Costume Jewlery
What would be considered costume jewlery today? I’ve always thought of costume or fashion jewlery as jewlery that you purchase to go with a certain outfit.
You get a good-looking red dress and you want to wear jewlery that complements that particular dress.
When that fashion goes out of vogue, the costume jewlery bought to go with it gets thrown out, given away or moved to the bottom of a drawer somewhere. Your costume jewlery collection usually fluctuates with the latest fashion.
Unlike real gold jewlery, usually, no one places much value in costume jewlery. You certainly wouldn’t put it in a safe, and probably wouldn’t suffer too much if you lost it or it turned up missing.
Not only do you buy it to accessorize a certain ensemble, but you purchase it to add beauty and style to both you and your entire outfit. Nothing attracts attention faster than a stylish, appropriate piece of jewlery.
The relatively low cost of most costume jewlery, at least that which we typically think of as costume jewlery, lets you highlight as many separate ensembles as you want without ruining your bank account.
Indeed, costume jewelry allows you to define your fashion statement to your heart’s content without worrying about the cost of wearing the latest style or fashion.
Having said that, there is a difference between fine costume jewlery, and cheap costume jewlery. A variety of materials may be used in making costume jewlery, and the more expensive the metal used, the more expensive the jewlery.
Costume jewlery can be made from sterling silver, kundan, gold plated metals, semi-precous stones, glass beads, hemp, pewter, stainless steel, and you name it, it has probably been used to make costume jewlery. Usually the jewlery you select depends on the style you want to convey.
Certainly, costume jewlery is not in scant supply, and some of the vintage costume jewlery is well worth collecting.
If you decide to begin a collection of vintage costume jewlery, there are a number of places to look that you might not think of right off the cuff. Flea markets, garage sales, and antique fairs are all good places in which to search and you might even be lucky enough run across an unbelievable deal on a remarkable piece.
Also, church bazaars inevitably turn up interesting costume jewlery, maybe even a Fabulous Fake, that has been stashed away up in someones attic.
When these precious pieces get passed down to the next generation, they are often forgotten or considered worthless pieces of junk. Many rare finds are discovered through patiently searching through the costume jewlery at a church rummage sale.
There are a few things to be aware of when digging around for antique or vintage costume jewlery. Avoid pieces that are turning green, missing stones, or the pieces where the pins or clasps are broken or don’t function properly.
If you’re looking for current fashion costume jewlery, try looking online at the wholesale costume jewlery sites. There are many Web sites that offer a wide selection of today’s trendy costume jewlery styles.