| The authentic costume jewelry of the 1920's thru | | | | some of the larger players produced some specialty |
| 1970's is of higher quality, worth more money, and will | | | | pieces in limited batch sizes and will thus be worth |
| appreciate in value. This means that it is very possible | | | | more. |
| to buy low, sell high, and make a decent living while | | | | So aside from economic considerations like supply and |
| having a great time. Identifying the profitable pieces to | | | | demand, what actually affects value determination? |
| collect boils down to knowing what actually determines | | | | Demand for a piece is stimulated most by the actual |
| value on the market. No precious metals or gemstones | | | | design of the jewelry. While it is easier to locate and |
| are used to make costume pieces but some jewelry | | | | collect the signed vintage pieces, avid collectors know |
| is plated with precious metals like gold or silver. In | | | | that the unsigned pieces tend to be the most |
| addition, costume pieces are mass produced in large | | | | undervalued and thus have the highest profit potential. |
| batches. | | | | Many vintage costume pieces, including those made by |
| Made using cheaper semi-precious stones and | | | | some of the largest manufacturers, are actually |
| materials in factories, the costume jewelry made up | | | | unsigned but still very valuable. Being able to identify |
| for its high-class roots in both affordability and design. | | | | quality or exceptional designs is one way to spot the |
| Despite being relatively inexpensive when it was first | | | | unsigned but valuable pieces. Some of the most |
| purchased, many vintage pieces have dramatically | | | | profitable unsigned pieces by manufacturers who |
| appreciated in value over the years. For anyone who | | | | consistently produced high quality designs include those |
| can identify the valuable pieces, collecting vintage | | | | by Holycraft and Florenza. |
| jewelry can be a very profitable hobby or side-line. | | | | Gorgeous designs are often amplified by the quality of |
| Pricing for vintage pieces can be broken down into | | | | materials and construction techniques. The gemstones |
| five main components: | | | | are typically the most relevant materials when it |
| Rarity | | | | comes to the value of a particular piece of jewelry. |
| Originality of Design | | | | Gemstones of exceptional quality were consistently |
| Demand | | | | used by a few of the major manufacturers. When |
| Quality of Materials and Craftsmanship | | | | talking about gemstone quality, the best companies to |
| Final Condition | | | | look for are: |
| Vintage jewelry prices vary greatly and one of the big | | | | Bogoff |
| reasons is because the supply is so varied. The | | | | Bergere |
| vintage jewelry was produced by dozens of | | | | Weiss |
| manufacturers who all produced batches of varying | | | | Eisenberg |
| size. Larger companies like Coro and Trifari would | | | | The condition of the vintage piece is the final |
| commonly produce thousands of pieces of each | | | | determining factor in price determination. Like any |
| design. DeMario, McClelland, and other small companies | | | | jewelry, value will be lowered for excessive scratching |
| might only have batch sizes numbering in the hundreds. | | | | or peeling, lost stones, or discoloration. Remember, |
| Investors are well advised to seek out pieces | | | | even vintage pieces showing considerable signs of |
| produced by smaller companies like DeMario or | | | | wear can still command $100 or more. By knowing |
| McClelland as they are rarer and thus worth more | | | | what to look for, you can easily turn a fun hobby into a |
| money if all other variables are the same. But you | | | | sustainable and significant long-term income. |
| really do need to do your homework because even | | | | |