It is important to understand that not all costume jewelry is the cheap, worthless stuff that can be discarded after wearing a few times without much regret.
Costume jewelry got its start in the dazzling theatres of Europe in the early 1900's, giving it the lasting name of "costume", but popularity really took off when Americans fell in love with it after the end of the First World War. Soon after, U.S. companies began dominating costume jewelry design and manufacturing from the late 1920's onward.
Even when talking about the collectible costume pieces, all of the jewelry is mass-produced using gemstones and gold or silver plating, rather than more expensive diamonds and solid metals. Yet, in spite of their humble origins, the vintage pieces produced in factories using semi-precious materials are now considered collectibles worth well beyond their original price. Some popular American manufacturers include:
- Coro
- Eisenberg
- Weiss
- Trifari
- Barclay
As with any vintage or antique item, the rarity of a certain costume design will greatly determine value. Vintage jewelry was produced by large, medium and small companies, creating both a lot of diversity, but also leading to dramatic differences in supply levels. Profits tend to be lower when talking about pieces made by the larger players like Coro and Accessocraft who produced jewelry in large batches. But this does not mean that ever piece of jewelry from large manufacturers is worth relatively the same amount of money. In fact, special editions or limited batch productions exist from almost every design company.
On the other hand, a piece of jewelry can be rare, but command little demand for some reason or another, greatly affecting value. Big collectibles right now with strong prices are signed vintage necklaces, earrings, and bracelets from Miriam Haskell. Potential investors only need to do a little homework on the Internet to find which designs are hot and thus drawing larger asking prices. Remember, the most popular designs are not necessarily the prettiest or most unique, but they will tend to be more profitable to collect.
Many vintage costume jewelry makers are notorious for producing collections that do not bear a jeweler's mark. Ultimately, these unsigned pieces often prove more profitable, because they are less recognized by sellers. A large portion of the entire vintage jewelry market is filled with unsigned pieces, making it imperative to recognize well-designed and valuable pieces. In most instances, simply being able to identify a quality design will help you expand on your valuable collection.
Craftsmanship and stone quality have also directly influenced the overall success or failure of any design. Gemstone quality, in particular, plays a key role in determining the value of a particular piece of costume jewelry. Some companies have become famous for using gemstones of exceptional quality, although none of them would be considered precious gems. Some of the best manufacturers to seek out if you are looking for superior quality are:
- Hollycraft
- Weiss
- Bogoff
- Bergere
- Boucher
With some treasured pieces of vintage costume jewelry nearing 100 years old, it is quite common to find many items showing significant signs of wear. Still, even vintage necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces are coveted by investors and collectors as they are worth big money even in less than perfect condition. By knowing what to look for, seasoned vintage costume or fashion jewelry collectors can still make great profits even off of jewelry with discoloration, rust or even missing stones.
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