Collecting Antiques

By Simon Oldmann

Antique clocks and watches were made using different materials, designs, styles, and sizes long, long ago. The ability to accurately identify and research on this antique clocks and watches are important then because of the diversity, as well as the number, of clock and watchmakers and manufacturers around the world.

Time measurement has been one of the concerns of every developing civilization in the world since time immemorial. No wonder that man devised ways to tell time. An example is the use of the world’s natural clock which is the sun and the mechanical ones such as clocks and watches.

If we are going to trace the history of clocks and watches, we would be back to the late 14th century when the first clock was made. In the early years, as well as many centuries over, mechanical clocks and watches were so uncommon and made by few that only rulers and noblemen had such. The common people, especially those in Europe, have to rely on the few public clocks that are existent.

The majority of clocks and watches made from the 15th to the middle of the 17th century are now mostly in museums and a small percentage in different individuals’ private collection. Most people will never set eyes on these timekeepers nor will be able to recognize them.

Those antique clocks and watches that were made during the 1800’s through the early 1900’s are more in number since the periods mentioned were the time when clocks and watches were produced in mass quantities.

Things to Consider

Many antique clock and watch collectors would agree that periods in history greatly influenced the materials and styles of clocks and watches, such that these timekeepers were not only used for time measurement, but as decoration as well. Also, they were made with such high quality that with proper care and maintenance, they are apt to last several centuries.

They are the total opposite of most clocks and watches that we have today, however. In a fast-paced world where everything is instant and disposable, clock and watch craftsmanship in the modern age can be considered of low quality compared to that of one or two centuries ago.

There are several things that you may take into consideration if you are a collector or just a one time buyer of an antique clock or watch - besides the fact that it should be interesting, beautiful, befitting your needs or you want it to be a part of your life and home for many years.

The General Condition - This is a very important factor in determining the value of the clock or watch. The timepiece should be competently restored and accurately regulated. If these aspects are not looked into, the clock or watch may just serve as decoration rather than both decorative and functional.

Collecting Antiques is a passion many know too well, many of these antique these collections are surprisingly valuable and extremely interesting and valuable. If you are interested in having, or already started, your own Antique Collecting visit the Antiques Pages at http://antiques.zupatips.com/ to learn about more antiques and collections.

by: Lauren Tyler.

People love antique lamps and Lauren writes a good intro here about them. She provides a brief history and makes us remember that real antique lamps were not always electric ones.

Lamps are very popular household appliances and these days most homes are in possession of at least one type of lamp. Before the advent of electricity, lamps were a necessity to provide some sort of light within the home. However, With the passing of time, people are using lamps not only to brighten up their homes but also to improve the interior décor of their houses.

The sophisticated designs, styles and models of lamps have been embraced by consumers especially in our modern world of home makeovers and homestyling.

With the change in time there have also been changes in the lighting materials. For example, previously the material used was candles followed by gas and at present, electricity is used. On the other hand, the lamps of each era had exclusive features that show the distinctive standard of living of the people and how these lamps were used.

Antique lamps have been in existence for a long time and often remind us of a bygone era. Finding rare, antique lamps is something of a collector’s hobby and it can be fun and interesting scouring the local auction places, boot sales and antique shops for a rare find.

Antique dealers are a great source of antique lamps and often may have restored an antique vintage lamp to its former glory. Restoration consists of replacement of certain parts without destroying their historical value, burnishing or polishing.

Some examples of antique lamps are electric lamps, banquet lamps, piano lamps, kerosene lamps, gas chandeliers, oil lamps and gas lamps.

Included in such lamps are the American and Victorian designed art glass lamps and different instruments used for lighting.

People buy antique lamps because of their pattern and style which they add to their collection to enhance it. Keeping the periodic designs and historical values in mind, certain lamps are sold to museums. Art collectors take interest in them because they want to donate them to museums or include them in their collections.

Kerosene and oils lamps are few of the most popular lamps. These lamps can appear as lovely and elegant as they were at the time of their production more than a century ago. You can add romance to the atmosphere by lighting antique lamps.

If you are buying lamps with glass shades then you should carefully examine the lamp to ensure that there is no glass breakage or scratching as the damage usually occurs here. Also examine the lamp to ensure that there are no burn marks on the shades, especially if it has a fabric lampshade. Burn marks can be indicative of an unsafe lamp.

When buying antique lighting fixtures, beware of imitations.

Whilst there are many decent reproduction lamps now available, make sure you are aware that you are buying a reproduction item and fully know that the item you are buying is not the genuine antique lamp.

