Vintage Costume Jewelry - Sorting Through The Pricing Nightmare!

Vintage costume jewelry began appearing in the United States shortly after World War I. Brought over from France by returning G.I.'s, the jewelry soon caught on in America. The popularity really began to explode in the 1920's with American companies dominating the landscape. Some of the most popular American manufacturers include:

* Coro
* Eisenberg
* Weiss
* Coventry
* Trifari

Also known as "fashion jewelry", costume pieces can be generically classified as any jewelry that is not made with precious metals or gemstones while also being mass produced and sold for relatively low cost. Essentially, it became the "cheap jewelry" alternative to the more expensive pieces made from gold, silver, and other precious gemstones like diamond or sapphire. However, while costume jewelry may have been cheap to buy when it was first produced and sold, some of the rarer pieces can now command hundreds of dollars. So how does one distinguish between the truly valuable pieces and those that still command relatively low value? There are five main components that help determine value:

1. Rarity or Supply
2. Demand
3. Design and Originality
4. Material and Craftsmanship
5. Condition


Rarity

Although there were a number of manufacturers, they produced jewelry in varying quantities. For instance, major players like Coro, Coventry, and Trifari often produced thousands of pieces in each design. Some of the smaller manufacturers like Barclays, DeMario, and McClelland produced much smaller volumes making signed pieces from these companies both rarer and more valuable when the other four factors are constant. Thus, a signed DeMario piece should be worth more than a similarly designed Coro piece. You definitely need to do your homework, however, because even the larger manufacturers produced some designs in small quantities making them more valuable than typical pieces from the company.

Demand

The value for any product or service is always determined in large part by the actual demand. The higher the demand, the greater the price. However, the personal taste of a collector is often irrelevant when it comes to actually deciding how collectible a piece may or may not be. Highly collectible pieces will be those that have a good potential for price increase such as signed pieces by Miriam Haskell. Learning which designs are collectible will help any potential investor find the best pieces for their jewelry collection. Again, you may not particularly like or even wear the most collectible designs but they are most likely to increase in value.

Design and Originality

When the other variables are held constant, design and originality will tend to play a large role in price determination. More advanced collectors will not shun unsigned pieces if they feature an original, high-quality design. In fact, many vintage costume pieces are unsigned despite the fact that they were made by one of the larger manufacturers. Spotting original or superior designs is one of the ways to identify unsigned pieces. Almost all jewelry manufacturers produced at least some great designs. The best manufacturers consistently produced costume jewelry of exceptional design such as Hollycraft and Florenza. For truly original designs, some of the best pieces to look for are those made by Miriam Haskell.

Material and Craftsmanship

The quality of the stones plays a large role in determining the value of vintage "fashion" jewelry. While none of the stones would be considered "precious" in the traditional sense, there were companies that manufactured pieces using superior quality semi-precious stones, such as:

* Eisenberg
* Bogoff
* Weiss
* Hollycraft

Eisenberg costume pieces are renowned for having superior quality stones so it is hard to find something by this company that is not already high-priced unless you happen to stumble upon an unsigned one. Pieces by Bogoff, Weiss, and Hollycraft tend to be underpriced on the market and thus make a better investment. Aside from material, the quality of metal and craftsmanship play large roles in determining the value of a piece. Companies known to consistently use high quality materials and craftsmanship include:

* Eisenberg
* Trifari
* Kramer
* Monet
* Danecraft


Condition

When dealing with antiques of any kind, condition is perhaps the largest factor when it comes to determining value. Lost stones, discoloration, rust, and excessive scratches or peeling will all lower the value of a piece.

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Vintage Costume Jewelry - Why is it Most Sought After Collectibles?

Vintage costume jewelry is one of the most sought after collectibles today. Be aware, that there are just as many fakes out there too. Nonetheless, there is an extremely large amount to select from, so where would one start? What styles would one collect? Lets start with some of the basics, and just maybe this will assist you with these answers. Please keep in mind, that there is entirely too many types to possible cover here, therefore, we will touch on just some of the basics.

