At the end of the 19th century, Newark, New Jersey, was considered to be the USA capital of jewellery. Here, cousins George and Thomas Krementz started Krementz & Co, one of the biggest companies selling gold and gold overlay jewellery. Both naturalistic and art nouveau designs were very popular at the time. This original set is in excellent condition.

The intricate pink flowers of the Asian Lamprocapnos spectabilis are related to the poppy or Papaveraceae. I remember them from my childhood garden. Most often they are called bleeding hearts -a name my mother used as well. Two other nicknames are “lyre flower” and “lady-in-a-bath”. I was rather intrigued by that last name. I didn’t see the bath, nor the lady.., but sometimes you have to turn a flower upside down and pull the petals a bit, as the first photo makes apparent.