| Shopping for vintage costume jewelry is a great | | | | being sold in flea markets for a few bucks while |
| opportunity to mix business with pleasure. Vintage | | | | being worth several times that amount! There are |
| costume (or "fashion jewelry" as it is commonly | | | | three main things that help determine the value of |
| known today) jewelry can be worth a lot of money | | | | vintage costume pieces: |
| in today's marketplace. Seasoned jewelry collectors | | | | - Rarity |
| can spot vintage pieces in flea markets and e-Bay for | | | | - Quality of Materials |
| a fraction of what they are being sold for. So when | | | | - Craftsmanship Indeed, there were dozens of |
| shopping for gift jewelry this holiday season, be on | | | | companies competing in this massive market but |
| the lookout for signed pieces by the top | | | | they all produced jewelry in varying quantities. Some |
| manufacturers as they are investment opportunities | | | | of the larger ones like Florenza and Coventry flooded |
| in disguise! | | | | the market with thousands of copies for each design. |
| Vintage costume jewelry was designed to mimic fine | | | | Some of the smaller manufacturers like Barclays, |
| jewelry and started to become popular in the United | | | | DeMario, and McClelland produced much smaller |
| States in the early 1920's. Originally brought over by | | | | volumes. |
| GI's from France after fighting in World War I, the | | | | Consequently, pieces made by some of the small |
| inexpensive jewelry quickly became the new rage in | | | | players are actually rarer thus enhancing their value if |
| the states. Popularity reached a fevered pitch during | | | | other variables remain constant. There are always |
| the mid to late 1920's and American companies | | | | exceptions so be sure to research pieces carefully |
| quickly dominated the market. Some of the most | | | | because larger companies sometimes produced some |
| popular makers were: | | | | designs in small quantities making them more valuable |
| - Coro | | | | than typical pieces from the company. |
| - Trifari | | | | The quality of the stones also plays a large role in |
| - Weiss | | | | determining the value of vintage "fashion" jewelry. |
| - Eisenberg Also known as "fashion jewelry", costume | | | | While none of the stones would be considered |
| jewelry is classified as any type of jewelry not | | | | "precious" in the traditional sense, there were |
| manufactured using precious metals (though some | | | | companies that made jewelry using superior grade |
| feature silver) or gemstones. They were produced in | | | | stones and gemstones like Bogoff, Weiss, and |
| large quantities while looking fantastic for pennies on | | | | Hollycraft. |
| the dollar when compared to a fine jewelry | | | | One manufacturer that is renown for using |
| counterpart. Essentially, the fakes became the | | | | exceptionally high quality stones is Eisenberg and thus |
| economical alternative to the relatively excessively | | | | it is hard to find a piece at a flea market that is not |
| priced fine pieces made from gold, silver, platinum and | | | | already high-priced. However, you may get lucky and |
| prominently displaying precious gemstones. | | | | locate a cheap an unsigned one and be able to turn a |
| When new, fashion jewelry could be purchased for | | | | tidy profit. Currently, jewelry made by companies like |
| under ten dollars in most cases before the start of | | | | Weiss, Hollycraft, and Bogoff tend to be under-priced |
| World War II. Some manufacturers were forced to | | | | on the market and thus make a better investment. |
| go out of business during the Great Depression and | | | | Aside from the materials used, the quality of metal |
| yet quite a few managed to make it through the | | | | and craftsmanship will help determine how valuable a |
| lean years and thrive in the glory days of the 1950's | | | | piece is on today's market Some manufacturers |
| and 1960's. | | | | known for their incredible craftsmanship were: |
| Sales were boosted to all-time high's in the 50's and | | | | - Eisenberg |
| 60's thanks to television and a boom in advertising. | | | | - Trifari |
| Today, high quality costume pieces are more popular | | | | - Kramer |
| than ever and make great gift for young girls, | | | | - Monet |
| teenagers, and even adults just looking to have | | | | - Danecraft |
| some jewelry that looks great without costing a | | | | - Eisenberg Vintage costume jewelry can be seen as |
| fortune. | | | | either a great investment opportunity or a special gift |
| While cheap to buy when first released, vintage | | | | for a loved one who collects it. Shopping for fashion |
| fashion jewelry produced during the 1920-1970 time | | | | jewelry this holiday season can be double the fun if |
| period has appreciated greatly in value in many cases. | | | | you find yourself making a healthy profit while finding |
| Incredible as it is to believe, there are many pieces | | | | the best deals on vintage pieces! |