Costume Jewelry

I love everything about costume jewelry, it’s  suits my pocketbook, I can buy all kinds of in vogue costume jewlery to match all my various outfits, and I can feel like I’m in style all the time.

Additionally, I get tons of compliments on my attractive, but inexpensive costume jewelry.

Most women and lots of men too would be lost without their jewlery, and costume jewelry while usually being inexpensive does not have to look cheap.  During these less than prosperous times, inexpensive costume jewelry has the big advantage of  letting us wear the look without buying the real thing.

Costume jewelry can be found almost everywhere, it strip malls, dept stores, online, wholesale outlets, craig’s list, yard sales, flea markets, craft fairs, church attic sales and pawn shops to name just a few.

Versatility  and availability are two of the main benefits of costume jewlery.  Not only is there a lot of it everywhere, but you can adapt it to meet many of your accessory needs.

There is almost an endless variety of costume jewelry and while most of it is relatively cheap, there is an enormous price range.  And, some costume jewelry made by famous designers can even be quite expensive.  It you run across a piece of vintage costume jewlery made by one of these top designers, it can be pricey.

One point to consider when buying vintage costume jewelry is to make sure that it is in good shape with the clasp in good working order.  Also, check to see if there are any stones missing.

A lot of vintage costume jewlery may be dirty and it may be difficult to see if the stones are all there.  They are hard to match if any are missing so you might be better off passing on damaged pieces.

On terrific benefit to most costume jewlery is that you can wear it out and about without worrying about losing it or having it stolen, and also you don’t usually have to insure it like you would the real stuff.

Any type of jewlery can fall into the costume category.   There are costume jewelry rings, pearl costume jewelry, costume jewelry earrings, costume jewelry bracelets and necklaces, and now there is even bridal costume jewelry.

Of course, we all still want to have a few pieces of real expensive jewlery, but when you can buy a whole jewelry box full of costume jewelry for what you could purchase just one piece of the real stuff for,  why not enjoy the many benefits of the fashion jewelry?

Fashion jewelry is another name for costume jewlery, the stones in fashion jewelry are synthetic and can be made in every color and style imaginable.  The setting material can be coated with gold, platinum or silver but the base material can be nylon, acrylic, shells, or wood.  All of these materials are readily available and cost next to nothing.

Today’s costume jewelry is made to look like the real thing and it can comfortably be worn to even formal occasions as it would take a jeweler to know the difference.

Both men and women love their real jewelry, but from the stand point of variety, cost, and versatiltity costume jewelry is often your best bet.

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.