| about to return from the war, the inexpensive but | | | | this massive market but they produced jewelry in |
| dazzling fashion jewelry was an immediate hit with the | | | | varying quantities. There were the larger companies |
| women back home. As new designs featuring a host | | | | such as Coventry and Coro who quite often produced |
| of new semi-precious stones and unique materials | | | | thousands of pieces in each design. Then again, you |
| were released, it caused a rapid rise in popularity. | | | | also had manufacturers such as McClelland and |
| These bright and vibrant pieces became ubiquitous | | | | Barclays who produced much smaller volumes. |
| fashion accessories during the roaring twenties with | | | | Accordingly and when all other factors are held |
| American companies dominating the landscape. Some | | | | constant, such pieces made by them both rarer more |
| of the most popular American manufacturers of | | | | prized by collectors. Doing your homework is important |
| costume jewelry include: | | | | because even the large players produced some |
| Coro | | | | designs in small quantities making them more valuable |
| Eisenberg | | | | than typical pieces from the company. |
| Weiss | | | | Without question, stone quality is a large variable when |
| Coventry | | | | it comes to assessing the value of a piece of vintage |
| Trifari | | | | jewelry. While none of the stones would be |
| An Antique costume piece is any piece of jewelry that | | | | considered "precious" in the traditional sense, there |
| does not prominently feature precious metals (though | | | | were companies that manufactured pieces using |
| some feature silver and may be gold plated) or | | | | superior quality semi-precious stones and gemstones, |
| gemstones while also being mass produced. The | | | | such as: |
| cheap jewelry could be purchased for a fraction of | | | | Eisenberg |
| what the fine pieces cost. Essentially, the fashion | | | | Bogoff |
| pieces became the "cheap" alternative to similarly | | | | Weiss |
| designed fine pieces made of out precious metals and | | | | Hollycraft |
| displaying precious gemstones like sapphires or rubies. | | | | Eisenberg is famous for using exceptional stones so |
| Virtually any vintage costume bracelet, necklace, or | | | | finding a piece that is not already high-priced is very |
| pendant could be purchased for $4-10 in most cases | | | | difficult. However, it is still possible to find an |
| prior to World War II. Poor sales and the Great | | | | inexpensive yet valuable an unsigned one. Focus your |
| Depression forced some manufacturers to close their | | | | efforts on locating pieces by Weiss, Bogoff, and |
| doors. Surprisingly, however, a lot of the companies | | | | Hollycraft as they tend to be somewhat undervalued |
| survived and did quite well after the second world war. | | | | on the market and thus make a better investment. |
| All-time record sales were seen all throughout the | | | | Other than the stones and materials, the quality of |
| 50's-60's thanks in no small part to advertising | | | | metal and craftsmanship will factor into the value of a |
| advances like television. Today, high quality costume | | | | piece. Manufacturers known to consistently craft |
| pieces are more popular than ever and make great | | | | superior pieces were: |
| gift for young girls, teenagers, and even adults just | | | | Eisenberg |
| looking to add some diversity to their jewelry collection. | | | | Trifari |
| Despite costing relatively little when first launched, | | | | Kramer |
| vintage fashion jewelry produced in the years | | | | Money |
| 1920-1970 potentially are worth many times their initial | | | | Danecraft |
| value. Incredibly, there are many pieces being sold in | | | | If you develop a sharp eye and really learn how to |
| flea markets for a few bucks while being worth | | | | identify the unsigned vintage pieces by top |
| hundreds! There are three main things that help | | | | manufacturers like Eisenberg, you can really turn a |
| determine the value of vintage costume jewelry: | | | | hefty profit just by browsing e-Bay and flea markets. |
| Available Supply | | | | In many cases, the vendors don't realize the value of |
| Material Quality | | | | the piece and a buyer can have it for pennies on the |
| Craftsmanship | | | | dollar. |
| Indeed, there were dozens of companies competing in | | | | |