You love the idea of having the perfect jewelry to accessorize with, but you can’t afford dozens of fine jewelry pieces. You’re not alone. In our constantly changing, fashion-conscious world, it can seem nearly impossible to stay up-to-date on trends. This is especially true with jewelry. You seldom see people walking around in high-end fine jewelry while grocery shopping, or even on a date night to the movies. Many fine jewelry collectors see higher-end products as investments versus wearable pieces. Between prices for designer-brand name products and the high costs of precious jewelry materials, the average consumer usually considers their “fine jewelry” a collectible or keepsake.
If you love fashion, you probably have an ample selection of semiprecious collectible vintage pieces. Jewelry professionals, such as those at Judy’s Jewelry Antique and Estate Jewelry in Fort Myers, refer to these gorgeous pieces as costume jewelry. Equally affordable and often equally sustainable, costume jewelry has had a place in the collectable jewelry industry for quite some time now. If you’re interested in costume jewelry, and you want to bolster your collection with a wide variation of valuable collectible pieces, Judy’s Jewelry has all the tips you will need for beginning or adding to your costume jewelry collection.
When you begin searching for collectible pieces of costume jewelry, certain factors can help determine the value of your purchase. Specifically, the value of a piece of costume jewelry is usually determined by four factors: brand, condition, materials, and rarity. This month, we’ll take a look at each of these factors.
The Lure of Brand Names and Designers
Faux jewelry and costume jewelry have been around for quite some time, but brand name designers first gained popularity in the 1920s in America. With the Great Depression hitting people’s wallets, fashion being extremely ornate, and Hollywood needing affordable pieces to film with, designers began manufacturing more jewelry made with slightly less expensive materials. Through costume jewelry, people in the 1920s were able to continue to be the bee’s knees and all the cool cats stayed hep without spending a Buffalo Nickle.
Over the years, costume jewelry has developed into such a popular phenomenon that specific brands and designers started exclusively creating and designing costume jewelry. Today certain brand names in the costume jewelry world add value and prestige especially when it comes to collecting. You may recognize some of these brand names from the world of clothing fashion or in some cases movie and television stars have put their names on costume jewelry designs. Some of the most valuable brands and designers in the costume jewelry world include:
- Napier
- Sarah Coventry
- Coco Chanel
- Trifari
- Christian Dior
- Miriam Haskell
- Carnegie
- Joan Rivers
- Monet
- Elsa Schiaparelli
- DeRosa
- Hobe
- Coro
- Boucher
- Avon
- Betsey Johnson
Good Condition Means Higher Value
If you can find costume jewelry that is in excellent condition, with no necessary repairs, that will always make it more valuable and increase the piece’s purchase price. In the world of costume jewelry, it’s particularly important, because it means you’re less likely to lose any of the original designer’s markings or the uniqueness of the piece. Bring your pieces into Judy’s Jewelry Antique and Estate Jewelry for an honest evaluation. The closer to being “like new” the better, because it means that the piece has never had any broken parts that were possibly repaired with cheaply. For example, green tarnish in vintage pieces can be hard to remove and removal can damage other materials used in the jewelry. Certain items like rhinestones and Swarovski crystals are difficult to replace if they are missing. Look over any costume jewelry you’ve bought because missing pieces, damaged prongs, and anything of that sort can be a sign that the piece you are purchasing might not be as valuable as it should be.
