Restoring a 1920s Djer-Kiss Rouge Compact

   As someone who is trying to live a vintage style life, I like to incorporate vintage items into my life whenever I can. I love to collect vintage and antique makeup products and compacts, but I know better than to actually use these products. Not only have they been used and are incredibly expired, but who knows what sort of ingredients were considered 'safe' back when these products were first created. That being said, I also hate to remove the old makeup when it's in fairly good condition, not just for value's sake, but also to be able to see the original colors that were used at the time. However, I don't feel so bad about restoring items that are either in pretty rough shape already, have a cheap price tag, or even better, are lacking their original makeup which is what drives up their value. I was lucky enough to come across the most perfect item to start me on this mission - an empty 1920s Djer-Kiss rouge compact.

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  Djer-Kiss(pronounced 'deer-kiss') was a perfume company that delved into cosmetics(as many companies did when makeup became socially acceptable), running from around 1903 until the 1960s. They are famously known for their 'Kissing Fairies' line, including a very Art Nouveau style compact that is quite valuable.

I certainly don't have the deep pockets for such a beautiful piece, and I definitely wouldn't want to ruin its value by restoring it either!

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  The idea for this restoration was sort of an accident. I had bought a talc-free Physician's Formula blush a while ago which had sadly been moved around too many times and the powder inside just crumbled to pieces.

My poor destroyed Physician's Formula blush in 'Natural'.

  It has drifted around my home while I tried to figure out what to do with it, until I thought it's in the perfect state to be put into a different case. I tossed around the idea of just finding a photograph of an old rouge label and putting that on a new container, since most old compacts are too expensive to be messed with. In my research for simply a picture I found this compact. It's like it was meant to be - cheap, antique, without any makeup - just waiting for me to bring it back to life.

Condition of compact upon purchase. Wear scratches on the outside, sticker on bottom still intact, some powder floating around the inside, mirror complete, overall great shape for a makeup item from the 1920s!

The Supplies:

  First I cleaned the compact with q-tips and a little water, being thorough but not too harsh, and making absolutely sure not to get any water in the space behind the mirror. This can loosen the glue and make the mirror shift, which can ultimately lead to breakage.

All cleaned up!

  I then took the powder and mixed it with just enough isopropyl alcohol to make a slightly wetter toothpaste consistency(this is a common method of re-pressing powder cosmetics, and there are endless tutorials online. Note that the texture may change a bit, but seeing as this is blush and not eyeshadow where the texture is everything, I'm not too concerned*).

Before the alcohol.

After adding the alcohol.

  This paste I carefully put into the compact; a spoon was perfect for this job.

I was surprised to find that all the powder fit inside this tiny compact, the difference in size can be seen in the photograph. Just goes to show how much unnecessary packaging is used in cosmetics these days!

  Once the blush-paste was put inside the compact, I simply cleaned up the edges and let it sit out to dry for a few days.

Not the prettiest, but it'll work!

  And here it is! My very own 1920s blush, as if I stepped back in time and bought it from the local department store.

*The texture did change, it's harder than it was previously but not unusable.  I would, and may, do this again.




For more information on Djer-Kiss company and products:
The History of Djer-Kiss

My Favorite Antique - That I Don't Collect

  Whenever I go in an antique store, no matter what I'm initially looking for, there is always one item I have to take time to study and admire - the sewing machine.

  I've always had a soft spot for Singer sewing machines in particular. The first machine I ever used was my mother's 1970-80s Singer when I was very young, and even though it was fairly old, it always worked beautifully. I only ever tried one other brand, and it paled in comparison to that trusty old thing.  When I needed to buy a new machine about two years ago, I couldn't help but buy a Singer, and it's been just as wonderful as my mother's.

Singer Corporation is an American sewing machine company, starting in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer.  Isaac, interestingly, was a scandalous figure, having multiple wives and mistresses, to which he had 24 children.  Because of the notion that sewing machines were to be sold to respectable homes, he was convinced to leave the country so that his infidelities wouldn't affect his booming company.  He died in 1875, but left a legacy of Singer sewing machines that are still around today.

  My love of Singers increased when I started to antique, and I was able to see so many varieties going all the way back to the 19th century. The vibrant paint, heavy ironwork, and decorative metal panels make these machines so beautiful to look at. And the best part is that they almost always work! I know this because I can't resist turning the needle wheel on every machine I see, and if that wheel works, there's a good chance it can be restored(however the skill needed to accomplish this, I don't yet have).

  Antique sewing machines are not only found in antique stores, mind you. Sometimes I'm fortunate enough to see them in museums and historic houses, so on those occasions I make a hobby of photographing them, even if they aren't Singers. Here's what I've seen so far:

Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Traverse City, MI.

Hackley & Hume House, Muskegon, MI.

The Elms, Newport, RI.

Roseland Cottage, Woodstock, CT.

Scolnik House, Muskegon, MI.

