Antiques: Learning the terms of the trade
As detailed previously in this column, the auction market for antiques and collectibles is booming. The internet now allows even the smallest auctioneer to reach worldwide audiences, and auction portals such as Invaluable and Live Auctioneers present countless sales from around the world every single day.
It's become a bad habit of mine to peruse these auctions from time to time to see what's selling and for how much. Each time I do, I learn new words or names of things that I never knew. The antique world has its own vocabulary and sometimes even people in the business like me don't know what the hell the auctioneer is talking about. Thus, the following is a short list of unfamiliar words and their meanings so as to allow you to better navigate the auction universe … or at least somewhat better.
apostle spoon: a popular European pattern that honors the Last Supper of Christ
cache-pot: a decorative outer pot that hides plant's original container encrier: a small inkpot falence bowl: pottery covered with opaque colored glazes
fiddle and thread: a common pattern of 19th century flatware
giltwood: wood pieces with a thin top layer of applied gold
girandole lamp: a sconce or tabletop light with several branches
patinated bronze: an application to polished bronze that leaves behind a particular color or finish
polychrome: a decoration done in a variety of colors
reticulated plate: constructed in part with a lattice or net-like pattern salver: a silvered tray tole painting: the folk art of painting on utilitarian elements such as pitchers and pots
And while we're at it, let me put down a few period styles, most of which I can never remember:
Empire: along the lines of Louis XVI (see below), but more use of gold
Louis XVI: there were a lot of Louis before him, but his namesake furnishings include formal wood benches and tables with skinny legs, silk fabrics and lots of detail
Maximalist: bold, large, oversized everything; not surprisingly, the opposite of Minimalist
Regency Sheffield: Regency is a style of china and porcelain by the British maker Sheffield; it's sort of like opera: you'll only know it's good if somebody tell you it is
Rococo Revival: over-the-top scrolling and full-bodied curves reminiscent of early 19th century France
Scandinavian: mostly blond furniture and white or light upholstery with lots of teak
Spanish Revival: almost anything with ornamental wrought iron
Below are a few terms you probably already know, but just as a reminder:
hollowware: silver (plate or sterling) serving pieces that are not solid metal
kitsch: something so bad that it's good
repoussé: designs in wood or metal carved in relief
OK, enough of that. On another subject, you might have missed the fact that the price of gold has been on the rise lately and is approaching unheard-of levels. As I write this, gold's all-time high of $2,150 per ounce was reached just a few days ago and has since gone higher. Even the smallest gold pendant or thinnest chain is now likely worth more in metal value than it ever was as jewelry.
While I'm certainly no soothsayer, you might want to finally consider rummaging around in that jewelry box for stuff you're not wearing and head to one of countless places that advertise buying gold. Bear in mind that jewelry is rarely pure gold, and these places have to make a profit to keep their lights on. All the same, a little shopping around can pay dividends, and you may be astonished at how much your castoffs are currently worth.
Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are long-time residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he’s the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs. His antiques column appears Sundays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at info@silverfishpress.com.