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!

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