  Even though I'm sure I've seen many that were of a good price and could be used, I've never indulged in buying one. They're certainly too cumbersome to have multiples of, but with any antique, it's very hard to own just one. In the mean time, I'll admire them from afar, handle them when I can, and always be on the lookout for the one machine that will change my mind.






All Singer images are from my copy of Singer Sewing Library - No. 2: How To Make Dresses, The Modern Singer Way.

Hat Pin Holder and Collection

"Put another pin in your hat, Dot. You're in for a very fast ride."

~Phryne Fisher, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

  Ever wonder how ladies wore their hats in such gravity-defying angles? The answer is the hat pin. As far back as women were wearing hats for style instead of practicality, they needed something to help anchor the hat to the variety of hairstyles that were worn underneath. This gave a woman the freedom to move around and not worry too much about her hat falling off, and also allowed for more extravagant styles.

The hat pin is just visible, and clearly needed for a style of this sort.

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  My hat pin collection is a bit of an accident. I was looking for ones that were long enough to use with hats ranging from Victorian and Edwardian to 1940s, and in both black and white, so as to match whatever I decided to wear. While antiquing I found one very long black one, and a shorter black one, but seemed to have a hard time finding a white one for a good price.

First two hat pins.

I passed over many pins before acquiring the perfect find - a lot of hat pins and holder!

Hand painting details.

 

Lucite, fabric, and possibly ceramic.

All my long pins.

All my short pins.

  I wasn't necessarily looking for a hat pin holder, but this set found me and I couldn't pass it up. The holder has plenty of holes for as many hat pins as I could want, with an additional tray at the bottom for hair pins, bobby pins, and the like. It also came with what I had been searching for - a white hat pin! The holder and almost all the pins had rust on them, so I used a wet paper towel to clean the holder and a fine sandpaper on the pins, and with some rubbing alcohol they would be sanitary enough to be worn. However, it seems over time they've started to rust again(I only noticed when I took these photographs), which means they would need a good cleaning before using, and probably every so often as a preventative measure against more rust. Check your hat pins, ladies!

All pins in their holder, with some additional hair pins and bobby pins to show what the dish might have been used for.

  I doubt I'll be on the lookout for any more pins, since I surely have enough now. However, there certainly are some beautiful specimens out there, and maybe one will tempt me enough to add it to my humble collection.

These Art Nouveau hat pins are to die for!

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For more information about the history of hat pins:

The American Hat Pin Society

It all started with a bar pin... Part 2

  In my last post I discussed my entry into antiquing and some history behind my first collection. This time I'll be showing my pins in closer detail and talking about how I date them(at least attempt to!).

Let's start with my oldest pieces.

My antique pin collection.

  These range from late 19th century to 1930's and show a nice variety of examples of closures. Aside from the style of the pin, the clasp and hinges are the biggest indicators of how old it is. Before the 1890s, pins were closed with a 'C' clasp, the simplest way to make sure the pin stayed on one's clothing. After that point there were a variety of handmade and rudimentary closures, ranging from 'C' shape, safety pin style, and the beginnings of mechanical clasps. Modern clasps, as they're called, are the ones most are familiar with now, which were first made in the 1930s. The original hinges were tube hinges, which meant the metal pin itself was one piece soldered to a tube, which was then attached to the brooch between two more tubes held together with a small pin. These were in use until around the 1900s, when round hinges replaced them completely in the 1920s.

My oldest pin, judging from the replacement clasp still being a classic 'C' shape, along with a tube hinge. Circa late 1800s to 1900.

These two are similar in material and construction, bronze toned metal and what appears to be inset enamel. I seem to have a love of these dainty ones. Circa 1920s.

My favorite, and the one I've worn the most. Here is the first example of a modern clasp. Circa 1930s(tag said 1936).

  Another way to date a pin is from any stamping or maker's mark. These can easily put a date and place where a piece comes from by researching the mark. For the following two pins I used the mark, hinge, and the closure to help me figure out when it was made.

Chip in corner suggests possibly made of jet; 'B' inside star, most likely maker is B.A. Ballou, started in 1876; marking from 1894 and changing in 1908, so with the addition of the complex closure and handmade, yet not tube, hinge, circa 1900-1908.

835 marking represents silver from either Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, possibly pre-Great War by the countries listed, but the rounded hinge suggests later, circa post-Great War to 1920s.

The rest of my pins are modern, but still resemble that bar style. The first two certainly look 1930s or 1940s vintage, but based on their construction I doubt that they are very old at all. The last two are very obviously modern, certainly no older than 1980s or 1990s, but they were interesting enough to catch my eye and I couldn't pass them up.

Not antique, but did a good job looking as such for photographs.

Modern clasps, poured 'stones', casting lines - very different from the pins at the beginning of this post!

Research sources:
Illusion Jewels - Researching Costume Jewelry Marks
What Does an Imprint of "835" Mean on Silver?
Dating Brooch Fasteners





*Note: I am an amateur at dating antiques and certainly could be wrong. If anyone has further information or corrections of my dates, materials, or anything else, please don't hesitate to comment and let me know. Let's learn from each other!