Arbor and ended up purchasing four
19th-century chairs at a nearby
antique store. The chairs now sur-
round her kitchen table. Although her
mother did some collecting, Audrey
became intrigued with antiques as a
young bride when her husband
bought her a lavaliere and antique
watch at one of those cluttered-look-
ing antique shops with the dirty win-
dows on Hamilton Road in Highland
Park. Sharing a common interest, for
the past 15 years, she and her sister,
Barbara Rosett of West Bloomfield
take in the local and regional antique
shows, make quick trips to New York,
Atlantic City, Chicago and Miami
looking for antique jewelry, crystal
boxes, or that special something that
will be an added attraction for their
homes.
"I'm interested in collecting a few
things but I've learned to appreciate
the aesthetic value and craftsmanship
of quality antiques in general. When I
was younger, for example, my aunt
gave me some Meissen china. I put
them away because I thought they
were too ornate. Now they're on a
shelf and I love to look at them —
they're wonderful."
Among other things, Barbara
Rosett collects cut crystal powder
boxes and glove boxes. 'Audrey and I
can go to 10 antique shows and not
buy anything," explains Rosett.
"Sometimes we end up just looking
and admiring what we see for their
aesthetic value. But it's always special
when we do find something because
it's not like walking into a department
store and buying it. It's especially
exciting when we find a piece in its
original design and in top condition,
whether it's jewelry or crystal."
Jewelry from all periods is a popu-
lar collector's item. Art Nouveau as
well as Victorian and Bakelite jewelry
may be trend setters, but it's still
important to be a well-informed
buyer. Prices for antique jewelry are
based on more factors than other types
of antiques: artistic merit, appeal,
intrinsic value of stones or precious
metals, age, sentimental value, manu-
facturer, condition and signature.
Mona Rappaport of Bloomfield
Hills remembers shopping for
antiques with her mother and carries
on the tradition with her daughter,
professional photographer Linda
Below: A mother and
daughter search for an
• antique compact at
Grand Traverse Antiques
Festival.
Above: Wooden crates, planters and boxes like these,
and on the opposite page, are a familiar sight at the
Petoskey Antiques Festival.
Below: The Petoskey Antiques Festival, held July 4-5
and August 1-2, sells many collectibles.
Solomon. They can be seen scouting
the Birmingham stores fzi antiques or
the Royal Oak Flea market on Sunday
mornings.
"I've got a lamp in my bed-
room from my mother's
antiquing days and I enjoy
finding things for my chil-
dren," says Rappaport. "It's a
wonderful activity to share
with your children and to pass
the heirlooms from one gener-
ation to the next although
each daughter has her own
particular tastes. When I first
started, I concentrated on
English and French country
but now my tastes are a bit
more eclectic. What's impor-
tant is to rely on your own
tastes, buy the things that you
like, know the dealers your
purchasing from, and be
familiar with the object you're
buying. In other words, if
you're going to spend money,
know what you're spending it on."
Linda Solomon and husband Barry
have been converting a very large barn
into their home so that there's ample
room for Linda's collections. Linda
admits to collecting everything! As a
child she used to go antiquing with
her parents on weekends and today
considers it a very relaxing and recre-
ational activity.
One of her collections is old cam-
eras. "I found a camera for $5 at a
garage sale that was exactly like the
very first Kodak my dad gave me. You
just can't be a snob in this business
because you never know what you're
going to find or where you'll find it."
Linda also collects Native American
pieces, Mexican antiques, and textiles.
She finds them at antique shows,
garage sales and flea markets.
"It's great fun! Sometimes my
mother and I will go to an antique
mall on the weekend. And I always
enjoy going to shows with friends who
collect different things than I do but
we can appreciate each other's collec-
tions. When I'm on a photo assign-
ment I make time to shop a new city
for antiques. And I'm particularly
fond of the southwest part of the
country. I love the old, brightly-paint-
ed furniture made out of pine from
the Santa Fe and Tucson area. Some of
the things I purchase aren't true
5/22
1997
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