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A Guide On Purchasing Vintage Costume Jewelry?

Modified on September 12, 2018 at 4:46 PM

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A Guide On Purchasing Vintage Costume Jewelry

Are you planning to increase your collection of vintage costume jewelry? Or do you have a friend or loved one who loves vintage jewelry and would absolutely relish adding a new piece their collection? Herein we will delve into the considerations to have in mind while shopping for vintage costume jewelry.

Shopping For Vintage Costume Jewelry

Condition

Just as it is the case with anything you purchase, it is in your best interest to go after pieces that are in mint condition. While the vast majority of Victorian-era pieces, all the way through to the 1930s will sport a vintage look – they will not look absolutely new – it is possible to find jewelry pieces from the 1940s to the 1970s that has an almost new appearance. In worse case scenarios, they will they will have light wear and tear. As such, never settle for poor-conditioned pries just in the name of vintage costume jewelry.

With this in mind, be on the lookout for missing parts, worn plating, scratched or chipped enamel, missing stones, cloudy or darkened rhinestone, and defective clasps. These are problems that lower the value of a vintage piece. However, you should also avoid pieces that have haphazard stone replacements, and poor quality sloppy soldier repairs.

To this end, always carry out a close inspection of any prospective jewelry piece to ensure you notice these details if they are there. Furthermore, you should be very careful when making online purchases. Closely examine photos of the jewelry pieces.

The golden rule according to Modern Vintage Style is to is to always take your time and never purchase a vintage costume jewelry piece on a whim.

Place Emphasis On Quality

Another golden rule is to always make an attempt to purchase high-quality pieces, generally. Nonetheless, you can always buy a low-quality piece that is fun and you love it, but high-quality pieces tend to hold value far better than pieces that are worn out or made with cheap materials. Furthermore, they tend to withstand wear far much more over the course of time.

As such, look for signs of quality such as smooth plating, substantial weight, and sparkling stones. Additionally, you should consider the manufacturer of the piece. Manufacturers such as Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, and Schreiner are the renowned high-end jewelry manufacturers. The medium range manufacturers renowned for their quality prices include Kramer and Weiss.

You should also note that is it not necessary for the jewelry piece to be signed. There are numerous known pieces in the secondary market including the ‘Juliana’ made by DeLIzza & Elster in the hands of collectors. Furthermore, all the aforementioned companies have produced and marketed unsigned jewelry pieces at some time.

That being said, you should note that a signed piece will be far more appreciated when you gift an avid vintage collector. On the other hand, someone who will use the piece as a fashion accessory might not really care about the signature.

Consider Personality

When exploring a vintage costume jewelry piece, you should consider the types of jewelry that you (or the recipient of the piece) are comfortable wearing. The colors, the size, the overall style, and the durability of the piece should influence your purchase.

For instance, when you purchase a clear rhinestone brooch, you can use with a denim jacket or shirt and still look fabulous, even though one wears casual attire. However, a colorful vintage brooch will go well with any business attire.

And when gifting, you need to consider the recipient. It does not make sense to purchase a dainty rhinestone ring for your mom who wears bold and flashy jewelry. Similarly, it does not make sense to purchase a large brooch for your 15-year old daughter since most teenagers wouldn’t be caught dead wearing one these days.

A Guide On Purchasing Vintage Costume Jewelry

Add A Personal Touch To Your Gift!

To make the gift of vintage costume jewelry even more personal, ask the jewelry seller to give you some background information. This may include the background of former owners (better known as provenance), the materials used to make the piece, distinguishing design characteristics, era, and age of the piece, the manufacturer or the designer. This is especially a good way of making the piece more personal and priceless for people interested in vintage costume jewelry.

Whether you are interested in a gift for your vintage costume jewelry collecting friend or a fashionable piece for the moment piece, there are numerous websites to shop from. Many of these websites have jewelry pieces ranging from the Victorian era all the way to 1970s. Some these companies also stock collectible contemporary pieces from today’s the best designers. We have listed these websites at our “Shopping Spot” section.

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Posted By The Fashionable Housewife
on September 11, 2018 at 8:04 PM
Filed Under: Bracelet, Earrings, Jewelry, Necklaces, Rings
Tagged With: Accessories, Brooch, Brooches, costume, Costume Jewelry, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage Brooches, vintage jewelry

About The Fashionable Housewife

Sarah-Jean Ballard is the Editor in Chief of The Fashionable Housewife blog and Founder of Fashionable Media. Married to a sexy Molecular Biologist, housewife, mom to 5, homeschooler, Certified Personal Nutritionist and entrepreneur who's mission is to help moms just like you look and feel GREAT! Other interests include dancing, yoga, positive intactivism, natural birth and breastfeeding support, babywearing, paleo & gluten-free cooking, and promoting an overall healthy lifestyle to all.

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The Fashionable Housewife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for blogs and websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission on purchases made through our links. There is no extra cost to you! For more info, please see our Disclosure & Privacy Policy.

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You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

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If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

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He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

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Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
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No fancy electronics, screens, or extra features we don’t need. Just simple, straight forward functions and perfect results everytime. Plus it matches all my @cafeappliances too! 😂👍🏻

What do you think of this 4 slice toaster?! 

#toasters #kitchenappliances #kitchendesign #kitchendecor #whitekitchen #farmhousekitchen #farmhousestyle #whiteappliances
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The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

#leatherbooties #enjoiya #italianshoes #realmomstyle #momstyle #momstyletips
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You do not find a happy life. You make it. 

That’s the biggest lesson that grief has taught me. If I just wait around to be happy again, I’ll die sad. 

You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

#choosehappy #joyinthejourney #griefjourney #healingfromtrauma
8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favor 8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favorite. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, @daeinexplains 🥰

The last 20 years with you have been my favorite years on this earth. ❤️ 

If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

#couplegoals #marriedlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #weddingday #marriagegoals #yourestilltheone
Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍ Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍♀️

This little guy always asks to help when he sees me cleaning the house, washing the floors, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher. That’s what I love about Montessori parenting - it allows kids to do  big jobs and in turn makes them eager to help! 

He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

#lovevery #loveverytoddler #loveverypartner #montessoriathome #montessoriplayroom #montessoritoddler
Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hol Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hole. 

Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
When your toaster breaks from a power surge you ta When your toaster breaks from a power surge you take that as a sign that it’s time to upgrade! 🤪

It wasn’t hard to pick a new 4 slice toaster. As soon as I saw this one from @haden_usa I added it to my cart. I bought it from @lordandtaylor because it had the fastest shipping and I didn’t want to wait! 

No fancy electronics, screens, or extra features we don’t need. Just simple, straight forward functions and perfect results everytime. Plus it matches all my @cafeappliances too! 😂👍🏻

What do you think of this 4 slice toaster?! 

#toasters #kitchenappliances #kitchendesign #kitchendecor #whitekitchen #farmhousekitchen #farmhousestyle #whiteappliances
I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @en I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @enjoiya! 💃🏼 

The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

#leatherbooties #enjoiya #italianshoes #realmomstyle #momstyle #momstyletips
All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with the prices of eggs right now! 🤪 🐔 🥚 

Guess it’s ok to be a crazy chicken lady and have a homestead now! 🤣

#momlife #crazychickenlady #homesteadlife
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