Summer brings bright sun, fresh flowers, beach time and comfy clothes ... and jewelry should reflect that. We pulled together a selection of summer jewelry. Flowers, colorful beads, bakelite bangles and such. Here's a sampling.

The graphite pencil was probably born in England in the 16th century. While the earliest known mechanical type pencil was found aboard the wreckage of the HMS Pandora which sank in 1791, it was not until 1822 that the propelling or mechanical pencil was patented by a pair of English inventors, Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle . Pencils made by these inventors are highly collectible. A combination pen & pencil by Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle In the early 1900s two other inventors created versions of the mechanical pencil that would pave the way for acceptance worldwide of this writing instrument. In 1915 by Tokuji Hayakawa, a metal worker who had just finished his apprenticeship, introduced the Ever-Ready Sharp Pencil . At nearly the same time, in America, Charles Keeran developed a similar pencil that would be the precursor of most of today's pencils. Keeran's design was ratchet-based, whereas Hayakawa's was screw-based. Both types of mechanisms are common...

Barnum & Bailey ad 1900 The circus was a magical place when I was a boy. So much going on. All of it fascinating, energetic, strange and even weird. At that time "The Circus" meant the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ... there was no other. P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome was started in 1875. Later it combined with the Cooper and Bailey Circus and renamed the Barnum & Bailey Circus - The Greatest Show on Earth . The Ringling Brothers merged it together with their circus about 1907. Barnum & Bailey Circus ad from London Illustrated 1896. We found this little book The Circus by author/illustrator Jean Brown. It was done in 1938, before television's impact. It captures both the innocence and amazement of Bobby and Betty as they experience all the wonders of worlds that they have never seen before. I have copied the color illustrations from this wonderful little book. Enjoy!

Here's an interesting display of a few antiques.

A Century of Silver and Metalwork from the Margo Grant Walsh Collection is on display at the SFO Museum until October 2nd. This exhibit presents a broad range of well-designed, functional objects that reveal their essence through their form and their beauty. On display are a variety of objects designed in the last century or so and executed in silver, brass, pewter, bronze and copper. The theme is distinctly modern including the great designers from Christopher Dresser (late-1800s) to the Kalo Shop (early-1900s) to Hiroshi Suzuki (contemporary). Bowl   c. 1890 Christopher Dresser (1834–1904) Birmingham, England Copper, Silver Plate Footed bowl   1910 The Kalo Shop (1900–70) Park Ridge, Illinois Sterling Silver Lantern   c. 1920 Dirk van Erp (b. Netherlands, 1860–1933) San Francisco, California Patinated Copper Decanter   c. 1901 Josef Maria Olbrich (b. Austria, 1867–1908) Darmstadt, Germany Pewter The Margo Grant Walsh Collection featur...

The Montalvo Arts Center (aka Villa Montalvo) in Saratoga can be a magical place. The estate has 175 acres of land that includes formal gardens, wooded hills, creeks and trails that lead up the Santa Cruz Mountains to gorgeous views. Montalvo's great outdoor spaces are inspirational -- to visitors and artists alike. Throughout the year, artists are invited to explore the realm of outdoor public sculpture with site-specific works of art on the property, or to exhibit their existing sculptural works on the grounds. Beginning in late 2010, Montalvo began acquiring works to be permanent sculptures placed on the grounds for visitors to view year round. Broken Wing (2004), by David Middlebrook, located in the Phelan Cactus Garden, is the first such piece. Broken Wing : A bronze by David Middlebrook (Photo by Donna Guldimann) Montalvo is throwing a party to introduce the new 2011 installations of Sculpture on the Grounds: Traces, Twigs & Time . The free event will be held a...

We will be leading a class on Antiques & Collectibles at the Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center this Fall. It will be held on Tuesday nights, from 6:30 to 8:30, starting September 27th and continuing through November 1st ... More to come on our blogs and newsletter when the official catalog is published ... Set aside the dates and plan to join us. Course Description: Restore your appreciation for antiques through this fun and educational 6-week workshop! Class attendees will be provided with a basic vocabulary and timeline for understanding antiques and collectibles. Each class will feature a bit of history, a collection theme and a show & tell by attendees. The focus is on enjoying antiques and collectibles. Class themes will include jewelry, china, silver, collectibles and more. Participants will be provided a detailed outline at the first class describing what types of collections we will focusing on and the types of items to bring in for show and tell segments.

I just love this little booklet. The sad love story seemed to be a somewhat popular genre back in the early 1900s. This one dates from around 1912, published by A. M. Davis Co. of Boston. They produced a line of greeting cards and postcards tagged Quality Cards up through the 1940s. Their cards had a distinctive, Arts & Crafts look to them. Here's some others I found on the internet.   This last card features a character who looks much like the "happy and carefree youth" in the love story. These all date from 1911 to 1919. The A. M. Davis Co. did a lot of advertising in the popular magazines back then. This one is from the Dec 1914 Sunset magazine.   I have a couple of real life, handwritten sad love stories that I will share with you in future posts. Hope you enjoy them.