You will most likely never see the costume pieces of today appreciate in value but this is not the case with the vintage costume jewelry. Distinguishing between the valuable pieces and the worthless ones can turn out to be a very profitable hobby or even a career. Assessing value of any jewelry piece always boils down to five variables: Originality of Design, Rarity, Supply, Quality of Materials/Craftsmanship, and Final Condition.
Vintage costume jewelry is often confused with the cheap "fashion" variety you see in most retail stores today. Costume jewelry had been trendy with theatre people in Europe but popularity really took off when Americans fell in love with it during the 1920's and beyond when U.S. manufacturers then began dominating the industry. Some popular and highly coveted vintage costume pieces are made by some of these American companies, such as:
* Art
* Carnegie
* Weiss
* Eisenberg
* Coro
Antique pricing is greatly determined by the rarity of the item on the market, which is also the case where vintage jewelry is concerned. Dozens of different-sized manufacturers led to dramatic differences in batch sizes which ultimately affected the available supply for any given design. Larger companies like Coro and Trifari would commonly produce thousands of pieces of each design. On the other side of the coin, McClelland, DeMario and many of the smaller players might only produce a few hundred of each design. Signed and many unsigned pieces by small companies like Barclays will tend to command greater value on the market for no other reason then their relative rarity. Yet even large manufacturers conjured up a small specialty batch for holidays and other special occasions. And, in most cases, the specialty pieces will be of higher value than others produced by the very same outfit.
While rarity plays a large part in the overall value of any particular necklace or bracelet, demand always plays the largest role. If you want to collect vintage jewelry and make money, then you need to do a little homework and find out which pieces are in demand and which are not. Profits tend to be highest for investors when they do their homework and avoid purchasing pieces they like as opposed to the ones they know to be profitable.
In truth, the vast majority of vintage costume pieces are actually unsigned. Collectors can optimize profits by locating the unsigned pieces by the top manufacturers. In many cases, simply being able to identify a quality design will help you do this. The exceptional quality of jewelry design by companies like Hollycraft and Bergere make unsigned pieces from these companies both easy to spot and very profitable to collect.
The quality of the stones and overall craftsmanship of the jewelry piece also aids in the success and overall popularity of any design. The quality of production definitely helps preserve the condition of vintage costume jewelry, but the gemstone selection and overall quality are more important to price considerations. Costume jewelry is literally defined by its relatively cheap materials and yet there were a select few manufacturers who almost always used superior materials and production techniques. Try locating pieces from companies like Eisenberg or Bogoff as they almost always used the best stones possible.
The condition of the vintage piece is the final determining factor in value. It is quite common to find excess scratches, lost stones, rust, and other forms of discoloration on vintage costume jewelry pieces. Although, having noticeable signs of wear, most vintage costume jewelry is worth more today than when it was originally sold new.
Vintage costume jewelry is often confused with the cheap "fashion" variety you see in most retail stores today. Costume jewelry had been trendy with theatre people in Europe but popularity really took off when Americans fell in love with it during the 1920's and beyond when U.S. manufacturers then began dominating the industry. Some popular and highly coveted vintage costume pieces are made by some of these American companies, such as:
* Art
* Carnegie
* Weiss
* Eisenberg
* Coro
Antique pricing is greatly determined by the rarity of the item on the market, which is also the case where vintage jewelry is concerned. Dozens of different-sized manufacturers led to dramatic differences in batch sizes which ultimately affected the available supply for any given design. Larger companies like Coro and Trifari would commonly produce thousands of pieces of each design. On the other side of the coin, McClelland, DeMario and many of the smaller players might only produce a few hundred of each design. Signed and many unsigned pieces by small companies like Barclays will tend to command greater value on the market for no other reason then their relative rarity. Yet even large manufacturers conjured up a small specialty batch for holidays and other special occasions. And, in most cases, the specialty pieces will be of higher value than others produced by the very same outfit.
While rarity plays a large part in the overall value of any particular necklace or bracelet, demand always plays the largest role. If you want to collect vintage jewelry and make money, then you need to do a little homework and find out which pieces are in demand and which are not. Profits tend to be highest for investors when they do their homework and avoid purchasing pieces they like as opposed to the ones they know to be profitable.
In truth, the vast majority of vintage costume pieces are actually unsigned. Collectors can optimize profits by locating the unsigned pieces by the top manufacturers. In many cases, simply being able to identify a quality design will help you do this. The exceptional quality of jewelry design by companies like Hollycraft and Bergere make unsigned pieces from these companies both easy to spot and very profitable to collect.
The quality of the stones and overall craftsmanship of the jewelry piece also aids in the success and overall popularity of any design. The quality of production definitely helps preserve the condition of vintage costume jewelry, but the gemstone selection and overall quality are more important to price considerations. Costume jewelry is literally defined by its relatively cheap materials and yet there were a select few manufacturers who almost always used superior materials and production techniques. Try locating pieces from companies like Eisenberg or Bogoff as they almost always used the best stones possible.
The condition of the vintage piece is the final determining factor in value. It is quite common to find excess scratches, lost stones, rust, and other forms of discoloration on vintage costume jewelry pieces. Although, having noticeable signs of wear, most vintage costume jewelry is worth more today than when it was originally sold new.
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→Vintage Costume Jewelry - A Rhinestone In The Rough?
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→http://fromemaliwithlove.blogspot.com/2011/04/vintage-costume-jewelry-rhinestone-in.html
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