Jewelry, whether fine or costume, has been a part of human culture
since the earliest times. People wear jewelry to satisfy their vanity,
to indulge their love for beautiful things, and to look good to
others. Vintage costume jewelry fulfills all these criteria, but at a
fraction of the cost of real or fine jewelry. It is an inexpensive
alternative that does not sacrifice taste as well as style.
Vintage costume jewelry may be less expensive, but good quality ones
are never seen as cheap. They are less costly because they are not
made from precious gems. Designers of vintage costume jewelry use a
variety of materials from cut glass, beads, semi-precious gems, faux
gems -- even plastic! These pieces were created and released since the
start of the Victorian era up to the 1960s. Vintage costume jewelry
from the 1940s and 1950s are especially creative and eye-catching,
since the designers of the era had to produce relatively inexpensive
yet fa****onable items that men and women could afford and appreciate
during the war and post-war era.
Some of the most popular designers of vintage costume jewelry were
fa****on guru Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miriam Haskell. Many
of Schiaparelli=92s bright and attractive creations were made from multi-
colored rhinestones. Haskell, in her finely detailed work, almost
always paid tribute to nature=92s beauty and bounty. Chanel, the
favorite of many celebrities, transformed the way costume jewelry was
worn in the 1920s. Other pieces of vintage costume jewelry were made
from materials that included beads, corals, faux pearls, and Bakelite
-- a kind of polymeric plastic.
Vintage costume jewelry continues to be very much in vogue today, and
it has inspired many designers to create =91real=92 pieces made from
precious gems and metals. At the 2005 Academy Awards, the jewelry that
many women celebrities wore were oversized and sparkly, a tribute to
the jewelry designs of the 1940s. Stars such as Madonna, Britney
Spears, and Julia Roberts are not only collectors of vintage costume
jewelry and dress accessories; they actually wear them in public, too.
A person does not have to be a celebrity to appreciate vintage costume
jewelry. Their uniqueness, aesthetic value and superb craftsman****p
make them popular collectible items, and with proper care, they can be
a good investment, too, since serious collectors will pay top
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