Costume Jewelry: Collecting For Profit

The first time costume jewelry appeared in theMaterial Quality
United States was shortly after World War I.Craftsmanship
Purchased in small French boutiques by soldiersIndeed, there were dozens of companies
about to return from the war, the inexpensivecompeting in this massive market but they
but dazzling fashion jewelry was an immediate hitproduced jewelry in varying quantities. There
with the women back home. As new designswere the larger companies such as Coventry and
featuring a host of new semi-precious stones andCoro who quite often produced thousands of
unique materials were released, it caused a rapidpieces in each design. Then again, you also had
rise in popularity. These bright and vibrant piecesmanufacturers such as McClelland and Barclays
became ubiquitous fashion accessories during thewho produced much smaller volumes. Accordingly
roaring twenties with American companiesand when all other factors are held constant, such
dominating the landscape. Some of the mostpieces made by them both rarer more prized by
popular American manufacturers of costumecollectors. Doing your homework is important
jewelry include:because even the large players produced some
Corodesigns in small quantities making them more
Eisenbergvaluable than typical pieces from the company.
WeissWithout question, stone quality is a large variable
Coventrywhen it comes to assessing the value of a piece
Trifariof vintage jewelry. While none of the stones
An Antique costume piece is any piece of jewelrywould be considered "precious" in the traditional
that does not prominently feature precious metalssense, there were companies that manufactured
(though some feature silver and may be goldpieces using superior quality semi-precious stones
plated) or gemstones while also being massand gemstones, such as:
produced. The cheap jewelry could be purchasedEisenberg
for a fraction of what the fine pieces cost.Bogoff
Essentially, the fashion pieces became the "cheap"Weiss
alternative to similarly designed fine pieces madeHollycraft
of out precious metals and displaying preciousEisenberg is famous for using exceptional stones
gemstones like sapphires or rubies.so finding a piece that is not already high-priced is
Virtually any vintage costume bracelet, necklace,very difficult. However, it is still possible to find an
or pendant could be purchased for $4-10 in mostinexpensive yet valuable an unsigned one. Focus
cases prior to World War II. Poor sales and theyour efforts on locating pieces by Weiss, Bogoff,
Great Depression forced some manufacturers toand Hollycraft as they tend to be somewhat
close their doors. Surprisingly, however, a lot ofundervalued on the market and thus make a
the companies survived and did quite well afterbetter investment.
the second world war.Other than the stones and materials, the quality
All-time record sales were seen all throughout theof metal and craftsmanship will factor into the
50's-60's thanks in no small part to advertisingvalue of a piece. Manufacturers known to
advances like television. Today, high qualityconsistently craft superior pieces were:
costume pieces are more popular than ever andEisenberg
make great gift for young girls, teenagers, andTrifari
even adults just looking to add some diversity toKramer
their jewelry collection.Money
Despite costing relatively little when first launched,Danecraft
vintage fashion jewelry produced in the yearsIf you develop a sharp eye and really learn how
1920-1970 potentially are worth many times theirto identify the unsigned vintage pieces by top
initial value. Incredibly, there are many pieces beingmanufacturers like Eisenberg, you can really turn a
sold in flea markets for a few bucks while beinghefty profit just by browsing e-Bay and flea
worth hundreds! There are three main things thatmarkets. In many cases, the vendors don't realize
help determine the value of vintage costumethe value of the piece and a buyer can have it
jewelry:for pennies on the dollar.
Available Supply