Antique Waterfall Furniture \: You Have To See It To Believe It

Most antique furniture is breath taking, which means it goes way beyond being beautiful. That is precisely why many collectors spend loads of money to beef up their antique collections. Not only do they enjoy looking at their pieces of furniture, but they are fascinated by its origins and the great lengths that were taken to restore it. When you see a piece of antique waterfall furniture, however, you undoubtedly will fall in love with it as antique waterfall furniture is some of the most beautiful around.

Waterfalls Are Magnificent

If you\\’ve ever seen a waterfall in real life, or even if you\\’ve only seen one in the movies, then you know how magnificent they are. They invoke beauty and strength and timelessness and that\\’s just what you get with antique waterfall furniture. The people who collect antique waterfall furniture love the way it looks, they love where it comes from and they love how it is restored. Also, antique waterfall furniture has a certain mystique to it that many collectors cannot resist. For this reason, many collectors who own a piece of antique waterfall furniture don\\’t want to get rid of it.

Search Online

If you\\’re looking to own your very own piece of antique waterfall furniture, you can find lots of online sites who are more than willing to strike you the deal of a lifetime. You can either shop directly from one of the many antique dealer sites online or you can try the internet auction sites where you can bid on pieces of antique waterfall furniture and you can possibly own it for far less than it is worth. You only need to win the bid to get the best deal possible. That\\’s why online auction sites are so popular and they are especially so when it comes to items such as So, if you\\’ve never seen antique waterfall furniture, do a web search and you will likely fall in love with it so much you won\\’t want to wait to own a piece of your very own. Whether you want to start your own collection or if you just want to own it to look at or even to use as furniture as it was once intended, you can do no wrong by shopping and then buying a beautiful piece of

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Quality And Design Denote Antique Furniture

Some of the earliest pieces of antique furniture were probably nothing but logs as the nomads learned to farm and hunt in one area and constant moving came to an end. Initially, furniture was strictly practical, gradually gaining in importance and becoming more decorative. Eventually becoming a status symbol with the wealthy demanding more refinement to better reflect their station in life.

Over the years, the terms used to describe antique furniture have changed, and while the names may be similar, their uses has evolved. For example, today\\’s armoire is used to store a wide variety of items, from jewelry and clothing to electronics. The original use for an armoire was to store a suit of armor, hence the name. With many pieces of antique furniture, the term armoire is used to describe a piece of furniture used to serve as storage.

The term buffet and sideboard are often used interchangeably as they both served the same purpose. This piece of antique furniture was designed to hold serving dishes and utensils in drawers while providing a flat surface on the top to display serving pieces and to hold food during meals.

Age Alone Does Not Define Antique Furniture

Typically, the term antique is used to describe something of a certain age. Cars, for example, earn the right to be called antique after 32 years from the date of manufacture. With antique furniture, it is often not possible to determine the date a handmade item was made. Even handmade items built during the depression in the United States may not be considered to be antique to some collectors. Others are beginning to recognize the quality of the workmanship as qualifying to be called antique.

Many times items depicted as antique furniture may fail qualifications to factors such as the type of wood used in its making as well as fastening techniques and basic design. An item that is held together with staples, and presented as antique furniture is surely a fake as no item using that fastening technique can be considered an antique, according to experts.

What makes antique furniture more valuable is having a large majority of original pieces still intact. Many times someone will buy a piece of furniture and rebuild it using wood not typically in use during that period. While this may make the piece more sturdy or usable, it will detract greatly from its originality as well as its value. The basic rule is that if extensive work is needed to restore the piece, it is not worth it and hope to maintain its status as an antique.

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Where You Can Go To Find Antique China Furniture

There are so many different types of furniture out there that you have to choose from, and antique china furniture is by far one of the most popular and well known among all of these different types of furniture.

About Antique China Furniture

There are many different things that you should know about antique china furniture, especially before you go out and actually purchase any for yourself. This is because you are really going to want to make sure that you are willing to spend money on antique china furniture, because it is generally much more expensive than most other types of furniture.

However there are certainly benefits that you will get from buying antique china furniture, as antique china furniture is one type of furniture in particular which actually increases the longer that you have it for, and so you will in fact be gaining money if you purchase it.

There are so many different types of antique furniture, besides this kind, and most of them tend to increase in value as well, however the china pieces are much more valuable because of the materials that they are made out of.

If you are interested in getting this type of antique furniture for yourself, then you should know that you really do have a number of different options, and one of the first places that you are going to want to go to is your local antique shop, so that you can ask someone working there where the best places are in your area to go to for something such as antique furniture.

You can also do some research on your own time, such as on the Internet for example, so that you can browse around at a few different stores and see what the best options are.

As well, the Internet is great because you can buy antique furniture from shops across the world, and so if you take some time and put some effort into this process then you are able to save a great deal of money.

You can shop from stores that you may otherwise never have been able to get to, as you can have the items delivered directly to your door, easily and without any hassle on your part.

