Appraisals: for vintage costume jewelry?

esiders

wishing and hoping
O.G.
Nov 2, 2005
2,035
10
Does it make sense to have items appraised even if they are not real gemstones/materials?

I bought some costume jewelry from a local seller I found on Craigslist. The jewelry came from her boyfriend's grandmother who died recently. The grandmother moved to the US 12 years ago from Bulgaria, so most of these pieces are "old" (pre-1960s). The seller only charged me $25 for 5 pairs of clip-on and screw-back earrings, 2 necklaces, a bracelet and 2 pins. She kept saying to get them appraised because they might be worth something since they are old and European.

I'm familiar with vintage costume jewelry because I inherited a bunch of peices from my grandmother....but I never thought it was valuable in terms of resale/appraisal value. Any opinions? Thanks.
 
Well, think about vintage bakelite, lucite and celluloid jewelry. Some really nice pieces sell for several hundred dollars!

I say, get it appraised if you are particularly curious or want to sell it in the future. Otherwise just enjoy wearing it!
 
I would not get it appraised. You can go to e*ay jewelry forum and post questions and pics about your items and they have a lot of costume jewelry experts who can help you out. The market for old costume jewelry is like any other old collectible. I collect antique and vintage fine and costume jewelry. I only get the fine appraised but very rarely. PM me if you want some internet sites for vintage/antique costume jewelry. The first step is to check for any signed pieces. Post some pics some people on this board may know more.