Posts Tagged ‘juliana’
Sarah Coventry Blue Lagoon Pin
The Sarah Coventry Blue Lagoon pin and earring set is one of the amazing creations that D & E (the designers of the famous Julianna line) made for Sarah Coventry.
Now Sarah Coventry jewelry was not known for being high-end -- if was just nice "everyday" costume jewelry. But when D & E paid a visit, magic happened!
The Blue Lagoon set wasn't the only collaborative item, but it is by far the most well-known.
In any case, if you can snag a Blue Lagoon pin or pin and earring set, do it -- it's far more lovely in person!
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 Sarah Coventry Blue Lagoon Brooch and Earrings Set  US $89.50
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 Sarah Cov Blue Lagoon 1964 by De Lizza Ester Paurue US $94.85
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 Sarah Coventry Blue Lagoon Pin Mfg by DeLizza Elster US $100.00
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Should You Ever Buy Unsigned Costume Jewelry?
I know I've said that a beginning collector should really stick with signed costume jewelry. But is there ever a time that you should stray away from signed into the land of the beautiful but unsigned pieces?
Yes, there are times that unsigned pieces can be a good purchase. For example, the famous Juliana line by DeLizza and Elster was never signed on the jewelry itself; instead, it was marked only by a paper hang tag. Yet true Juliana jewelry is highly collectible.
The Case for Unsigned Costume Jewelry
Rhinestone Costume Jewelry Pin, Unsigned
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Juliana is unsigned but valuable. But here's something that most people don't realize; many manufacturers didn't sign all their work! For example, Weiss has a lot of unsigned pieces floating around. Why? Because it was sold to department stores, who put their own "branding" on it (usually via the packaging).
Some companies also did manufacturing for other companies; the designers would create the piece, while another company actually did the manufacturing.
Then there are the unsigned Miriam Haskell pieces. In the beginning, the Haskell pieces weren't signed. As they became more popular (and as the laws changed), the pieces were signed.
There is a lot of unsigned costume jewelry that was created by the big names...but without the names.
The Case for Signed Vintage Jewelry
One of the biggest reason to stick with signed pieces at first is to get to know and recognize quality pieces. Once you've collected a lot of Weiss (for example), you'll be able to recognize the quality and style in the unsigned pieces.
Also, signed costume jewelry holds its value better than unsigned work. You pay less in the beginning for unsigned pieces, but the price increase over the years is slower. So if you're buying for investment, stick with signed (with the obvious exception of Juliana).
Do You Love It?
If you're buying because you love the look of the piece, signed or unsigned doesn't matter as much. What you need to be concerned about in this case is the quality of the construction and the condition of the piece (i.e how much wear does it show).
Just be aware of what similar signed pieces are selling for, so that you know not to pay too much for unsigned.
I'll leave you today with some unsigned pieces. As always, you can find a and a small taste of what's available below.
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Signed or Unsigned Vintage Jewelry — Which to Buy?
Should you buy signed or unsigned vintage costume jewelry? If you're a beginning collector, that can be a tough question, especially if you don't have a large jewelry budget. In my mind, it depends on what you plan to do with the jewelry. Let's talk about it some.
Buying to Wear
If your main desire is to buy vintage jewelry you can wear, it may not make a difference if the pieces are signed. There are many, many examples of beautiful unmarked vintage jewelry out there. If you are buying to simply wear it, buy what you find pleasing.
A mark or signature is useful for dating a piece of jewelry, but provenance (which I spoke of in this post) can date a piece as well. After all, you don't want to pay a vintage price for a contemporary piece of costume jewelry.
Buying for an Investment Collection
If you plan to buy mainly to collect vintage costume jewelry as an investment, you will want to buy either marked (signed) pieces or book pieces. Both of these types tend to go up in value fastest, and have the best resale value.
A book piece is one that you can see in one of the many wonderful publications on costume jewelry. Even if the piece is unsigned, if it's in a book and attributed to a designer, you can designate it as made by the designer. Just remember to make a note of the book and page number where it's found, and keep that information (or even the book itself) with that piece.
And honestly, not all designers signed all their pieces. For example, the gorgeous (and very valuable) Juliana-style jewelry, made by DeLizza & Elster was only sold with a paper tag as identification! Now I ask you, if you bought a new piece of jewelry to wear, wouldn't you throw away the paper tag? So there will undoubtedly be times when an unsigned piece is known to be made by a specific designer that will complete a set you're collecting.
If you fall into this category, it's best to mostly buy what you like, but there will be times that a piece doesn't appeal to you, but you know it has great value. Grab it if you can get it at a great price.
Buying to Wear and Collect
Many people fall into this category (including me). It's buying not only to build a collection that appreciates over time, but also to be able to wear selected pieces.
If this is where you see yourself, definitely buy what you like. But like the investor, there may be times when a valuable piece of vintage jewelry can be had for a song, which doesn't appeal to you. Snap it up anyway, because you can always resell it later.
I'll post a caveat here; be careful of what you buy to wear if it's an expensive piece. Here's what I mean. For example, I am tough on my bracelets; they get caught on clothes, snagged on furniture and the like. So I almost never wear a collectable bracelet -- too much of a chance of me damaging it.
And strangely, the same holds for me with earrings; I have long hair and wear it loose. Eventually earrings get snagged in my hair, and potentially get lost. (I love earrings, though, so I collect them anyway and just don't wear them.)
So I'll wear my pins, pendants and necklaces because they last and last on me.
The point here is, for anything that you want to buy for its financial appreciation, follow the guidelines for the investor. If you're buying a piece of vintage jewelry simply to wear and enjoy, a signature isn't quite as important. You'll have to make that call on a piece-by-piece basis.
Since I mentioned Juliana-style vintage jewelry, I'll leave you with some Juliana eye candy.
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