Costume Jewelry: The Fascinating Tale of Fabulous Fakes
21 October 2008
Costume jewelry made its appearance in the United States in the 1920s. The term Fabulous Fakes refers to Antique American Costume Jewelry typically made with colored glass stones, rhinestones, gold plated metal, or sterling silver. Miriam Haskell and other designers began selling their jewelry pieces around 1925. Between the 20s and 30s, numerous European immigrants began crafting their exquisite jewelry in Providence, Rhode Island as well as Chicago and New York.
Costume jewelry gained popularity around the 1940s when Hollywood movie stars started wearing it in both films and real life. One of the most renowned designers of that time was Joseff of Hollywood. Other popular designers whose costume jewelry is sought by modern collectors include Hattie Carnegie, Eisenberg Originals, Nettie Rosenstein, Ciner, and Napier. Pieces from the 30s to the mid-fifties are the hardest for modern collectors to find. Pieces that have been marked or signed by the designer are exceedingly desirable as well as valuable.
The collecting of vintage costume jewelry has become a popular trend these days. Many antiques pieces have been known to sell for thousands of dollars. Classic costume pieces have become a bold fashion statement. Many of today’s celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Demi Moore, Nicolette Sheridan, Diane Keaton, and Madonna, just to name a few.favor antique costume jewelry and Who could blame them? Antique costume jewelry features vibrant, bold colors and a larger than life scale. Attentive craftsmanship, originality, and striking attractiveness are typical of vintage pieces.
Tips for the Budding Costume Jewelry Collector
When searching for antique pieces, check to make sure pin clasps work because they are very difficult to fix. Also choose pieces in which the metal has not started turning green. Avoid purchasing pieces with missing stones as they will not be easy to replace. Searching antique fairs, garage sales, and flea markets may turn up exceptional deals on vintage costume jewelry. Church bazaars are another great place to find great deals on pieces, usually well kept jewelry that has been locked away by someone’s grandmother or aunt.
Make some memories of your own to share with the future generations of your family, buy discount costume jewelry. By building your own collection of magnificent modern pieces, you are sure to have a least a few that will one day be just as valuable and desirable as the antique pieces sought by collectors today. If it’s in your budget, it would be advantageous to buy a few pieces from designers like Armani and Prada, especially their couture collections. These pieces are extremely original and are made in only small quantities, they are therefore more likely to appreciate in value in the future as well as keeping their original good looks..
on May 27th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I love costume/fashion jewellery and have quite a ridiculous collection – none of which is antique or valuable sadly. In fact I didn’t even realise there was such a demand.
The thing I love most about modern costume jewellery is that it allows you to experiment with styles, colours, sizes etc. because of its affordability. I have some work experience coming up with a wholesale costume jewellery supplier which i’m really looking forward to.