Is costume jewelry worthless?

[Lothruin]

As a young woman, I was a goldsmith for one of the local jewelers in my area. He was probably the highest-end custom jeweler in my town, and I apprenticed with him for about 2 years. In that time, I worked with platinum and gold of all types, as well as stones of every type, including a suite of five Kashmir sapphires that had taken several years to match and cut, and a yearly selection of diamonds hand-selected in Antwerp and custom cut. He traveled all over the world to find stones, and while we were a two-man operation in a town of less than 300k population, so no Cartier by any means, the work we did was up there with the best.

Which is all to say that I am at least somewhat of an expert in fine jewelry. I mostly do not wear it, for several reasons:
My ability to appreciate lower quality "real" jewelry was absolutely ruined. Very difficult to handle a $100k 5ct emerald and ever think the lesser stuff is beautiful.
I can't afford a $1k emerald, let alone one that I would actually want to wear, so I simply don't wear them. In addition to that, I am intimately familiar with the pricing structure of fine jewelry and gemstones and I know exactly what kind of workmanship goes into them, and I am not interested in paying triple keystone, or more, on anything.
I have seen what daily wear does to fine jewelry. Gold is a soft metal, and 18K is so much prettier than 14K, but 10K is the only thing that's really going to have any significant durability this side of switching to platinum. Diamonds are the hardest stone in the world, but they CRACK. Especially the non-round shapes. If you wear your rings while washing your hands, you are RUINING them. They get so gross, and the buildup of residue actually misshapes them. Anyway. I don't even wear my wedding ring daily, because I'm so paranoid about it, and I'd NEVER get enough wear out of a piece to justify the cost.

I also buy and sell vintage, and am a connoisseur of vintage costume jewelry, so that is what I mainly wear. There's something very free and easy about it, and most of what has survived the decades in a good enough condition to wear is well-made. I'm not sure I would ever spend the money they charge to get a new retail piece of designer costume jewelry, but I've already admitted I would be unlikely to spend the same money on fine jewelry even if I had it, which I don't, so take that for what it is worth. But for minimal investment it is possible to have a collection of high-quality costume jewelry that is fun to wear, unapologetic, and beautiful, and can include some beautiful vintage pieces from designers that are still around, and I definitely feel like that's the way to go.

 

[ladysarah]

As a young woman, I was a goldsmith for one of the local jewelers in my area. He was probably the highest-end custom jeweler in my town, and I apprenticed with him for about 2 years. In that time, I worked with platinum and gold of all types, as well as stones of every type, including a suite of five Kashmir sapphires that had taken several years to match and cut, and a yearly selection of diamonds hand-selected in Antwerp and custom cut. He traveled all over the world to find stones, and while we were a two-man operation in a town of less than 300k population, so no Cartier by any means, the work we did was up there with the best.

Which is all to say that I am at least somewhat of an expert in fine jewelry. I mostly do not wear it, for several reasons:
My ability to appreciate lower quality "real" jewelry was absolutely ruined. Very difficult to handle a $100k 5ct emerald and ever think the lesser stuff is beautiful.
I can't afford a $1k emerald, let alone one that I would actually want to wear, so I simply don't wear them. In addition to that, I am intimately familiar with the pricing structure of fine jewelry and gemstones and I know exactly what kind of workmanship goes into them, and I am not interested in paying triple keystone, or more, on anything.
I have seen what daily wear does to fine jewelry. Gold is a soft metal, and 18K is so much prettier than 14K, but 10K is the only thing that's really going to have any significant durability this side of switching to platinum. Diamonds are the hardest stone in the world, but they CRACK. Especially the non-round shapes. If you wear your rings while washing your hands, you are RUINING them. They get so gross, and the buildup of residue actually misshapes them. Anyway. I don't even wear my wedding ring daily, because I'm so paranoid about it, and I'd NEVER get enough wear out of a piece to justify the cost.

I also buy and sell vintage, and am a connoisseur of vintage costume jewelry, so that is what I mainly wear. There's something very free and easy about it, and most of what has survived the decades in a good enough condition to wear is well-made. I'm not sure I would ever spend the money they charge to get a new retail piece of designer costume jewelry, but I've already admitted I would be unlikely to spend the same money on fine jewelry even if I had it, which I don't, so take that for what it is worth. But for minimal investment it is possible to have a collection of high-quality costume jewelry that is fun to wear, unapologetic, and beautiful, and can include some beautiful vintage pieces from designers that are still around, and I definitely feel like that's the way to go.

What a great & informative post! Thank you and please post some pics of your vintage pieces

 

[Lothruin]

Alrighty, but of course recognize that not all of this will be to everyone's taste, and some of it is super extra. This is most of my favorite pieces. Additionally, I want to add that this represents about $100 and some hunting time invested.


The color, most of which is lucite. It's just cheap vintage bangles, mostly, but so much fun to wear.


Necklaces. I love the mid-century Japanese beaded necklaces, but prefer those with glass beads rather than coated plastic. They can be rich like the green, or sparkling like the clear faceted, or funky like the milky white, and look good on everyone, which is why they were so popular. The celluloid fruit is ridiculous, but goes perfectly with my bright pink and purple cotton Hawaiian saque back dress from the early 60s. It's just such a look. And of course, a Japanese beaded Peter pan collar. Because who doesn't love a Peter pan collar?


A suite of matched Lisner, and I actually got the earrings and bracelet together over a year ago and found the brooch last week.


1970s Whiting and Davis (of handbag fame) metal mesh bib necklace. Look how it glitters!


