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Antique beaded wedding bag
 “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Here’s the perfect “something old” for that important day in your life: a truly exquisite, heirloom quality, antique beaded wedding bag in the old-fashioned “butterfly bag” style. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’m betting that this stunning bag was completely handcrafted for a special long-ago bride, probably by her doting mother or grandmother. Constructed of white pillow silk with an overlay of champagne chiffon on which four large intricate designs of tiny seed pearls have been painstakingly stitched. Additional seed pearl beading connects the four designs where they wrap around the bottom of the bag. The top envelope flap is extensively beaded in seed pearls and features rosette designs at the two front corners. Three snap closures securely fasten the bag. Size is approximately 9" x 4-1/2" when closed. Notice that one of the butterfly wings extends farther out than the underlying silk bag. This appears to be deliberate in the original construction (further evidence of handcrafting), not a flaw, and certainly not after-the-fact damage. Excellent condition with no loss of beads, no loose beads, and no discoloration to the beading. There is some discoloration to the white silk on the underside edge of the envelope flap.
Several weeks after I had written the above description for this wedding bag, Ol’ Swaphos finally read what I’d written and came unglued. He proceeded to tell me that this hand-made bridal bag was in his grandmother’s possession and then his mother’s for as long as he can remember, and he recalls them telling him that it was made either by or for his great-great-grandmother’s wedding. Since Ol’ Swaphos is no spring chicken himself, that would make this bag a “mid-century modern” – mid-19th Century, that is! As far as he knows, it was always intended to be passed down for each succeeding wedding as a family heirloom associated with his great-great-grandmother, a full- blooded Cherokee who married his great-great-grandfather, a wealthy plantation owner in Kentucky. According to the story, his great-grandmother and then his grandmother carried it at their weddings, but unfortunately, his mother eloped and so did Ol’ Swaphos the first time around, forgetting to take it with him when he ran off to get hitched. (Serves him right for doing that in the first place instead of waiting to meet and properly marry ME! Not to mention the fact that I’m just now seeing this bag and hearing its story after nearly three decades of marriage!) At any rate, this is a prime example of why we need to make and keep written notes of our oral family histories. Perhaps you will have better luck with the heirlooms you are acquiring, especially if you write down each beautiful object’s history and put it inside. Ol’ Swaphos says there is good karma associated with this bridal bag because all of the marriages in which it was carried at the wedding lasted until death did them part. (Click on picture for more images.) Tell a friend.
Price: $450.00 + s/h and insurance
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