This costume jewelry has been around for many years. It was all the rage in the twenties and it turned toward the Victorian side in the thirties. These are all collectible in one way or another. It is, of course, up to a collector as to what they like and would want to collect.

Lets begin with unsigned jewelry. This is a most sought after type of costume jewelry. It is relatively easy to find, and there is quite a bit of it. Most of the unsigned costume jewelry was created before the nineteen thirties. They may not hold precious stones, but, they can be just as exquisite, beautiful, and desirable, as the more valuable pieces. Why are these pieces of jewelry unsigned? This is largely accountable to the fact that they were created for the wholesale market. Many artists and designers did not see their designs as a valuable commodity. Of course, if they could only see what these pieces are worth now, they may have changed their minds. A few of the more well known names to be included on this list are Miriam Haskell, Weiss, and Eisenberg. In fact, Weiss sold much of their jewelry to Sears and J.C. Penny.

How do you know what is authentic and what is real? Be aware, there are many fakes on the markets. The only true possible way to know that you are not looking at a fake, is to research. The internet is a good place to start. Many collectors have there own personal websites out there. These websites hold a vast knowledge of information, and should not be taken lightly. There are also many books out there too. These include many pictures of these highly sought after pieces. Compare the piece or pieces to the pictures. Study the piece very hard, because, some of these fakes are quite good. Pay particular attention to any marks that they may have.

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The Most Collectible Names In Vintage Costume Jewelry

Vintage costume jewelry has become a highly collectible niche in the antiques and collectibles world. Here are some of the most collectible names in vintage costume jewelry and some background on them.

Weiss

Created in 1942 by a former Coro company employee named Albert Weiss, Weiss has become one of the most popular and collectible names in vintage costume jewelry collecting. Weiss is synonymous with gorgeous and elegant rhinestone pieces including brooches, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Sadly, the Weiss company went out of business in 1971, therefore their pieces are very collectible and the most beautiful pieces including figurals like birds and animals routinely sell for high prices on auction sites and in both online and offline stores. Watch out for reproductions of Weiss jewelry, many less knowledgeable sellers on eBay will sell a reproduction as a true Weiss. Real Weiss jewelry is of exceptional quality, you can often tell a fake from a real piece by viewing the details of the piece with a loupe. Also, some Weiss fakes have a textured backing, where real Weiss is very smooth. The stamp may also be offset or a bit difficult to read. Real Weiss generally has a strong stamp with clear lettering.

Eisenberg

The Eisenberg company began in 1914 as an apparel company. Then sometime in the 1930's, they created and began to market jewelry pieces. Like Weiss, Eisenberg is known for high quality craftsmanship and for using high quality materials, including sparkling Austrian crystals. Their earliest pieces were marked as "Eisenberg Original" and later on they marked their pieces simply "Eisenberg" or "Eisenberg Ice". The Eisenberg company still makes jewelry today but obviously the older pieces are the most collectible. For a time in the 1940's, Eisenberg used sterling silver in their pieces and any pieces in sterling silver are very collectible. Their pieces in sterling silver will be marked as such.

Hobe

Pronounced ho-bee, Hobe has been a name synonymous with fine quality costume jewelry since the 1920's. The Hobe family actually started making jewelry in France in the late 19th century, then William Hobe founded the official company when he came to the US from France in the late 1920's. Hobe jewelry is characterized by it's excellent quality of craftsmanship, usage of gold and silver plated settings and quality stones. During Hollywood's golden age, Hobe jewelry was a favorite of Hollywood stars and their finest pieces could be seen adorning starlets wardrobe's in many classic movies. Hobe pieces were all marked, with the name Hobe typically stamped in a stylized Art Deco style script with an elongated H or B or in block letters. The original, family run Hobe company stopped producing jewelry in the early 1990's, however a Hobe company exists that still produces jewelry marked as Hobe up to today.