Just make sure that you take your time so that you pick out the most valuable antique furniture pieces, and so that you thus can end up making the most money back in the end of it all.

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Antique Bedroom Furniture High On Collectors\\’ Lists

Some of the more popular furnishings sought by collectors is antique bedroom furniture, and finding a four - poster bed from the Elizabethan period or earlier is a collector\\’s dream. Typically crafted of oak as the primary wood with intricate scrollwork with linen fold decorations, a curved panel that appears linen - like with tight folds, it can set the era in which it was crafted.

Under British monarch rule in the late 1500\\’s, the armoire and settle pieces began appearing. Made of oak, the armoire was used for storing clothing and the settle was a long bench with a high back. These pieces of antique bedroom furniture were fastened with mortise and tenon joint, held together by pegs or dowel. They may have also been decorated with a carving of a human form.

Due to the typically small sized bedrooms during these early periods, antique bedroom furniture was used mostly for practical storage. Closets were not yet being built into the rooms and finding space for clothing was up to the homeowner. Wealthier owners, and those with a high social status, were able to hire designers and crafters to build furniture for this purpose. Indigo Jones was the leading designer and furniture maker in most of England in the late 16th century.

Cherry And Walnut Join Popular Woods

At the turn of the 17th century, cherry and walnut began being used in antique bedroom furniture, with cherry mostly used in the United States and Britain due to its availability and durability closely matching that of oak. Arches on furniture backs and panels became popular and began appearing on bed frames and tables in colonial bedrooms. Farthingale chairs also made their appearance at about this time for the women who wore farthingale, or hooped, skirts.

The tallboy made its appearance at the beginning of the 18th century as piece of antique bedroom furniture, giving a chest of drawers in which clothing and other belongings were stored. Numerous hardwoods were by now is use for making furniture including ash, the English yew, which was also used or bows in archery, as well as beech, cherry and chestnut. Leading designers of the time included Andre Boulle, Daniel Marot and William Kent, among others.

In the 1800\\’s the chiffarobe made its appearance and antique bedroom furniture added the large storage unit to its list of popular and practical items. Used to store clothing on hangers but also typically contained drawers as well for folded clothing.

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Cleaning Antique Furniture properly will keep it Looking Good

Antique furniture can be an expensive addition to your home, or a family heirloom to be treasured. Either way, it is something that you want to care for properly, to ensure that it looks as good as possible for as long as possible. Cleaning antique furniture is not difficult, but there are some specific steps to take to make sure that you do not damage the wood in any way through the cleaning process. With a bit of care and some knowledge about the proper way to clean antique furniture, you can rest assured that your treasured pieces will last for generations to come.

Step One \: Keep the Dust at Bay

The first step in cleaning antique furniture is to dust it regularly. This can be done with a special vacuum attachment or with a soft cloth that will clean without scratching. Never use sprays while cleaning your antique furniture, since they can contain oils and chemicals that can actually harm the wood. If you feel that you must use a product to polish the wood, orange oil can be a good substitute for commercial polishing sprays. You can also apply a paste wax every couple of months that can be found in your local home improvement store. Make sure that you apply a thin coat to avoid a waxy buildup, and use a clean and soft cloth for application.

Step Two \: Protect your Wood

The second step in cleaning your antique furniture properly is to regularly exercise preventative care. Never slide anything across the surface of your furniture, since this can lead to scratching. It is also important to use coasters or mats whenever you set drinks or vases filled with water on the table. If you do get a liquid spill on your wood, clean your antique furniture immediately to prevent water damage. If you spill any type of solvent on the surface of the wood, make sure that you dab at the spill instead of wiping it off, to avoid causing further damage to the finish. It is also a good idea to draw your drapes during the sunniest parts of the day, so that your wood does not suffer from constant exposure to extreme light.

Step Three \: Be Vigilant of your Environment

Humidity is a big factor in how well your furniture will stand up. Once you have taken care to clean your antique furniture properly, and protect it from damage, you will want to consider the environment that your wood is in. During the dry winter months, it is a good idea to run a humidifier in your home so that your fine woods don\\’t dry out and crack. If you have particularly wet summers, a dehumidifier might be a good idea during this season as well. The important thing to keep in mind is maintaining an environment for your furniture that is as consistent as possible, both in temperature and humidity levels.

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The Beauty And Simplicity Of Antique Birdseye Maple Furniture

Antique furniture holds a beauty and elegance apart from any other furniture but also implies a theme by recreating a certain era. Besides the era from which the antique furniture is made the next most important thing is the type of wood or materials used to create it. Here a few details about antique Birdseye maple furniture, which will help you understand it better is you are out on the market for acquire some.

