Gypsy Jewelry: stunning pieces of work

Gypsy Jewelry - the word "Gypsy" can conjure up visions of fortune telling, caravans and the glitter of jewelry, bracelets and gold coins sewn along a hem of a scarf. These colorful and nomadic people have left just traces everywhere they have gone over the centuries. When a wave of Gypsies began arriving in America in the late 1800s, they brought their jewelry making skills with them.

There were goldsmiths among these American gypsies. These gypsy goldsmiths produced stunning pieces of work that is now very rare and desirable. The gypsy jewelry goldsmiths were making items like earrings, necklaces, bracelets, cuffs and the favorite item, opulent belts. Many of the Gypsy men, women and children wore gold earrings and cuffs. Most of the pieces were made with 14K gold and just as often, synthetic gems were used. This is because it is not as easy to fool the eye with fake gold as it was with fake gems. The gold was the important part anyway.

As nomads, the Gypsies needed to have transportable wealth. To solve this problem, Gypsies created heavy gold pieces made from the wealth they had collected as they travelled. (Fine clothing was also used as a means of making their money mobile.) Gold coins were incorporated into the pieces of gold jewelry. One Gypsy gold belt was found to weigh five pounds.

Rendering their wealth into gold jewelry made it convenient to cash the jewelry in when necessary. Such as in case of an emergency, the Gypsy gold jewelry could be quickly sold off. The practice of using gold coins in Gypsy jewelry stopped when the Gypsies arrived in the States. This was because in America, it was unlawful to deface money. The American Gypsies began to make and use gold medallions in their jewelry.

Favorite motifs found on American Gypsy jewelry include a profile of a woman who is often called the Gypsy Queen, hearts, starts, flowers and the horseshoe. There is also filigree found in the Gypsy work. The Gypsy setting for stones is recessed with the stone placed in the metal. In many of these Gypsy settings, you can find an engraved star pattern around the stone. The Gypsy setting cab be found on many American Gypsy gold rings.

Most of the surviving specimens were made between 1900 and 1930. It is hard to find Gypsy jewelry now because during the Great Depression, much of it was melted at that time. Many American Gypsy gold pieces were melted again during the 1980s, when the value of gold soared. Another factor in the rareness of finding one of these items is the superstition that while the Gypsy jewelry was good luck to possess; it was bad luck to sell it.

Nowadays, the value of American Gypsy jewelry is high because it is very rare and boldly beautiful. The pieces have become more valuable than their weight in gold. For example, a pair of earrings could cost at least $1000 and an arm cuff could sell for several thousand dollars each. As collectibles, pieces of American Gypsy jewelry are fantastic if you can find them.