Coro

The name Coro actually comes from an abbreviation of the original founders last names, which were Cohn and Rosenberger. The company was founded in New York around the turn of the century and later incorporated with the name Coro. The Coro company was one of the most, if not the most, prolific producer of costume jewelry in the 20th century. At one point during the 1920's, the company was said to have employed more than 2000 workers in producing their lines of costume jewelry. The Coro company prided itself on producing costume jewelry for a wide range of customers, and as a result you could find Coro pieces available in both a local five and dime store and also find finer Coro pieces in high end department stores. Coro's finest pieces could certainly compare in craftsmanship, design and quality to well known, highly collectible names like Weiss and Eisenberg. Due to their massive production, Coro used well over 100 styles of marks, stamps and variations of marks on their jewelry, sometimes changing their marks every year. Coro also produced jewelry under other brand names such as Vendome, which is highly collectible, CoroCraft, Cellini, Francois among many others. Highly collectible Coro pieces include their famous "jelly belly" pieces, sterling silver pieces including those marked MEXICO and their "Coro Duette" line.

Other Collectible Names

While these names are some of the most collectible names in costume jewelry, they certainly aren't the only collectible names. More collectible names include Art, Lisner, Napier, Trifari, Boucher, Miriam Haskell, Carnegie, Florenza, Kramer, Sarah Coventry, Schreiner, Van Dell, Whiting & Davis, Bogoff, as well as others.

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Start Collecting - Vintage Weiss Costume Jewelry

Less well known than the more available Coro or Trifari, Weiss costume jewelry is a good choice for the beginning collector.

Spanning a large range of designs and materials, from rhinestones to enamel to plastic, Weiss was in operation from 1942 to 1971, making them truly vintage pieces. Albert Weiss contracted with designers and manufacturers to produce designs with the Weiss name.

Be aware, however, that some new Weiss jewelry copies can be found. Typically the newer pieces will have pasted in rather than prong-set rhinestones, the rhinestones are small and new-looking, and the plating on smooth-backed pieces is of poor quality. If you're interested in Weiss jewelry being sold on line, be sure to ask the seller whether the piece is vintage or a reproduction. Do a search to look at both vintage and reproduction Weiss pieces, and become educated about the differences.

Weiss was known for floral, fruit and figural designs, and also geometric, Art Deco necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings. The workmanship and quality are uniformly very high. In the mid 1950s Weiss made creative use of Swarovski aurora borealis rhinestones.

A classic Weiss design features smoky quartz rhinestones with pave loops or icing. Smoky quartz was also referred to as the "Black Diamond Look", and was created to imitate German smoky quartz stones.

Weiss butterfly pins are especially collectible, and some have wings mounted on tiny springs that make them flutter. Another popular Weiss collectible is Christmas tree pins, and can be a great investment for the beginning collector. Christmas ornament pins currently sell for much less than the tree pins.

Weiss jewelry used high quality Austrian rhinestones and were made in classic, timeless designs, made to fit with a modern wardrobe as well as the fashions of years gone by.

Several marks, or "signatures" were used on Weiss jewelry. WEISS, printed in caps, dates from 1942. Other marks from the 1940s and 1950s include "Albert Weiss" in script, WEISS in script, "Weissco" and "Weiss" in caps with the copyright symbol ©, denoting pieces made after 1955.

Some Weiss pieces may be unmarked, which would reduce the value. Some were sold to department stores, which marketed them in boxes with the store name.

Weiss produced many types of sets of jewelry. Pin and earring sets, necklace and bracelet sets, three-piece sets of pin, earrings and bracelet, matching necklace and earrings, any sets, if complete, increase the value beyond that of the individual pieces. If you're lucky enough to find the original box, the you've got a real treasure.

Some vintage Weiss brooches had smooth reflective metal backs. They should be totally smooth. Reproduction pieces may have smooth backs, but the quality will not be as good as on the vintage pieces.

As always, when considering the purchase of vintage jewelry, you should be sure that the piece is in good condition. If you are buying for yourself, and not for investment, you can be more flexible with condition, but the better the condition, of course the higher the value. Is the piece is signed? Is it well designed? And, do you like it? If you're buying for investment purposes, your personal taste isn't as important, but if you're buying for yourself, buy what you like so you'll be encouraged to wear it often.

