| Fashion jewelry made its first appearance in the U.S. | | | | today's frenzied market. Incredibly, there are many |
| following the conclusion of World War I. First | | | | pieces being sold in flea markets for a few bucks |
| purchased in French boutiques by American GI's | | | | while being worth hundreds! There are three main |
| fighting in the war, superbly crafted yet inexpensive | | | | things that help determine the value of authentic |
| costume bracelets, pendants, and necklaces were | | | | vintage pieces: |
| purchased in record numbers. New designs featuring | | | | - Rarity |
| a host of semi-precious stones and unique materials | | | | - Stone/Gemstone Quality |
| caused a rapid rise in popularity allowing the poorer | | | | - Craftsmanship Although there were a number of |
| Americans to feel rich. Soon after, American | | | | manufacturers, they produced jewelry in varying |
| companies quickly dominated the market. Some of | | | | quantities. For instance, major players like Florenza |
| the most popular manufacturers of vintage costume | | | | and Coventry unleashed thousands of copies for |
| jewelry include: | | | | every design. Some of the smaller manufacturers like |
| - Trifari | | | | Barclays, DeMario, and McClelland produced much |
| - Florenza | | | | smaller volumes and as such pieces made by them |
| - Weiss | | | | are both rarer and worth more money on the |
| - Eisenberg Authentic costume pieces are basically | | | | marketplace. Indeed when all other factors are held |
| any type of jewelry not featuring any type of | | | | even, the DeMario necklace will almost always be |
| precious metal or gemstone yet produced in large | | | | worth more than a similarly designed Coro version. |
| quantities. This cheap yet beautiful alternative soon | | | | You definitely need to do your homework, however, |
| found its way into jewelry collections across the | | | | because even the large players produced some |
| nation. Essentially, the jewelry was a thrifty | | | | designs in small quantities making them more valuable |
| alternative to the relatively excessively priced fine | | | | than typical pieces from the company. |
| pieces made of out precious metals and featuring | | | | In many cases, the quality of the stone plays the |
| gemstones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or | | | | largest role when it comes to determining value. While |
| perhaps even pearls. | | | | none of the stones would be considered "precious" in |
| Virtually any vintage fashion jewelry was readily | | | | the traditional sense, there were companies that |
| available for anywhere between $1-10 prior to World | | | | crafted pieces consistently using high quality stones |
| War II. Some manufacturers were forced to go out | | | | and semi-precious gemstones, such as: |
| of business during the Great Depression, but | | | | - Eisenberg |
| surprisingly, a lot of the companies survived and did | | | | - Bogoff |
| quite well after World War II. The hay day for the | | | | - Weiss |
| jewelry came in the 1950's and 60's spurred on | | | | - Hollycraft One place renown for using exceptionally |
| heavily by advertising on television. Today, high | | | | high quality stones is Eisenberg. It is hard to find a |
| quality costume pieces are more popular than ever | | | | piece at a flea market that is not already high-priced |
| and make great gifts for young girls, teenagers, and | | | | unless you happen to stumble upon an unsigned one. |
| even adults just looking to add some diversity to | | | | You want to locate those pieces produced by |
| their jewelry collection. | | | | Hollycraft, Weiss, and Bogoff because they tend to |
| While cheap to buy when first released, vintage | | | | be under-priced on the market and thus make a |
| costume jewelry pieces produced between | | | | better investment. |
| 1920-1970 are often seen as treasured collectibles in | | | | |