paste. Still figuring out what this means. See ://www.bathantiquesonline.com/antique--collectible/hat-pin-hatpin/antique-edwardian-paste-hat-pin-collectible-30459.html.
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11. Rhinestone vs. "diamante" - who knows. See ://vintagecostumejewellery.co.uk/shop/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=707&category_id=31&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
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Howard and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection, Giant sponge, for display of hatpins like a porcupine.
It still washes. Put it in the washer a few years ago, expecting it to disintegrate, and it did not - it rejuvenated. Now, I just dampen it once in a while. It looks like a "sheepswool" sponge - we forget these were/are real marine life - see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SG045. This is how they used to be harvested, often from the Mediterranean - ://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950CEFD91231E033A25752C1A9679C94679ED7CF&oref=slogin.
12. Eras
Victorian - 1830-1901, see://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm (this site also has a section on Black Victorians in England - excellent)
Edwardian 1901-1910 - "La Belle Epoque" - reign of Edward VII, reference period extended to 1919 roughly, see://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/edwardianlife/introduction.html
Art Nouveau 1890-1914 - a different style during time period encompassing also the Edwardian? see ://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm
Vintage - 1940's on? This forum site says that "vintage" must be used with year attached. We thought it just meant not old enough to be antique (less than 60 years old? somebody says even the 1970's is vintage, though) - see ://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=400098219&tstart=2720&mod=1112307266034
Antique - not sure - anything over 60 years old?
For eras and definitions, see://www.daysofelegance.com/glossary.html
..................................................
14. Marks - see ://www.broadwaterrosejewels.com/Jewelry%20Marks%20and%20Identification.htm? No, this looks mostly like just costume jewelry
.........................................................
15. Colors of stones, structures - do not look for precious stones here. See this glossary for types - ://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/gemstones.htm
Black -
Black glass
Jet (what is the full definition of that?)
Purple - amethyst
Blues - lapis lazuli, turquoise,
Yellows - amber, citrine, tourmaline, see ://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/yellow.htm
....................................................
16. Sites with various descriptions, including bakelite, lacquer, celluloid -
://www.bonnies-treasures.com/category/.boudoir.hatpinspinholders/
........................................................
17. Themes Include: (so far)
Sporting Themes
Nationalities, places, wars
Animals
Shields ://www.bonnies-treasures.com/category/.boudoir.hatpinspinholders/
Crests for groups, other insignias
Here they are: Dad was a kind of Renaissance man, clergy notwithstandi8ng, even offering the very first "blessing" at a meal with Nikita Khruschev, see http://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-Nikita-Khrushchev-University-of-Pittsburgh-Press-Photo-/200762048775. Non-dogmatic, he served on humanitarian cause groups, see Mayor Lawrence's Human Relations Commissoin, see http://www.cmoa.org/searchcollections/details.aspx?item=57831. And, served from 1945-1971 as minister of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, see (Wikipedia for the people!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadyside_Presbyterian_Church
The Hatpin collection.
Howard Scharfe; Marjorie ScharfeWe cannot possibly write up each hatpin. They came to my parents, once the interest was revealed, "undique" - from all sides. Remember that from Caesar writing about the Gauls. See ://www.thelatinlibrary.com/caesar/gall1.shtml. Mrs. Hogg, your teaching was not in vain.
1. Fakery - Ours date to pre-1971.
Collection closed, to our knowledge, in 1971, with no additions after. So anybody's "fakes" in this collection are older than 1971. What is a fake? When a stone is so big that is has to be a fake, because the Queen herself wouldn't put a real one this size on a hatpin, but would save it for the Crown itself, then it clearly is a "fake," but intended to be so. A real gemstone? Or faked? Victorians had great ways of faking stones. Takes an expert. We just enjoy.
A real fake with no pretenses is not a fake. Think of rhinestones. Where they crust a hatpin made of base metal, they are surely not diamonds. Not fake. Just costume quality, or lack of it. This is not a Sotheby's type collection. A hatpin made from a brooch - is a real hatpin, made from a brooch.
To us, a fake is a hatpin that pretends to be old but isn't. A fake hatpin is one made for the purpose of the buyer's sale or collection, not for use - as a hatpin. Many of ours are well worn, bent rods. We will describe what we see.
So far we do not see any from those sites that will make hatpins to your specifications - did they even exist back then? Those are real new, we suppose, even though they call themselves "Victorian" - really Quasi Victorian? see ://victorianhatpins.com/pins.html
.................................................................
