Archive for the ‘Vintage Costume Jewelry’ Category

It may seem a little early in the year to be talking about Christmas costume jewelry, but not really.  You see, Christmas jewelry (especially Christmas tree pins) are collected year around.

Collecting Christmas Trees

I haven't gotten much into Christmas tree pins yet, but I know it won't be long before I succumb.  Back in the mid-80's to mid-90's, I bought lots of contemporary Christmas pins, to wear in November and December.  Sometimes I kept the pins, sometimes a stone fell out or I just decided I didn't like it and...bye-bye pin!

I'm a little more careful these days with my pins; you can see one to the right (and you can click to enlarge the photo). It's signed "Gerry's" and since it's relatively recent, it's not in high demand. Guess I'll have to wait a few more years for that. Meanwhile, I do think it's pretty, and it's in excellect condition. One day!

There are some beautiful and very collectable vintage Christmas tree pins out there.  Most of the major manufacturers made them, and some like Beatrix really specialized in these little pieces of art.

Let's see, who else made some gorgeous pins?  Weiss and Eisenberg certainly.  JJ made some nice trees, as did Hollycraft, Art and Coro.  Really, the list could go on and on.

It's never too soon (or in my case, too late) to start , be they trees, weaths, figures or something else that fits the holliday.  Meanwhile, here are a few for you to peruse -- enjoy!

So what exactly do I mean when I say "vintage jewelry"?  What makes a piece vintage -- is it age?  Beauty?  Being signed by a designer?

Well, it can certainly be all of them, but it is actually the age of the piece that determines if it's vintage or antique.

Defining Vintage Jewelry

Vintage is normally defined as a piece that is 20 to 100 years old.  Antique is over 100 years old.  Most of the jewelry (not to mention costume jewelry) the average person wears is what's called contemporary; less than 20 years old.

While a piece being signed by a designer is a decided plus, there are many lovely pieces that fall into the vintage era that aren't signed.  To the right is a costume jewelry brooch I bought in the mid-80's.  I loved it then, wore it proudly for quite a few years.  And I still love it now, unsigned as it is.

I know the provenance of the costume jewelry piece.  Provenance is the story behind the jewelry; when it was bought, how did I get it -- things of that nature.  Especially with an unsigned piece, provenance is important in determining its age.

Provenance can add to the value of a particular piece of vintage jewelry as well, depending on the story behind the piece.

Another piece I wore and loved for years was this Richelieu pearl necklace.  I used to twist the pearls around my neck, so the rhinestone and gold centerpiece would catch the light better.  It dates from the late 80's, so it's just squeaking in as being vintage. 

I always got tons of compliments when I wore it.  It wasn't an expensive piece when I bought it, and it's not terribly expensive now, but I doubt I would give it up anyway -- too many good memories behind it.

I know I mentioned in the previous post that costume jewelry was sparkly, and these two pieces don't really fall into that category.  Which goes to show you that vintage costume jewelry can have many different looks, all of them lovely.

Check Your Jewelry Box!

If you haven't already, why not look through your jewelry?  You might find some treasures within!  When you find some jewelry, turn it over, looks at the clasps and see if the jewelry is marked by the designer (you'll probably need some reading glasses or maybe even a loupe to make out the marks sometimes).  And you're on your way to building your own collection!

Today's designer is Weiss, whose work I love.  When I consider buying "sparkly", Weiss is one of the designers I look at.  As always, feel free to click on a photo to enlarge the image.  Enjoy!

Costume jewelry is one of those things that you don't think much about, until you have that "ah-hah!" moment.

I mean, we pretty much all grew up with some form of jewelry, even if it was just hair ribbons.  And as we grew older, we graduated to department store jewelry.  Then eventually, the jewelry store called our names.   We got our 14 Kt gold, our sterling silver or other precious metals, and called it good.

But wait.  Where's the joy in in?  When did it disappear?  I think somewhere between the department store and jewelry store is where we said farewell to costume jewelry, even if we didn't realize it.

We miss the sparkle and flash and the fun!  We're so used to wearing what's "right for the office" that we forget to wear jewelry for ourselves as well.  We wear what pleases us, and I think you'll admit -- you like sparkly jewelry, too!

This site is dedicated to the person in all of us who loves jewelry, especially vintage costume jewelry.  It's for anyone who wants to learn about these wonderful baubles that so enchanted generations before us.

It's also for anyone who wants to learn how to buy it, safely, without paying a too-high price by accident.

And of course, it's for anyone who just loves looking at beautiful items.  Whether precious metal, silver-tone or gold-tone, we love our wonderful vintage costume jewelry!

For today, I'll leave you with one of my favorite costume jewelry designers, .  I'll talk more about this fabulous designer later, but for now, it's time for eye candy!