Costume jewelry refers to jewelry made of inexpensive materials. It was originally designed along with the clothing and was meant to be discarded whenever the clothing went out of style, but the owner’s saved it because it was beautiful. So today costume jewelry is very collectible and can even cost more than some precious jewelry.
Time periods of costume jewelry are divided into 100 – year spans that reflect a subtle rather than a startling transition from one artistic period to another. The periods most collected now are Victorian (1850 – 1900), Art Nouveau (1895 – 1910), Edwardian (1901-1910), Art Deco (1920-1930), Art Moderne (1935-1945), and Modern Jewelry (1950 – present.)
Vintage costume jewelry has a long and wonderfully fascinating history. It is prized for the reflection of the historical period it represents and for its style. From the brightness of Deco rhinestones and the Bakelite shine that cheered women during the Depression to the bold, lavish jewelry of the 1950s postwar booming economies, the working class American wanted to feel elegant. Money was short to purchase precious gems, so the sparkle of rhinestones became popular.
Three periods are the favorites of today’s collectors. First the Art Deco period (1920s – 1930s) was an attempt to combine art and design in mass production. During the period of prohibition, cocktail parties, flappers, and the Charleston, Coco Chanel added costume jewelry to the Roaring Twenties costume. This movement died with the beginning of the Great Depression and World War II. Art Deco costume jewelry is characterized by the following: free flowing curves became geometric and symmetrical, bold colors and black and white became prominent, Ziegfield Follies showgirls attracted audiences with spangles, headdresses, and feathers, and The Flapper style of long pendants, bangle bracelets, cocktail rings, and cigarette cases and holders roared with the Twenties.
Next, the Retro period (1935 to 1950) featured the American-made look. Natural materials merged with plastics to give us Bakelite. The Retro period featured glamour, elegance, and sophistication shaped like flowers, bows, sunbursts, moonstones, ballerinas, horses, and a military influence.
Finally, the Art Moderne period (1945 to 1960) came after WWII. Jewelry became understated and traditional. The big bold styles, popular during the Retro period, were replaced by more tailored jewelry. Jewelry began selling like crazy. Characteristics of the Art Moderne period were as follows: bold, lavish jewelry; large chunky bracelets, charm bracelets, Jade/opal, citrine and topaz; poodle pins, Christmas trees, and other Christmas jewelry; and rhinestones. Marquese, teardrop, and pear-shaped stones were popular.
In the 50s rhinestone necklaces were popular gifts for proms, graduations, and weddings. They were so beautifully set; they could be imposters for diamonds. Today young women pin these rhinestone brooches on jeans and denim jackets.
Jewelry has always symbolized man’s love, man’s achievements, woman’s desire to enhance her appearance, the highest honor which can be granted by government, the symbol of emperor’s kings, princes, and potentates, but also a record of the economic ups and downs and the political leanings of definite periods.
