| Jewelry, whether fine or costume, has been a part | | | | and bounty. Chanel, the favorite of many celebrities, |
| of human culture since the earliest times. People wear | | | | transformed the way costume jewelry was worn in |
| jewelry to satisfy their vanity, to indulge their love | | | | the 1920s. Other pieces of vintage costume jewelry |
| for beautiful things, and to look good to others. | | | | were made from materials that included beads, |
| Vintage costume jewelry fulfills all these criteria, but | | | | corals, faux pearls, and Bakelite -- a kind of polymeric |
| at a fraction of the cost of real or fine jewelry. It is | | | | plastic. |
| an inexpensive alternative that does not sacrifice | | | | Vintage costume jewelry continues to be very much |
| taste as well as style. | | | | in vogue today, and it has inspired many designers to |
| Vintage costume jewelry may be less expensive, but | | | | create 'real' pieces made from precious gems and |
| good quality ones are never seen as cheap. They are | | | | metals. At the 2005 Academy Awards, the jewelry |
| less costly because they are not made from precious | | | | that many women celebrities wore were oversized |
| gems. Designers of vintage costume jewelry use a | | | | and sparkly, a tribute to the jewelry designs of the |
| variety of materials from cut glass, beads, | | | | 1940s. Stars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, and |
| semi-precious gems, faux gems -- even plastic! These | | | | Julia Roberts are not only collectors of vintage |
| pieces were created and released since the start of | | | | costume jewelry and dress accessories; they actually |
| the Victorian era up to the 1960s. Vintage costume | | | | wear them in public, too. |
| jewelry from the 1940s and 1950s are especially | | | | A person does not have to be a celebrity to |
| creative and eye-catching, since the designers of the | | | | appreciate vintage costume jewelry. Their |
| era had to produce relatively inexpensive yet | | | | uniqueness, aesthetic value and superb craftsmanship |
| fashionable items that men and women could afford | | | | make them popular collectible items, and with proper |
| and appreciate during the war and post-war era. | | | | care, they can be a good investment, too, since |
| Some of the most popular designers of vintage | | | | serious collectors will pay top dollar for vintage |
| costume jewelry were fashion guru Coco Chanel, Elsa | | | | costume jewelry that is in mint condition. But more |
| Schiaparelli and Miriam Haskell. Many of Schiaparelli's | | | | than that, the experience of owning and wearing a |
| bright and attractive creations were made from | | | | thing of beauty that comes from a bygone era is |
| multi-colored rhinestones. Haskell, in her finely detailed | | | | simply priceless. |
| work, almost always paid tribute to nature's beauty | | | | |