Antique costume jewelry is gaining ever more in popularity today. Not only is this jewelry very attractive and stylish, but it can be pretty cheap too! Because costume jewelry uses glass, beads, plastic, and synthetic stones, it won’t cost nearly as much as fine antique jewelry that uses real precious or semiprecious gems. But still, there are a few things you should know about buying antique costume jewelry and this guide is here to help!

How Old Is It?

The first thing you’ll need to know about antique costume jewelry is how old it is. In order for something to be classified as truly antique, it needs to be at least 50 years old. Anything that is 49 years old or newer is classified as estate jewelry, even when it’s costume jewelry you’re referring to.

The Different Periods

There are a few different time periods that you can choose from when you’re thinking about purchasing antique costume jewelry. The first is the Art Deco period, which ranges from the years 1920s to the 1930s. This time period strove to combine the harshness of mass production with the beauty and style of true art. Coco Chanel was one of the first designers to produce costume jewelry during this time and her styles still remain some of the most popular antique costume jewelry today.

The Retro Period was a time period that spanned 1935 to 1950. During this time, manufacturers were trying to get away from mass production and place the focus back on art and beauty. In order to do this, natural elements such moonstones, flowers, and sunbursts were created using plastic material. Because the major jewelry manufacturing plants were closed down in Europe during this time due to the war, America was the biggest producer of this jewelry and so, it took on a very American look and feel.

The Art Modern period is the last of the time periods for antique costume jewelry. During this time, costume jewelry lost the chunky, bold look that costume jewelry had in the past. Instead, smaller and more intricate designs were seen and man-made jewels such as rhinestones were introduced.

Care

Caring for costume jewelry is very easy. However, because it includes cheaper metals and stones, it’s important to never submerge them in water and to always take it off before doing things like showering or washing dishes. You can clean your antique costume jewelry simply by wiping it with a mild PH-balanced soap and lightly rinsing it off with water. Make sure you blot off any excess water and then allow it to air-dry.

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Antique vintage costume jewelry is the fashion statement of the year. Many Hollywood stars like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Angelina Jolie are beginning to make this type of vintage jewelry part of their accessories. You can see them sporting this exquisite jewelry on the red carpet as well as out on the town. Antique costume jewelry is versatile, beautiful, and a great look that can be worn by anyone.

The vintage look as been rising over the last several years and now is the premier look. Vintage costume jewelry will add glamour and pizzazz to any outfit and is perfect for the modern day world. It is stunning, fresh, and can make any outfit.

If you have access to any of your grandmother’s antique jewelry, start wearing it! You will be the envy of town and will have a lovely set of accessories that you can incorporate in your every day looks If you weren’t so lucky, you can start shopping for vintage antique jewelry now and create your own fashions out of vintage pieces.

You can find vintage jewelry through a vintage jewelry collector, a thrift store, or even the internet. Be sure to check the settings carefully and the clasps and check the condition of the stones. Quality pieces should hold up for years to come!

Once you find good vintage antique costume jewelry, you will be able to dress up a casual look or add sophistication to an office or date-night look. It is also a perfect way to add a unique elegance to bridal wear to create a memorable look.

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The simple fact of the matter is this: Not acting now and getting an antique costume jewelry appraisal will cause you to miss one of the greatest opportunities of a lifetime. Getting a true appraisal can turn into a tricky situation so it will be to your advantage to be informed. The first thing to do is to determine your exact purpose. For instance, you may want an appraisal for insurance or tax purposes only or simply because you have a growing curiosity about how much the jewelry may be worth. This is important because your purpose will play a large part of the amount you spend on your the appraisal.

If your reason for getting an antique costume jewelry appraisal is more than just mere curiosity, a good rule of thumb is to show your piece to a person you trust. Start out contacting a generalist. If they are unable to do the job properly, ask to be referred to a specialist. If your piece is flanked by diamonds, call the Appraisers Association of America for guidance and help. Other reputable groups who give trustworthy information include the International Society of Appraisers and the American Society of Appraisers.

Something else you need to know is that you must get your Antique costume jewelry appraisal in writing if it is for tax or insurance purposes. Disclose to the appraiser that you need to learn the replacement value of the antique costume jewelery which will, in most cases, be greater than its fair market value. Remember that appraisers must see the jewelry in order to give you an honest answer. Pictures or written descriptions will not give the appraiser what he or she needs to determine the value of the piece.

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Wearing jewelry is as much about the person wearing it as those that will see it. Many people like to be able to show off and be noticed by others. However, very few people will be able to buy the newest and the hottest pieces of fine jewelry and some people just prefer to not spend their money on jewelry they have to constantly watch. For all of the people who can’t or won’t buy fine jewelry there is always the option of costume jewelry.

Costume jewelry is generally made up of semi-precious metals and fake gemstones that can be made of anything from plastic beads to glass and even look alike stones. The higher the quality of materials the better the jewelry and less likely that it will react adversely with your skin. Even in some of the most extravagant of the antique jewelry, subpar materials have been used and have caused people to react poorly to the metal. Thankfully, by making sure you know what you’re buying and knowing your body this can be avoided.

An unfortunate side effect to having sensitive skin that only allows you to wear certain metals, however, is that you will then be looking at more expensive jewelry. For some costume jewelry, you can expect to pay anywhere from five or ten dollars apiece; whereas the high end antique pieces that are the most sought after and of the highest quality will generally retail for around $75 to $400 for a pair of earrings and increasing in price with the size of the piece. As always, the price of any one item is dictated by the size, quality and maker of that particular piece. Because of the wide variety of pieces though, you should find something to fit your budget.

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This title may be taken the wrong way, so I’d like to start by clarifying. When I say that costume jewelry is another never ending fad, I mean it in the most affectionate way. Fads that never go out of style and never end are generally what we consider fashionable and pieces of history. Diamond engagement rings, for example, were popularized in the twentieth century, but they have become a part of history and culture. Costume jewelry is another of these things that have become widely used in modern times and will likely go down in the history books as being just another part of our daily lives.

Fortunately, costume jewelry doesn’t cost nearly as much as a diamond engagement ring, nor is it necessary to be as gentle and cautious with it as it is with fine jewelry. This means that it can be worn daily and you can have hundreds of pieces for a relatively low investment. However, like all fads, it appears that costume jewelry has started to repeat itself.

With the rise in people opting for a more retro look, antique furniture from the fifties, sixties and seventies has gone up exponentially in the last decade. Also seen in this neo-retro confusion has been the market for costume jewelry to match certain outfits that are from an antiquity the wearers scarcely know anything about. This has created a great market for collector to sell and for makers to imitate older costume jewelry while still offering great styles for every occasion or outfit.

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