Terry Delany, VF&CJ Member from Toronto, Canada, an expert on Canadian-made costume jewelry styles and manufacturers, conducted her seminar with lots of hands-on jewelry by Sherman, Keyes, and many other makes.

Terry explained how the Canadian jewelry industry functioned and why. F.ex., said Terry, Canadian tastes ran to the look of fine jewelry, and Sherman, one of the oldest manufacturing makers, obliged by only making and selling the finest quality in workmanship and careful fine-look styles.

Often Sherman jewelry was not marked with its name, especially not earrings. The Sherman quality can sometimes be spotted in jewelry made for several U.S. wholesalers, notably Kramer and Weiss, who were occasional customers for their better lines.

Terry demonstrated how to recognize Sherman execution and workmanship, notably the double plating process Sherman was known for. Liz was surprised and delighted to have a pair of her own private collection favorite earrings identified by Terry, with opinion seconded by Joanne Brennan, Sherman collector, as having been made by Sherman.

Neither Sherman nor Keyes are manufacturing costume jewelry any more. Sherman closed its doors forever in 1981, Keyes somewhat later. Mounting manufacturing costs, overwhelming overseas competition, as well as sudden and capricious contract cancellations by very big customers, forced the closings.

Liz presented a program debunking many myths that abound in collector circles. F.ex., one myth claims that Czechoslovakian jewelry can always be identified as Czech based on its components of plated brass and glass beads or stones.

The fact is that much jewelry claimed to be Czech, a magic search word for collectors, is often P.P.P., Liz's own term for Pure Providence Production. Meaning that the jewelry was made in Providence, Rhode Island, with components manufactured right in Providence and/or its surroundings, including in nearby Massachusetts.

Samples of old and new brass components, stampings, were passed around to show that the same stampings were made by the same manufacturers for almost a hundred years. Glass stones, beads, were imported to Rhode Island from producing countries, Czechoslovakia, Bohemia (before 1918, Czechoslovakia was named Bohemia), France, Austria, Germany.

Brass stampings from Providence were also freely shipped overseas to the budding Czechoslovakian costume jewelry industry even earlier than but including the 1920s through the 1930s, only interrupted by World War II. After the war was over, brass components from Providence again found its way to Czechoslovakia.

It is therefore almost impossible to state with confidence that any certain piece of brass-component and glass stone or bead jewelry is definitely made either in Czechoslovakia or in Providence.

Some little hints to recognize Providence production: The f.pearl circlets sometimes surrounding glass stones is a Providence touch. Better and more lasting plating, either gold or silver, is also a sign of Providence-made jewelry. Czech jewelry often had a very thin plating, usually worn more on the back of the piece. Providence jewelry plating is more consistent on both sides.

Another myth debunked: Vintage age can be determined by the patina on the jewelry components.

Not so. Age can hardly ever be determined by any patina or finish as these can be added in manufacture, or not be present in even very old pieces. Brass stampings were made from the time of the invention of the stamping machines, some 100 years ago, and new, and identical to the vintage, stampings are turned out as we speak.

To estimate approximate era (vintage age) of a piece of jewelry made in Czechoslovakia or Providence, one must look to the fashion style of the jewelry. Jewelry represents the fashion prevailing at the time it is made, which must therefore be the first consideration when guessing at approximate age of any jewelry.

If the style is heavily Art Nouveau-influenced, as in lots of curly lines and elaborate oldfashioned filigree, with smaller and opaque stones, era can possibly be placed in the Art Nouveau style movement period, i.e., sometime between 1900 and 1918, approx.

If the style features mainly straight-cut stones and sharper setting lines, less filigree, more glittering stone presence, the piece leans toward Deco, and may be made in the years 1920-1935, approximately. Some late teens to mid-1920's styles combine curly-cue filigree and Deco-style stones. This styling could be called transitional Nouveau-Deco, as elements of both style movements are combined.

If Victorian in appearance, it would be well to know how to tell genuine Victorian from Victorian Revival. One clue: Genuine Victorian jewelry usually was smaller and less flamboyant than Revival which was an larger exercise in styling but used similar components, flowers, leaves, and sweeping lines inspired by the Renaissance and antiquity.

Other and more subtle signs of possible era of origin must also be considered, and only hands-on experience will educate when comparing so many examples of each period and style.