Birdseye Maple

Birdseye maple is a phenomenon and not a variety of maple, it occurs in timber but the cause is unknown yet. Birdseye maple got is name because of the pattern in the wood that resembles swirling tiny eyes- many believed that the pattern in the wood was formed due to birds pecking at the wood but that theory was never proved. Birdseye maple is most commonly found in sugar maple.

Shopping For Antique Birdseye Maple Furniture

Since you know exactly the type of wood you want your antique furniture to have been made from the only thing you need to decide is the era- usually antique Birdseye maple furniture is from the Renaissance era and after. If you know exactly what you want in the antique Birdseye maple furniture you can go ahead and place an add in the local paper or you can start by looking up local antique stores.

If you cannot find the antique Birdseye maple furniture of choice locally you can go online or to attend antique furniture shows where you can find many times exquisite findings and sometimes bargains. Last but not east you can take a look at estate antique sales, which usually occur in people\\’s homes and there too you will be surprised at the amazing bargains you may get- sometimes older folks may want to get rid of items that they cannot take care any longer and don\\’t have anyone else to give to in the family.

Beware Of Fraud

Antiques are beautiful but also expensive for one reason and that is because they are old and authentic- well, you need to always make sure the you bought an authentic piece by always verifying the source from where you purchase, especially if you are about to invest a great deal of money. Many frauds start fake antique business, especially online and provide pictures taken elsewhere to cheat people and steal their money and possibly their personal data as well.

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Why You Should Invest In Antique Patio Furniture

There are many different reasons as to why you should invest in something such as antique patio furniture, and so if you are interested in antique furniture in general, then you are going to want to make sure that you are definitely going to want to read on so that you can learn more about antique patio furniture and the benefits that come from it.

More About Antique Patio Furniture

There are many things that you need to know about antique patio furniture. For one, not only is antique patio furniture absolutely beautiful, but as well, it is often worth a lot of money. So, regardless of whether you go for the classic furniture or for looks, then you are really going to get both if you purchase antique patio furniture.

However there are other issues that you are going to have to consider here, since the furniture is antique. For one, if you have children or pets, for instance, then you may want to think twice about actually using this sort of furniture because you do not want it to get ruined.

So, if you have a lot of free space in your home, then you may just want to keep this antique furniture in a spare room or in a garage for instance, so that you can still have it and it will still be worth money because it will not be getting worn and ruined.

If you are wondering where you can go to find this type of furniture, then what you really need to do is take your time and do some research on your own, so that you can find a place that not only offers value, but reasonable prices as well.

After all, you should know before you even go out to purchase this type of furniture that because it is antique it is going to be much more costly than regular furniture, and so you really are going to have to have some extra money saved up so that you can afford it.

However, as long as you take your time, have patience, and put some effort into the process of finding the antique furniture, then you should come out with some really great results, and you will see how well worth it all of the effort was that you put in beforehand ten years down the road, when the furniture that you purchased is worth double what you paid for it.

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Antique Furniture Reproductions Add Charm To A Decor

Furniture makers are not what they used to be. The modern furniture makers produce beautiful designs for many different styles, but the modern furniture makers do not produce anything close to the designs from the past. There are, however, some furniture designers who make antique furniture reproductions. Some antique pieces are available and these are gorgeous. The real antiques are very expensive, and only a few customers even bother going into the shops with the real antiques. Many people look in the windows to enjoy the sight of the beautiful pieces. Fortunately, there antique reproductions available that are exquisite and inexpensive.

The antique furniture reproductions are available in many different styles. There are antique reproductions of the great designs that copy the French designers, and some from old English designs. The early American antique furniture reproductions look very authentic and beautiful. The antique furniture reproductions are made by designers who carefully study the originals, and they work to make the furniture reproductions look very authentic. The antique furniture reproductions match the designs of the originals, and the finishes on the woods. The antique reproductions also study the fabrics used in the originals and match these as closely as possible.

Antique Furniture Reproductions Come In Many Styles

The companies that make antique furniture reproductions make a huge variety of models so someone interested in antique reproductions could decorate their entire home with these wonderful pieces. There are some magnificent cabinets available in various French styles as well as early American styles. There are antique furniture reproductions in chairs that are upholstered with new fabric that looks like that from long ago. Other antique furniture reproductions are specially made for the dining room with sets of tables and chairs available.

The antique furniture reproductions are available at stores, and there are several companies who specialize in antique furniture reproductions with websites on the internet. These items can be easily ordered, and these dealers have huge selections from many different places and eras. Those interested in buying antique reproductions should shop carefully for these items. The quality of the reproductions differs greatly from one company to the next. Some of the companies that specialize in antique reproductions offer different qualities in their own lines. Many of these dealers provide information on the different quality of the furniture in their inventories. Decorators should be able to make a beautiful setting for a home with these wonderful reproductions.

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