Collecting Vintage Costume Jewelry

Vintage costume jewelry got its start in the theatres of Europe in the early 1900's, giving it the lasting name of "costume", but popularity really speeded up when Americans fell in love with it after the end of the First World War. Soon after, U.S. companies started dominating costume jewelry design and manufacturing from the late 1920's onward.

As with most vintage or antique item, the scarcity of a certain costume layout will greatly determine value. Vintage jewelry was produced by big, medium and small companies, creating both a lot of diversity, but also leading to big differences in supply levels.

When you decide to collect vintage costume jewelry you need to consider is its condition. It does have to function properly. All stones of it should be totally intact and metal finishes must not be worn away. But, if you are doing the product purchase as an monetary investment, it does not matter whether you like it or not, but you need to see to it that the piece must be in good condition.

 

The item should bear signature of its designer. The designer-signed jewelry pieces are by and large a good or fine investment. It is also smart to invest in a jeweler's loupe, which is basically a little magnifying glass, so you can be able to find the tiny signature, which is mostly located on the back on the screw-back or clip of an earring, on the stem of a brooch, or on a clasp.

However, many vintage costume jewelry makers are notorious for making collections that do not have a jeweler's mark. Ultimately, these unsigned items often prove more profitable, because they are less recognized by dealers. A significant portion of the whole vintage jewelry market is filled with unsigned pieces, making it imperative to recognize well-designed and valuable objects. In most instances, just being able to identify a quality design will help you increase on your valuable collection.

 

With some treasured items of vintage costume jewelry nearing 100 years old, it is quite typical to find many items showing significant marks of wear. Yet, even vintage necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces are coveted by investors and collectors as they are worth huge money even in less than perfect condition. By knowing what to search for, seasoned vintage costume or fashion jewelry collectors can still create great profits even off of jewelry with discoloration, rust or even missing gemstones.

Here are some of the most known custume jewelry manufacturers:

 

Founded in 1942 by a earlier Coro company employee named Albert Weiss, Weiss has become one of the most popular and collectible names in vintage costume jewelry market. Weiss is known for gorgeous and elegant rhinestone pieces including brooches, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. But, the Weiss company went out of business in 1971, so their jewelry are very collectible and the most beautiful items including figurals like birds and animals usually sell for high prices on auction sites and in both online and offline stores.

 

 

 

 

 

The Eisenberg company started in 1914 as an apparel company. Then around 1930's, they designed and began to market jewelry pieces. Like Weiss, Eisenberg is famous for high quality craftsmanship and for using high quality materials, including glittering Austrian crystals. Their first pieces were marked as "Eisenberg Original" and later on they marked their pieces simply "Eisenberg" or "Eisenberg Ice". The Eisenberg company continous to produce jewelry today but obviously the older pieces are the most collectible.

 

 

 

 

 

Pronounced ho-bee, Hobe has earlier been a name synonymous with fine quality costume jewelry since the 1920's. The Hobe family actually began making jewelry in France in the late 19th century, then William Hobe established the official company when he arrived to the US from France in the late 1920's. Hobe jewelry is characterized by it's superior quality of craftsmanship, usage of gold and silver plated settings and high quality stones. The original, family driven Hobe company went out of producing jewelry in the early 1990's.

 

 

 

 

 

The name Coro originally comes from an abbreviation of the original founders last names, which were Cohn and Rosenberger. The company was established in New York around the turn of the century and later named Coro. The Coro company was one of the most, if not the most, prolific designer of costume jewelry in the 20th century. At one point during the 1920's, the company was said to have engaged more than 2000 workers in making their lines of costume jewelry. The Coro company prided itself on producing costume jewelry for a large range of customers, and as a result you could locate Coro pieces available in both a local five and dime store and also find exclusiver Coro pieces in high end department stores. Coro's finest items could easily compare in craftsmanship, design and quality to well known, highly collectible brands like Weiss and Eisenberg.