Behind the Counter- May

Welcome to Behind the Counter. Take a glimpse behind the scenes at Thistle & Bess to connect with people who inspire, hear the thoughtful stories behind the goods that I love and find out what is currently sparking joy in my life. 

I have gotten to meet so many cool people through T&B over the years and Sarah Nisbett of Drawn On The Way is one of them. We originally connected on Instagram not long after I opened the shop over a post of one of my nail art manicures. Sarah had grown up in Ann Arbor, but was currently living in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn in New York, which is the same neighborhood that I had lived and worked in when I lived in the city. Sometimes it truly feels like the smallest world. 
Sarah accidentally started her business, Drawn On The Way, while sketching strangers on the subway to pass time during her daily commute. She fell in love with the process of making portraits and has built her business around celebrating all people as “works of art.” Sarah has since relocated to Ann Arbor and we have been so lucky to have her come and draw portraits of humans AND beloved pets in the shop many times over the years. She even sketched at my wedding (if you know someone getting married, you must check out Drawn On Your Day!) 
Sarah will be coming back to T&B on Saturday, May 11 to create portraits for Mother’s Day. Come in with your little one or your fur baby and have Sarah capture this moment in time for you. Her portraits just make the most special keepsakes to be treasured for years to come. And Sarah is just a lovely human to connect with as well. Click below for more information and to schedule your portrait session.

I have long been a lover of antique jewelry. One of my favorite inspirations and resources when it comes to antique jewelry is Lansing, MI based Jean Jean Vintage. Owner Emily Duffelmeyer has a wonderful eye and creates a stunning collection of vintage and antique pieces. We recently started carrying Emily’s Cachet Collection at T&B, which is a captivating range of reversible antique wax seal jewelry.

We will be welcoming Emily of Jean Jean Vintage to T&B for an antique jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday, May 18. I recently asked her some questions about what inspires her and her business. We hope that you join us on May 18 to meet Emily for yourself and shop a gorgeous collection of vintage and antique jewelry. 

How did you first get into selling vintage and antique jewelry? 
My friend Lauren Naimola was a big influence. Lauren started her business, Dear Golden (right down the road from T & B!) in 2008 and I tagged along on her early buying adventures, helped with bookkeeping, and started paying more attention to the world of vintage and antiques. My business experience as a buyer at Zingerman's, paired with my love of history and antiques, gave me the confidence to jump in. I had saved about $1000 and I used it to buy several pieces of modest jewelry. It was a slow and steady process, all based on Etsy for the first several years. I started my family around the same time as the business so a slower pace of growth jived well with the demands of parenting young children. I bought mostly 1900s through 1950s costume jewelry in the beginning, scouring antique malls, estate sales, and ebay. My inventory was a bit quirky at the start!

Do you have a favorite style or era of jewelry?
My favorite time period and provenance at the moment is the German/Austrian “werkstatte” style jewelry of the 1910s. Oh! And anything French from the Art Deco Era. My best-selling styles are Georgian, Victorian and Art Deco. There is also a lot of interest in antique diamond anything right now, especially since lab diamonds have sort of taken over the modern market.

Do you have a large personal collection of antique jewelry? If so, what do you personally like to collect? 
I don't keep very much of what comes across my desk, mostly because my personal jewelry style is quite minimal and pared down. I love signet rings because they are substantial and easy to wear and I really enjoy bloodstone and agate jewelry. I do love a good antique chain and I have several that I swap in and out with my favorite lockets and pendants. Most of what I have at home is "costume," like Czechoslovakian glass, brass and enamel jewelry from the 1930s.

Are there any pieces that you regret selling? Or a find that was especially exciting?
I have gotten over most of my selling regrets, but I do have memories of several extra-special finds. My favorite memories are from the very beginning, when I would walk to Treasure Mart on my lunch break at Zingerman's and pore over their cases looking for anything unusual. I found my first piece of hairwork jewelry there, as well as a fabulous German Art Deco necklace. More recently, I acquired a Mary Gage bracelet (which I later donated to the DIA) and an antique Asscher Cut diamond engagement ring - a unicorn in the world of antique rings!

What inspired you to create the Cachet Collection? Do you have a favorite piece from that collection?
I started the Cachet Collection because I wanted to find a way to wear one of the loose seals in my wax seal collection. It was the "KEEP CALM" seal, which I found so relevant to my life at the time as a young mom. I loved my little pendant so much that I made more for friends and eventually released them in the Etsy shop. The collection has grown over the years to include myriad sayings and sentiments as well as personalization options. It is a way to celebrate an intensely intimate, intentional and personal form of expression - letter writing! My favorite piece at the moment is the "ALWAYS GRATEFUL" cachet, which came from a collection of French wax seals and has the most gorgeous imagery. 

Speaking of antiques, I have recently become obsessed with The London Mudlark (@london.mudlark) on IG. Lara Maiklem is a licensed mudlark, which means she combes the foreshore of the Thames River in London in search of lost and discarded objects that tell the history of the city. The things that she comes across are completely mind blowing. Roman tiles, 16th century coins, buttons, Victorian pottery, and shoes from many different eras are just some of the treasures she hunts for. I love not only seeing what she finds in the river, but then watching her trace the history behind the items as well. Lara’s book, Mudlark, is at the top of my list to read next. Check out some of her finds below and follow her on IG @london.mudlark for more.