| The first time costume jewelry appeared in | | | | Craftsmanship |
| the United States was shortly after World War | | | | |
| I. Purchased in small French boutiques by | | | | Indeed, there were dozens of companies |
| soldiers about to return from the war, the | | | | competing in this massive market but they |
| inexpensive but dazzling fashion jewelry was | | | | produced jewelry in varying quantities. There |
| an immediate hit with the women back home. As | | | | were the larger companies such as Coventry |
| new designs featuring a host of new | | | | and Coro who quite often produced thousands |
| semi-precious stones and unique materials | | | | of pieces in each design. Then again, you |
| were released, it caused a rapid rise in | | | | also had manufacturers such as McClelland and |
| popularity. These bright and vibrant pieces | | | | Barclays who produced much smaller volumes. |
| became ubiquitous fashion accessories during | | | | Accordingly and when all other factors are |
| the roaring twenties with American companies | | | | held constant, such pieces made by them both |
| dominating the landscape. Some of the most | | | | rarer more prized by collectors. Doing your |
| popular American manufacturers of costume | | | | homework is important because even the large |
| jewelry include: | | | | players produced some designs in small |
| | | | quantities making them more valuable than |
| Coro | | | | typical pieces from the company. |
| | | | |
| Eisenberg | | | | Without question, stone quality is a large |
| | | | variable when it comes to assessing the value |
| Weiss | | | | of a piece of vintage jewelry. While none of |
| | | | the stones would be considered "precious" in |
| Coventry | | | | the traditional sense, there were companies |
| | | | that manufactured pieces using superior |
| Trifari | | | | quality semi-precious stones and gemstones, |
| | | | such as: |
| An Antique costume piece is any piece of | | | | |
| jewelry that does not prominently feature | | | | Eisenberg |
| precious metals (though some feature silver | | | | |
| and may be gold plated) or gemstones while | | | | Bogoff |
| also being mass produced. The cheap jewelry | | | | |
| could be purchased for a fraction of what the | | | | Weiss |
| fine pieces cost. Essentially, the fashion | | | | |
| pieces became the "cheap" alternative to | | | | Hollycraft |
| similarly designed fine pieces made of out | | | | |
| precious metals and displaying precious | | | | Eisenberg is famous for using exceptional |
| gemstones like sapphires or rubies. | | | | stones so finding a piece that is not already |
| | | | high-priced is very difficult. However, it is |
| Virtually any vintage costume bracelet, | | | | still possible to find an inexpensive yet |
| necklace, or pendant could be purchased for | | | | valuable an unsigned one. Focus your efforts |
| $4-10 in most cases prior to World War II. | | | | on locating pieces by Weiss, Bogoff, and |
| Poor sales and the Great Depression forced | | | | Hollycraft as they tend to be somewhat |
| some manufacturers to close their doors. | | | | undervalued on the market and thus make a |
| Surprisingly, however, a lot of the companies | | | | better investment. |
| survived and did quite well after the second | | | | |
| world war. | | | | Other than the stones and materials, the |
| | | | quality of metal and craftsmanship will |
| All-time record sales were seen all | | | | factor into the value of a piece. |
| throughout the 50's-60's thanks in no small | | | | Manufacturers known to consistently craft |
| part to advertising advances like television. | | | | superior pieces were: |
| Today, high quality costume pieces are more | | | | |
| popular than ever and make great gift for | | | | Eisenberg |
| young girls, teenagers, and even adults just | | | | |
| looking to add some diversity to their | | | | Trifari |
| jewelry collection. | | | | |
| | | | Kramer |
| Despite costing relatively little when first | | | | |
| launched, vintage fashion jewelry produced in | | | | Money |
| the years 1920-1970 potentially are worth | | | | |
| many times their initial value. Incredibly, | | | | Danecraft |
| there are many pieces being sold in flea | | | | |
| markets for a few bucks while being worth | | | | If you develop a sharp eye and really learn |
| hundreds! There are three main things that | | | | how to identify the unsigned vintage pieces |
| help determine the value of vintage costume | | | | by top manufacturers like Eisenberg, you can |
| jewelry: | | | | really turn a hefty profit just by browsing |
| | | | e-Bay and flea markets. In many cases, the |
| Available Supply | | | | vendors don't realize the value of the piece |
| | | | and a buyer can have it for pennies on the |
| Material Quality | | | | dollar. |
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