2. Area of origin - collected in the Pittsburgh PA area, mostly as gifts from many fine ladies who were last in the line of their families, or were otherwise moving possessions out of their attics. Once word got out that our parents enjoyed the hatpins, more arrived, and more.
Howard Scharfe and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection, Brass holder, for giant sponge for hatpins displayThey were cared for and displayed - on a huge set of real sponges on bronze stands. Here is one stand, missing its extension rod (must be in the garage) that made it much higher.
The annual cleaning was not professional - some were damaged, but they were loved. We are leaving old polish and dirt now as is. Long boxed.
..................................................................
3. Metals
Base Metal. Means it looks dull, any old whitish grayish stuff. This is not a collection worthy of Sotheby's. But it is big.
Silvery - means color, not sterling unless sterling is stated. Silver or silvery includes any base metal that shows up as silvery, or white.
Silver Plate - we try to spot it
Sterling - means there is a mark for that on the pin, or the word "sterling"
Brassy - means color, not necessarily bright; we do not know real brass from anything else. May be the real thing.
Bronzey - means color, but we are not good at differentiating it from dull brassy
Coppery - means color; ditto. May be the real thing.
Gold - means we think we can tell because of that lovely shine-glow, but not necessarily
Gold Plate -
.........................................................
4. Findings. The "join" between the long pin rod and the ornament. Experts know what to look for here. We see some repairs, solder, on some.
.........................................................
5. Fast Mass Production. We are looking up how to spot those.
..........................................................
6. Settings. We are ignorant.
.........................................................
7. Technique
Cloisonne. Means the technique looks like it - see ://www.cnarts.net/eweb/knowarts/jingtl/
Molds - ://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm
Pressed - pressed metal hatpins may or may not be good ones.
..............................................................
8. Damaged. Many are. Rhinestones rolling down history, stones long gone, beading undone, roses chipped, somebody cleaned something and the old polish is still in the crevices. Difference between rhinestone and "diamante?"
...............................................................
9. Cleaning. We are not doing it except to buff off rusty places on the cheap ones. We understand that all the years of the house doing it any old way - in the kitchen with all the polishes - has hurt some of them, not helped.
...............................................................
10. Paste. Still figuring out what this means. See ://www.bathantiquesonline.com/antique--collectible/hat-pin-hatpin/antique-edwardian-paste-hat-pin-collectible-30459.html.
..................................................................
11. Rhinestone vs. "diamante" - who knows. See ://vintagecostumejewellery.co.uk/shop/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=707&category_id=31&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
...................................................................
Howard and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection, Giant sponge, for display of hatpins like a porcupine. It still washes. Put it in the washer a few years ago, expecting it to disintegrate, and it did not - it rejuvenated. Now, I just dampen it once in a while. It looks like a "sheepswool" sponge - we forget these were/are real marine life - see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SG045. This is how they used to be harvested, often from the Mediterranean - ://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950CEFD91231E033A25752C1A9679C94679ED7CF&oref=slogin.
12. Eras
Victorian - 1830-1901, see://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm (this site also has a section on Black Victorians in England - excellent)
Edwardian 1901-1910 - "La Belle Epoque" - reign of Edward VII, reference period extended to 1919 roughly, see://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/edwardianlife/introduction.html
Art Nouveau 1890-1914 - a different style during time period encompassing also the Edwardian? see ://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm
Vintage - 1940's on? This forum site says that "vintage" must be used with year attached. We thought it just meant not old enough to be antique (less than 60 years old? somebody says even the 1970's is vintage, though) - see ://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=400098219&tstart=2720&mod=1112307266034
Antique - not sure - anything over 60 years old?
For eras and definitions, see://www.daysofelegance.com/glossary.html
..................................................
14. Marks - see ://www.broadwaterrosejewels.com/Jewelry%20Marks%20and%20Identification.htm? No, this looks mostly like just costume jewelry
.........................................................
15. Colors of stones, structures - do not look for precious stones here. See this glossary for types - ://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/gemstones.htm
Black -
Black glass
Jet (what is the full definition of that?)
Purple - amethyst
Blues - lapis lazuli, turquoise,
Yellows - amber, citrine, tourmaline, see ://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/yellow.htm
....................................................
16. Sites with various descriptions, including bakelite, lacquer, celluloid -
://www.bonnies-treasures.com/category/.boudoir.hatpinspinholders/
........................................................
17. Themes Include: (so far)
Sporting Themes
Nationalities, places, wars
Animals
Shields ://www.bonnies-treasures.com/category/.boudoir.hatpinspinholders/
Crests for groups, other insignias
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