Hi Javier If anyone thought getting glamorous in grandmother's closet with her costume jewelry was fun, hold on to your hat pin because what cost a few dollars then could be worth hundreds today, and the good news is that just about anyone can become a collector. You don't need a lot of capital to get started.
One of the best parts about collecting vintage costume jewelry is it's accessibility. Not only is Kramer costume jewelry a good investment and a lot of fun to collect, but you can pick up pieces from $5 to several thousand dollars.
I beleive it was Coco Chanel who first coined the word "costume" to describe her complete outfit concepts and the jewelry designed to accompany them. For collectors, "vintage" costume jewelry dates from the 1960s and way back into the mists of time with the Victorians.
Glass, rhinestones, crystals, marcasite, silver, false pearls, enamel, mother of pearl and plastic were all used to produce the fabulous fakes we love to collect today.
How do you get started? Those new to collecting can visit costume jewelry dealers, antique shows, junk shops, goodwill and second hand stores, garage sales and flea markets.
When you spot a piece of unusual design or quality, check for a designer or manufacturer's signature on the back. Although not always present, these signatures indicate instantly if you've made a "find."
Highly collectible names to look for include Weiss, Eisenberg, Hobe, KRAMER, Trifari and Miriam Haskell, who stopped producing her astonishing creations in 1958 and whose signature appears as a horseshoe. Some manufacturers, like Monet and Coro, still produce jewelry today.
Always go for design, quality and affordability and above all only buy what you love. Steer away from buying pieces with poor soldering, stones missing or crude workmanship.
Take Sherman vintage jewelry as an example of how costume jewlery can increase in value. Sherman were manufactured in Montreal.
If the average price for a piece of Sherman jewelry in 1985 was $48, right now it could be worth anything above $125 and rising. They're in high demand in the United States and the quality is just as good or better than the big American names.
The demand for vintage costume jewelry and the increasing prices could be because having the real thing isn't what it used to be. It's risky wearing genuine stones out on the street flaunting your wealth is no longer as socially acceptable.
Big buyers of vintage costume jewelry are the Japanese at present and pieces from North America sell for more in Europe, the Europeans appreciate the humor imbued in costume jewelry.
The value of each vintage piece depends on the designer, workmanship, quality and cut of the stones, for example, bevelled glass verse plain set glass, the time that went into making the piece, and the elaborateness of design which reflects the art and craft of the desginer.
The market is a good one for both serious and beginning collectors. Collecting vintage costume jewelry which includes Kramer can be a very worthwhile investment, and even mistakes are not so costly.
Kind Regards Yvonne
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Good post by: Javier Graham
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