| What do you collect? | Clothing + Fashion | Jewelry + Watches | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Ads + Signs | Autos + Transport | Eras + Decades | All » |
Costume jewelry, or jewelry made of inexpensive materials, surged in popularity starting in the 1920s, and is still hugely popular today. Costume jewelry is bigger, brighter, and flashier than fine jewelry, and the emphasis is more on fun and eye appeal than on the designers' technical skills.
Some of the most popular costume jewelry items include earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, and parure matching sets, as well as pieces made by notable designers, such as Trifari, Haskell, and Eisenberg...
Costume jewelry falls into two categories: 1) pieces which imitate fine jewelry items, and 2) pieces created just for fun, often featuring comical, political, or cultural designs. Costume jewelry imitating fine jewelry can be so skillfully made that it can be hard to tell the difference.
Throughout the 20th century, inexpensive costume jewelry pieces were sold at variety stores while more expensive items were sold at department stores and via catalog.
Costume jewelry was made of glass, plastic, and synthetic or semiprecious stones with imitation or inexpensive metals. Rhinestones and Bakelite, for example, were two commonly used materials. Plated metals (gold- and silver-plated brass, nickel, and pewter, for example) were commonly used to replace real gold and silver.
During World War II, the base metals used for costume jewelry were needed for the war effort, so sterling silver jewelry became popular and was sometimes plated with colored gold. Those items are sought-after today.
Other materials used during WWII include wood, felt, plastic, yarn, and leather.
Because it was cheap, costume jewelry was meant to be fashionable, and women were expected to get rid of old pieces as new fashion trends changed; however, many women saved their jewelry pieces because they liked how they looked!
See all 12 Costume Jewelry events

My husband and I have many collections. We were in London at one point in the ’80s, and I saw a fabulous collection… [more]

My parents had a second-hand store in Orlando, Florida. They sold furniture and clothing. They would buy estates, a… [more]

I’ve been interested in jewelry since I was in high school. I’ll be 60 in September, so that’s a lot of years. I wo… [more]

I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of… [more]

Jewelry lovers, venture through this amazing database of vintage jewelry articles, catalogs, and brochures, as well… [read review or visit site]

It looks like we're not in Kansas anymore with Elizabeth Rowlands' site on vintage costume jewelry from the 1940s a… [read review or visit site]

Daniel VanArsdale loves owls. He must, because his online collection of costume jewelry owl pendants numbers more t… [read review or visit site]

Carol Bell's simple but informative site focuses on photographs of brooches, bracelets, pendants, and pins, with an… [read review or visit site]

Jewelry collectors, feast your eyes on this internet gem! It's a goldmine of jewelry information featuring all styl… [read review or visit site]

This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful and comprehensive. S… [read review or visit site]

With its vast galleries featuring clear images of jewelry and style, this site really covers it all! Divided up by … [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Are we missing one? Tell us.
21 watchers29 watchers3 watchers8 watchersSource: Google News
GREATER RESTON NEWCOMERS AND NEIGHBORS CLUB, a discussion about how to take care of vintage costume jewelry. Refreshments served...Read more
Like Hoffman, the walls of Menagerie Castle, 705 Edgewater Ave., are draped in yards of colored lace, bits of vintage costume jewelry and ribbons...Read more
There will be numerous exhibitors and collectors of vintage costume jewelry from the tri-state and regional area at the event. Browsing through the displays...Read more
Chicago Tribune fashion writer Ellen Warren is talking all about vintage costume jewelry in the paper today. The Antique and Resale Shoppe on north Harlem...Read more
I am on the prowl for vintage costume jewelry (in all conditions) and fun objects all the time. You never know where you are going to find the next treasure...Read more