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About Costume Jewelry

The Manufacturing Process

Repairs

Fakes and Recasts

Value and Pricing

The Manufacturing Process

Design

Choice of materials

Finishing

The Manufacturing Process for molded jewelry.

A detailed drawing of the design is created.

A model is handcrafted from the design drawing.

A mold is made from the model.

Metal is cast into the mold to create the setting.

The piece is polished and prepared for plating.

In some cases, multiple pieces are used to create a design. The pieces must be riveted or hooked together.

Plating is a three step process: first copper, then nickel and finally gold, gun metal or rhodium. Today, some metals don't require plating because the casting metal already has a gold or silver color.

Finally the rhinestones are set in place.

 

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The Manufacturing Process for stamped jewelry.

A detailed drawing of the design is created.

A steel machine die is created.

The piece or pieces are stamped out of base metal.

The piece is polished and prepared for plating.

In some cases, multiple pieces are used to create a design. The pieces must be riveted or hooked together.

Plating is a three step process: first copper, then nickel and finally gold, gun metal or rhodium. Today, some metals don't require plating because the casting metal already has a gold or silver color.

Finally the rhinestones are set in place.

 

Front

Back 

 

Repairs

To repair or not to repair that is the question. Try not to buy something that needs a repair unless you are buying it to wear yourself. Never buy repaired jewelry (other than ones with replaced rhinestones) as an investment. Repairs can significantly decrease the value of a piece. Repairs to costume jewelry are difficult and  often more costly that with real jewelry.

The most common repair is rhinestone replacement which should be undetectable. However, if the color, size & shape and quality of the rhinestones isn't consistent with the other rhinestones in the piece, the replacement rhinestones will be very obvious.

Re-plating and re-enameling are possible repairs but can be very costly. There are 2 types of plating, cold plating and chemical plating. Cold plating is basically a dip that is like painting the piece and doesn't last as long. The chemical plating process is expensive and produces fumes that are toxic if not vented properly. Either of these processes will make a piece look like new and take away to vintage appeal of the piece.

Soldering or micro welding is done when a piece is actually broken. This is an easy process however if done incorrectly or sloppily can ruin the piece. Special care must be taken to protect the finish of the piece and the rhinestones.

Conversions and pin replacements can also detract from the value of a piece.

Fakes and Recasts

No one can know everything. But there are sellers who intentionally deceive buyers. Sometimes the seller just doesn't know. In either case, there are a large amount of fakes, recasts and revival jewelry out there. Some collectors even collect the fakes. Eisenberg, Weiss, Bakelite, and Jelly Bellies are among the most often faked jewelry.

Patents on the old designs have run out long ago and some were never patented to begin with, so the copies are actually legal. Some companies like Miriam Haskell and Kenneth Lane are still producing costume jewelry today and periodically revive designs using the original molds.

Marriages are another problem. To keep a piece alive, sometimes parts of one piece are combined with another to make a whole piece.

Your best defense against fakes is to become knowledgeable. Learn what the real pieces look and feel like. Look for signs of age: metal wear, pitting, corrosion, darkened rhinestones, worn enamel and older types of closures. Make sure you always take your loupe with you when shopping. If you have purchased a piece that was represented as old and find out it is a fake, return it and insist on your money back. A reputable dealer should refund your money.

Value and Pricing

Flea market, show, antique mall and book prices can all differ significantly. This just puts the burden on you as the collector to know about the jewelry you like to collect.

Book prices are the most common used reference when establishing an approximate value of a piece of jewelry. When using a book as reference make sure you check the publish date of the book and also read the section where the author specifies how the prices were determined. Sometimes it is dealer or owner estimates, sometimes its auction or show prices and sometimes is an average of all of these.

The factors that drive the prices of vintage costume jewelry are the same factors that drive pricing for any saleable item: rarity, demand, design and originality, workmanship, and condition.

Regional tastes as well as availability also play a big part in costume jewelry prices.

**** As with any antique or collectible, buy what you like in the best condition you can afford.

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Carol Bell Copyright © 2004 [www.treasures-in-time.com]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 09/22/06.