Weiss costume jewelry has been undervalued by collectors, but that seems to be changing as prices have been going up. If you're lucky enough to find a piece of vintage Weiss jewelry, and it's in good condition, you'll have a high quality collectible.

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How to Care for Your Collectible Jewelry

There are many different types of jewelry available and worn by people today. The most common types are rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Often these are made with precious and semi-precious stones and metals. These items of jewelry often hold great beauty but they can also require specialized care.

Many people simply have their jeweler care for their various pieces, and this is a good practice. A knowledgeable jeweler is experienced and knows the ins and outs of caring for even the rarest pieces. This service is often provided for free to help build a relationship with clients. However if you live away from your jeweler or simply don't have the time to take your jewelry there It can be just as easy to handle its maintenance yourself.

There are a few things that can be helpful in this pursuit. You will need a small toothbrush, some form of cleaner and a small pointed object such as a pin or needle. Once you have acquired these The rest is easy! First inspect the jewelry for anything that might make it unstable. Look for things like cracks and bends in the metal that aren't part of the piece. Look for stretched or frayed places in chains. Next use the needle to check the tightness of the stones. If you see them move in the setting or notice any of the aforementioned issues, you should consult your jeweler before proceeding.

Once you have determined the stability of the piece, immerse it in cleaner that has been warmed slightly - usually to around the temperature of a hot shower. This will help to loosen any debris, lotions or oils that may be present. Jewelry cleaner is fine for gold pieces but many jewelers use a mixture of mild soap and water. This will work well for Silver as well. After the piece has soaked for a minute or so use the toothbrush to clean it thoroughly.

It is important to note that some organic jewels such as pearls must be cleaned differently. One of the best ways to find more information about different Gems is on the internet.

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Get Genuine Barbells & Tongue Rings For Your Body Piercing

Body and body parts jewelries are most popular body ornamentation since ages. Piercing of body for ritual, traditional and fashion trends are going on for centuries. Starting from common ear and nose piercing, the latest trend is eye brow, belly, nipple, navel and tongue piercing.

Ritual Tongue piercing was prevalent during Maya, Aztec and various other old civilizations in Middle East and Asia for pleasing the gods. Today such piercing is done for the fashion and style trend. We find numerous types of Barbells and Tongue Rings, made from different materials for body and tongue piercing. Nowadays tongue rings are mostly made from Surgical Steel, Solid Titanium, Silicon Barbells and Acrylic UV.

The boys and girls, who want to flow with the latest trend and style of body piercing, can avail the huge selection of Barbells made and designed as Logo, Words & Signs, Unique Styles, Jeweled, Star, Heart, Flower, Skull, Dice, Cherry & More. These body piercing jewelries are also made from best available material such as, Bio Flex & PTFE, Titanium Anodized, Gold Plated and 14Kt Gold. Straight barbells of different gauge and lengths are most commonly used for tongue piercing. The SG steel balls offers great fun and thrilling experience clicking with the teeth because of the frequent movement of the tongues

Barbells and tongue piercing jewelries are available in both online and local market stores, but the variety and selection with online stores are unlimited, due to the worldwide customer base. Even the quality, designs, styles and types of Barbells available in these sites are unique and special, as people from all over the world with unique tastes and preferences; access these sites for their choice body and body jewelry parts.

The online stores also have easy approach to best craftsman and jewelry designers from different part of the world. The latest designs introduced by these renowned jewelers are immediately made available on Internet for larger audience and buyer viewings. The craftsman also gets the best online plate-form, from where their products can be launched to larger customer base.
But a buyer buying these barbells should take necessary precautions, while buying these body jewelries, because barbells and tongue rings are used for body piercing and body safety should always be on their mind.

There are many online sites, who offer fake or cheap body part jewelries for greater sale and higher easy revenue earnings. The reaction of these faked body part jewelries may have harmful effect, when they are pierced in the body. These reasons make it necessary that the buyer should search for the genuine body part jewelries selling sites and buy from them for their own body safety.

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