The Vintage Decor You Should Definitely Snag If You See It At The Thrift Store

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The thrift store can be a wallet-safe way to get unique home décor. Not only do you get the thrill of the find when you come across something rare or inexpensive, but you also learn how to style some of the most common items you'll find at thrift stores in your home. While knowing a bargain isn't always easy for beginner thrifters, there are certain items that pretty much guarantee you have found one. A vintage décor item you should definitely snag if you see it at the thrift store is a pair of onyx (also known as banded calcite) bookends. They exude art deco or mid-century vibes and are heavy enough to actually hold your books in place.

Onyx and banded calcite (sometimes called calcite alabaster, limestone onyx, or onyx marble) are used interchangeably when referring to the natural stone these bookends are made of. But the latter, a form of stalagmitic or limestone calcite (CaCO3), is the correct moniker. True onyx (SiO2) is a variety of chalcedony quartz. The conflation of names is likely an early marketing tactic, since onyx is pricier than its calcite look-alike. In most cases, the vintage bookends that end up in U.S. thrift stores are made from the confusingly named Mexican onyx, which is a distinctive type of calcite featuring bands of orange, yellow, tan, and brown streaked with white. The stone has been a popular architectural material in the U.S. since at least the late 1800s, used for mosaics, carvings, plinths, columns, wall casings, and bookends and other home décor. It has been carved and traded for millennia in Mexico.

Natural stone is a home décor trend that's coming back around, making these onyx marble bookends more sought-after, and they often sell for hundreds on antiques sites. While you might not have the cash to splash on trending onyx architectural features like countertops, accent walls, and freestanding powder room wash basins, you can achieve the same idea with vintage banded calcite horse heads, Aztec-inspired statues, and figurine bookends from the 1960s and 1970s. You'll be saving money in other ways, too. Contemporary versions of these bookends with far sleeker and less characterful shapes sell for prices well above what you'd see at the thrift store. For example, a pair of Karibiber Mexico Onyx Decorative Bookends costs almost $40. Though unlikely, you might get very lucky and end up with Italian or French vintage horse head bookends made from pricey true onyx. A fun benefit is the fact that banded calcite fluoresces under UV light.

Once you have your bookends, use them to add art deco opulence to even the most mundane bookshelf, complement existing vintage furniture, hold up your antique book collection, or uphold period authenticity in an older home. Draw on the stone's naturally bright tones to inject statement-making color into an otherwise neutral interior. Banded calcite bookends are your secret weapon for a perfectly organized closet space — use them to neatly stack clothing in drawers. Take care not to drop them; calcites have a Mohs hardness scale rating of 3 compared to true onyx's 7 and are susceptible to damage from even weak acids like vinegar.