| Vintage costume jewelry, unlike the fashion jewelry | | | | to be undervalued and the most profitable to collect |
| sold in department stores today, actually appreciates | | | | and one sure way to identify a particular |
| in value so you have to know what you are looking | | | | manufacturer is by design. Unsigned pieces by |
| for when purchasing. Identifying the profitable pieces | | | | companies like Bergere and B. David are highly prized |
| to collect boils down to knowing what actually | | | | by collectors and can be identified by their distinctive |
| determines value on the market. | | | | but high quality designs. |
| Costume jewelry is always mass-produced using | | | | If other pricing factors are held constant, then the |
| cheaper materials like semi-precious stones. Costume | | | | rarity of the piece will greatly determine value. While |
| pieces were basically your low-cost but flashy | | | | there were dozens of manufacturers, they all |
| alternatives to the fine jewelry. None of the fashion | | | | produced jewelry in varying quantities. Profits tend to |
| pieces sold in department stores today will ever | | | | be lower when talking about pieces made by the |
| appreciate in value but this is not the case with most | | | | larger players like Coro and Accessocraft who |
| vintage pieces. Making big money is possible when | | | | produced jewelry in large batches. DeMario, |
| collecting but you need to understand what | | | | McClelland, and other small companies might only have |
| determines value so you can purchase the most | | | | batch sizes numbering in the hundreds. |
| profitable pieces to resale. One needs to look at five | | | | When other pricing variables are held constant, signed |
| different components to determine value: | | | | pieces from the small companies tend to be worth |
| Rarity | | | | more money. Still, careful research is required |
| Market Demand | | | | because even larger manufacturers sometimes |
| Originality of Design | | | | produced specialty batches. These were smaller |
| Craftsmanship and Materials | | | | batches making the pieces more valuable than others |
| Condition | | | | produced by the same company. |
| The demand varies greatly among costume jewelry | | | | The overall design is accentuated by the quality of |
| pieces and can play a larger role than any other | | | | craftsmanship and materials used to produce each |
| variable when it comes to final price determination. | | | | piece. The gemstones are typically the most relevant |
| Simple economics dictates that higher demand will | | | | materials to the price of a vintage piece of costume |
| command a higher price. Currently, signed pieces by | | | | jewelry. Costume jewelry is literally defined by its |
| Miriam Haskell are en vogue and commanding top | | | | relatively cheap materials and yet there were a |
| dollar in the collectible world. Learning which pieces are | | | | select few manufacturers who almost always used |
| collectible and which are just pretty is the most | | | | superior materials and production techniques. When |
| critical step towards collecting for a profit. True | | | | talking about gemstone quality, the best companies |
| collectors seeking profits need to remember that the | | | | to look for are: |
| popular pieces do not always have great designs or | | | | Bogoff |
| materials--but they still tend to be more profitable to | | | | Bergere |
| collect. | | | | Weiss |
| What, if any, variables will influence demand for a | | | | Eisenberg |
| piece and perhaps make it more valuable? The design | | | | As with all antique valuations, the final condition of |
| of the piece itself plays a large role in the demand | | | | the piece plays a pivotal role in the price |
| for the piece and thus also has a big affect upon | | | | determination. Be careful to note and account for any |
| value. Seasoned investors sometimes avoid collecting | | | | excessive signs of wear, discoloration, lost stones, or |
| the signed vintage pieces because everyone is | | | | damage of any kind to the jewelry as this will |
| already looking for them. Instead, they will focus on | | | | necessarily lower value. Remember, even vintage |
| unsigned but well-designed pieces because they tend | | | | pieces showing considerable signs of wear can still |
| to be more profitable than many of the signed | | | | command $100 or more. As all vintage costume |
| necklaces, brooches, etc. A large portion of the | | | | jewelry has some degree of wear given its age, |
| entire vintage costume stock is unsigned despite | | | | collectors still make handsome profits by collecting |
| having been made by some of the most respected | | | | and selling even the "ugly pieces". |
| companies in the industry. The unsigned pieces tend | | | | |