Vintage Military Sweetheart Jewelry ~ Keeping the Homefront Warm

I am pretty much hopelessly addicted to vintage and antique jewelry- collecting vintage pieces that are designer signed, flashy rhinestone jewelry, and recently Victorian and Edwardian era pieces. Just when I think I have enough interests and fodder for my collecting tastes- I am introduced to military sweetheart jewelry.

That’s the wonderful thing about hobbies and collecting, is that even if you were to live a million years you will probably never complete your knowledge of what you collect. There are always new things to learn.

If you asked me just a few months ago, what sweetheart jewelry is- I might have answered “jewelry you give a lover on Valentine’s Day.” Actually the tradition of Military Sweetheart jewelry comes from the two World Wars. Sweetheart jewelry is a physical memento of the soldier abroad in the form of jewelry sent by servicemen back home to wives, girlfriends, mothers, and sisters.

What is particularly endearing about some sweetheart pieces is that some were handmade by the soldiers themselves while in the field. When I am selling a military sweetheart jewelry peice on eBay- the top two questions I am asked by potential buyers about a particular piece is;

• Is it handmade- that is did the soldier make it?
• What branch of the military is it from?

Along with these two questions, there are others as well because each piece has a little history wrapped in it. What war is this piece attributed to? Is it engraved or personalized? What materials is the jewelry made of?

Because of war time shortages, sweetheart jewelry is usually made from a small variety of materials. I generally find items made of sterling silver, mother of pearl, and on occasion wood. Handmade pieces were made from whatever was available to the soldier.

As of the date of this blog post there are some really great things about collecting military sweetheart jewelry that is not typical of other collectible jewelries. I have heard from other collectors more experienced then myself that military sweetheart jewelry is still affordable and undervalued. Check out eBay and you will find that you can find a variety of pieces for under $20 which I think is a steal. Furthermore as of yet there are not many reproductions or counterfeits of this jewelry type. This is a boon to the beginning collector- who might otherwise be confused with fakes.

As for researching pieces, there are actually several good books on the market, they include;

Sweetheart Jewelry and Collectibles (Schiffer Book for Collectors With Value Guide) by Nicholas D. Snider

and

Antique Sweetheart Jewelry (Schiffer Book for Collectors) by Nicholas D. Snider

The top picture is from my personal collection it happens to be one of my favorite pieces of jewelry- it is an Uriscraft brand sterling charm bracelet with tank charms and an enameled army emblem in the center.

These bottom pictures are also from my personal collection. They show a Jula brand “Mother” brooch with mother of pearl accents. The locket on the left of the brooch is a book locket and has “Alaska” written on the cover. This particular piece was given to my Great Grandma Senja by her son (my Great Uncle) Albert. There is a personal note written in the box in Finnish.