Costume Jewelry Sets or Single Pieces?
Should you buy only costume jewelry sets, or are single pieces OK to buy? As you're building your vintage jewelry collection, it's a question that you'll have to eventually consider.
While it's usually true that a set is worth more than the sum of its parts, it's also true that not all vintage costume jewelry was made in sets, especially prior to the 1950s.
Still, it's a valid question -- to buy parures (sets) or stay with single items. Let's chat about it some.
Demi Parure Versus Full Parure
As I mentioned previously, a parure is just another name for a set. The costume jewelry set can be two items (a demi parure), a parure (three items) or a full parure (four items). And just a note, earrings count as one item, even though I've occasionally seen them listed as two (presumably one per ear). 
Now here comes the fun. Some demi sets can actually be "full" if the set originally only came with two items. An example might be earrings and a brooch, or perhaps earrings and a necklace. However, since these are more the exception than the rule, I'll refer to a two-piece set as a demi.
Since vintage costume jewelry is 20 or more years old (and the really collectible items are from the 1930s through 1960s), an intact set is a little harder to come by. After all, how many times have you tossed a piece of fashion jewelry if a part broke (or if you just didn't like it anymore)? Therefore a vintage jewelry set is worth more.
- Costume Jewelry Set by Trifari (Click to Enlarge)
Should You Buy Costume Jewelry Sets or Individual Items?
There are two schools of thought here. One is that buying sets makes it easier to have everything altogether. The other thought is you can buy things separately and then collect the set piece by piece.
And there's yet another thought; you may want to specialize in collecting just pins or just necklaces or something of the sort. If that's the case, then sets won't generally be what you're looking for.
All are valid points of view. The trick when going the piece-by-piece routie is finding the pieces of the set without duplicating yourself! (Or sometimes it's just finding other pieces.) For example, with the photo shown on this post, I purchased it as a parure. I've since seen demi parures offered of this same set. I hope that if one day I find a matching necklace, it also won't be as part of a demi!
Personally, I like to do both -- purchase costume jewelry sets as well as individual items. While my preference is for at least a demi parure, that doesn't always happen. Besides, it's kind of fun to hunt down missing pieces of the puzzle, and quite a thrill when you find them!
I'll leave you today with some parure auctions to enjoy. Below is a small sampling, while you can find a more .
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US $29.99
