Vintage Collections

Collecting Vintage Costume Jewellery

Vintage Costume jewellery was first made for several reasons.
For those who wanted to look well bedecked but had not sufficient funds for the real thing.
For the film making industry so the characters looked to be wearing the real thing but which were actually rhinestones.
And, finally for those with the real thing who were scared of losing them so had copies made.
For myself I do not see the point in paying out “thousands” for items you are too scared to wear.

Among “Vintage Costume Jewellery Collections” you will find many themed collections.

Collecting is a very personal thing.
Some prefer sparkles and collect only rhinestone pieces.
Others prefer animals, insects (as seen above), people(figurals), flowers, baskets or Christmas, regardless of the kind of metal or stones used.
There are those with a national theme, semi precious stone theme, or collected purely for the metal used gold, gold plate(gold filled or washed), brass, silver, rhodium with or without embellishment.
I have a small collection of butterflies and also vintage mechanicals (of these more later) as well as my ‘vintage bling’.
I also have a collection of carnelian and other semi precious stone necklaces.
The other collections I have seen are devoted completely to one designer or manufacturer e.g. Lea Stein, Sarah Coventry, Weiss, Harry Iskin, Trifari etc.

This is a gold filled brooch dating from the 1940's signed by Harry Iskin.