Vintage Costume Jewelry: Yesterday's Fashion Today
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 fashionable 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 fashion guru Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miriam
Haskell. Many of Schiaparelli