Mother's Day is almost upon us and we have many wonderful special items for Mom. From bird's nests and bird houses to jewelry and scarves to hand crafted art and potpourri and candles. Come on in!

Peru has a long and proud heritage of artisan hand work. Pottery from the Chulacanas region has been very popular in the past decade and the superb silver items from Peru ... decorative items, jewelry, utensils and artistic renderings ... are truly world-class. Known in Spanish colonial times as El Opulento , Peru’s Cerro de Pasco shared with Potosí (now situated in neighboring Bolivia) the credit of being one of the greatest silver producing districts in the world. The area around Pasco had begun producing silver in the late sixteenth century, and by the 1690s three important mineral zones in Peru were in production. While the mineral deposits were of low grade, they were shallow and easily exploitable, so large fortunes were made as a result. However, mining in the New World was carried out in regions that brought numerous engineering and logistical difficulties. Many mines were deep in the ground and flooding and draining were ever-present problems. The mines of Potosí...

Vintages had had a site for selling antiques for many years. Have you checked it out lately? We have added quite a few items recently. Silver from Peru, wedding photographs from yesteryear, miniature books and vintage jewelry. Have a look! We also have a blog that just features antiques ... not just photos and selling, but a bit of history and discussion about the items.

Weddings are such a happy event. From the first availability of commercial photography, couples have been commemorating their special day with photographs. Early photos, tintypes or cabinet cards, were almost always posed portraits due to the length of exposure times, but also because that was the custom of the day. By the mid-1900s photos showing the happy couple walking down the aisle, skipping down the stairs, or rushing off to the chariot to speed away on their honeymoon became more common. However, the posed photographs of the couple and of the whole wedding party continue to this day ... with both still and video images. Over the years we have stocked a nice selection of these old photographs. I love them because they tell a story. The wedding gown. The hair. The flowers. The jewelry. They all tell something about the bride and her times. Some even have the photographer's information embossed on the photo. Others have the names of the happy couple on the back. Take a loo...