Welcome back from the long weekend! Hopefully you’ve come to grips with the fact that both the summer and Labor Day weekend are o-v-e-r, and Tuesday is dwindling down for you – only 3 more days til the weekend, on the bright side. And speaking of the weekend, I spent the last one before Labor Day in Baltimore at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show! This beautiful show is hosted by Palm Beach Show Group, they of the classiest antique shindig this side of Worth Avenue. Well, technically the Flagler bridge but whatever, it’s still called the Palm Beach show, regardless of its western physical location. Oh, the small but massive difference the intracoastal makes between West Palm and Fantasy Island. I digress, as usual. Palm Beach Show Group headed north to Baltimore to host one of the summer’s biggest and best antique shows, chock full of art, antiques, and of course fine jewelry. RLJ sent me to try on every diamond over 3 carats, genuinely freak out at the sight of a real, live, in person Juste un Clou necklace, and fail to eat crab cakes. Well not really, but that’s what I did. And while I was there I was #blessed to meet some of the fabulous vendors showing off gorgeous estate, vintage and antique jewelry. Several of whom were kind enough to have some fun with me and allow me to awkwardly interview them! So, this week, I’ll be sharing the good sports who answered a dozen questions with Designers & Diamonds. Please excuse any background noise (the show was poppin’) and any shaky camera happenings (I was nervous.) Let’s go.
The first person I got to interview was Maxine, of Maxine Wolff Shapiro Estate Jewelry & Antiques. What caught my eye first was a QR code! Leading to their Pinterest profile! At an antiques show! Love it when modern tech mingles with antique Louis Vuitton steamer trunks. But I was quickly distracted, magpie style, by Maxine’s amazing booth. It looked like how you imagined your dress up closet/jewelry box should have been, based on your interpretation of the March sisters’ dress up closet and Mary Kate & Ashley mystery movies. Sparkling jewels, all vintage & antique, as far as the eye can see, nestled together and glistening under showcase lights, but bathed in warm, inviting overhead lights. Lighting is important to me, as both a diamond and interior design fan. This booth got it right.
Maxine Wolff Shapiro Estate Jewelry & Antiques is a division of Cannon’s Estate Consignments, inc. in High Point North Carolina. Maxine has devoted herself to the study, sale and appreciation of antiques for 20 years. She hails from a line of antique dealers and auctioneers based in Virginia, and ran small booths in antique malls while still enjoying a 30 year career as a paralegal. Maxine now is a full time antique dealer, and exhibits at every show she can, sharing her excellent eye for unique pieces and rare finds. but I’ll let her tell you more.
