Vintage Costume Jewelry Reference Book

One of the best ways to get started researching vintage jewelry is going to your local library.  I was amazed at the number of books available at the library on vintage costume jewelry.

Warman's Costume Jewelry Identification and Price Guide by Pamela Y. Wiggins was the first book I checked out of the library for reference.  After checking it out, I purchased my own copy as I knew I would look at it for information again and again.  Here is an image of the book as well as some of the reasons why I valued it.

One of the features of this book that I really like is that it divides up the time periods by year.  So not only does it have the most popular designers with their own sections but it also has the 1920s, 1930s, etc. up to the 2000s, as well as, Late Victorian: 1880-1900 and Edwardian: 1900-1920.  

My copy of this book has the copyright date of 2014 which is one of the newer reference books in my collection.  

One section that I refer to often is the section on earring findings.  It shows you photos of many of the clips from different times.  One in particular that I was looking for has a heart shape on the clip.  It was a brass back from the 1930s which was used during the transition from screws to clips.  

What I have noticed when I compare all of my reference books is that the authors have their favorites, just like we do.  So many books will have one designer, where others may not.  Be sure to look at the Table of Contents before purchase to make sure you find the reference book that has the designer who's information you look for most often.  

Here are a few examples of earring backs.  The first is a set of B & N screw back earrings.

The next two pair are Sarah Coventry clips and you can see the style has the hallmark on the back of the clip. 

The last pair is a Marvella set of clip earrings.

I have found that the style of earring clips is a great resource is narrowing down the age of a pair of earrings, particularly if they are unsigned.  

Recognizing Vintage "Costume" Jewelry

Looking at the back of the jewelry piece is a real plus.  I would say that of all of the characteristics that you can look for to recognize vintage jewelry would be to inspect the back of the piece.

In the title, I clarified my post to further narrow the vintage jewelry area to vintage "costume" jewelry.  I am by far no jewelry expert but by researching, reading reference books, and pouring over web sites on vintage jewelry, I have come up with a pointer or two.

As you look at the back of the piece, keep track of how the back looks as it is a true clue to the age of the piece.  Reference books on Costume Jewelry are invaluable as they give you details on how the majority of jewelry backs will look during a particular time period.  

My next suggestion would be to look for a signature or mark which is usually on the back of the jewelry.  This is also referred to as a hallmark.  I used this example because the particular piece has a stamped MONET mark on the back of the brooch which is easy to read and identify.  When you are just beginning to collect vintage jewelry, I would try and pick as many signed pieces as possible.  There are a lot of signed Sarah Coventry, Monet, and Trifari.  All three of these companies have new items that carry new hallmarks so be on the lookout for these newer items as they will not fall into the vintage category.  

This is one of the resource sites where I look to see the maker's mark during a particular time period.  For example, if you go to the M section and look down until you find MONET, you will see how the marks changed over specific years.  This is the link for that site: http://www.illusionjewels.com/research/costumejewelrymarksm.html

Speaking of Monet, there is a reference book that I own, that is specifically about the history of Monet jewelry.  It is not my most used reference book but it is one that I'm happy to have in my Costume Jewelry reference collection.  Here is the information below:

Monet: The Master Jewelers

Alice Vega , with Photography by Terry Niefield

Recognizing Vintage Jewelry

Recognizing vintage jewelry is very important and I believe it is one of those things that you acquire over time, however, you can definitely sharpen your skills with a few clues to look for as you are out looking for a new vintage jewelry find. 

One of the first things I learned when looking at a brooch was to turn the jewelry over and look at the back.  Older jewelry, particularly around the 1960s, had beautiful gold and silver plating on the back of their jewelry.  Of course, it was not on everything, but it was on a large number of pieces.  An example from one of my sets which I recently sold and was listed on Etsy and is shown below:

This set belonged to my mom and she purchased it in the 1960s.  The gold plating on the back of the piece is smooth and occasionally shows some puddling.  This set is not signed, however, it has the V shaped pin which is attached with a rivet with the rolling c clasp on the back and the smooth gold tone backing and I recognize from those clues that it is a vintage set from the 60s era. 

My mom and I began our jewelry store on Etsy with the idea of selling a lot of her vintage jewelry collection.  It has been such a joy to find items and resell them in our store that we have expanded from her personal items to those that we also find along the way.

Hope this tip helps you in some small way as you begin or continue your journey to identify vintage jewelry.