The swans here are reverse carved glass by Whiting and Davis, the functional bell earrings are Lisner and sound like fairies, and the ones I'm holding are onyx with sterling, hematite, and tiny rubies, but still qualify as costume rather than fine.


Bracelets. The two upper left are made of gold-painted porcelain, the two upper right are W&D repousse and the front center is antique art nouveau etched brass.


And the brooches. The bird is gold plated sterling by Forstner, the cherries and deer are both Sarah Coventry, the mouse with moveable glasses is just simple old Avon, and the elephant is a Barry Goldwater campaign pin from 1964. But apparently animals in spectacles is a thing I can't resist.

Every one of these items brings me joy, and I have gotten compliments on each and every one, including the ridiculous fruit.

 

[Lothruin]

And you know, waxing poetic about vintage costume jewelry, a lot of the premier department store brands; Coro, Trifari, etc., were considered quite posh and advertised in Vogue. Lisner started life as a US importer of Elsa Schiaparelli jewelry.

With regard to rhinestones and being "fake", Dior developed the AB rhinestone in cooperation with Swarovski. Rhinestones and the jewelry made from them came in all quality and price ranges, from fashion house jewelry to corner store. If Dior didn't shrink from rhinestones, I don't know why I should.

And I say my collection represents about $100, and I'm sure that a lot of it might look like "junk", and there might be those who think $100 is entirely too much for the whole lot of it, but Whiting and Davis was a premier costume jewelry designer, and Lisner wasn't far behind. These pieces, as they age from vintage to antique, and items in good condition become more scarce, will retain or improve their value even with the sheer quantity of mass-produced jewelry from that era. Good-condition vintage lucite and celluloid are already improving in value to the right people, and lucite is essentially what most plastic jewelry is still made from. Even if that metal mesh necklace sticks around $50-$100, it's still worth more in the marketplace than the $4 I paid for it, and it looks as new as the day it was made. Same for the Lisner suite, which probably has a couple of decades on the mesh necklace. In today's market, what's in these pics is probably worth four or five times what I paid for it, but with costume jewelry, the value of the pieces goes beyond what you paid or could get back out of it. It can't be worthless if you enjoy it.

And if you want a specific designer piece, like vintage Dior or Chanel or Schiaparelli, and are into a hunt, you can find it for less than online marketplace prices. Sometimes considerably less. (Not jewelry, but I picked up an authentic Hermes necktie for $2 yesterday.) But even if you aren't into the hunt, a good condition piece of vintage Chanel costume jewelry can be got for a fraction of their current modern prices online. Still designer, arguably more interesting, and half or less the price.

 

[honeypeach]

I have a lot of costume jewellery from Chanel (necklace earrings brooch etc) and Dior (tribal earrings). The way I look at costume jewellery is that they will always make a statement regarding your style and personality. To me, they are worthy of every penny.
I have been wearing a pair of generic 1ct diamond studs when I was younger, costed me $5000, but no one remembered those earrings, no one ever talked about them. But when I was wearing a pair of $400-500 Chanel or Dior earrings, I received compliments from each and every female colleagues. We chit chatted a bit regarding the brand, the price, and new models in stores now etc. Short but interesting conversation that lighten up a boring day and cosy up the relationship with other peers, just like talking about handbags.
I've also spent several thousands on gold plated jewellery (so maybe considered as costume), just because I like the designer's vibe (Aurelie Bidermann, available on net-a-porter and several other online sites). They may worth nothing on the resale market, but I enjoy wearing them to work.

If you ever consider reselling your jewellery, get fine jewellery, you would still lose money but at least get something back.

 

[ladysarah]

Alrighty, but of course recognize that not all of this will be to everyone's taste, and some of it is super extra. This is most of my favorite pieces. Additionally, I want to add that this represents about $100 and some hunting time invested.

View attachment 4392620
The color, most of which is lucite. It's just cheap vintage bangles, mostly, but so much fun to wear.

View attachment 4392621
Necklaces. I love the mid-century Japanese beaded necklaces, but prefer those with glass beads rather than coated plastic. They can be rich like the green, or sparkling like the clear faceted, or funky like the milky white, and look good on everyone, which is why they were so popular. The celluloid fruit is ridiculous, but goes perfectly with my bright pink and purple cotton Hawaiian saque back dress from the early 60s. It's just such a look. And of course, a Japanese beaded Peter pan collar. Because who doesn't love a Peter pan collar?

View attachment 4392622
A suite of matched Lisner, and I actually got the earrings and bracelet together over a year ago and found the brooch last week.

View attachment 4392623
1970s Whiting and Davis (of handbag fame) metal mesh bib necklace. Look how it glitters!

View attachment 4392624
The swans here are reverse carved glass by Whiting and Davis, the functional bell earrings are Lisner and sound like fairies, and the ones I'm holding are onyx with sterling, hematite, and tiny rubies, but still qualify as costume rather than fine.

View attachment 4392626
Bracelets. The two upper left are made of gold-painted porcelain, the two upper right are W&D repousse and the front center is antique art nouveau etched brass.

View attachment 4392627
And the brooches. The bird is gold plated sterling by Forstner, the cherries and deer are both Sarah Coventry, the mouse with moveable glasses is just simple old Avon, and the elephant is a Barry Goldwater campaign pin from 1964. But apparently animals in spectacles is a thing I can't resist.

Every one of these items brings me joy, and I have gotten compliments on each and every one, including the ridiculous fruit.

These are lovely! Lucite is a wonderful material for costume jewellery!

 

[aquatopaz]

Unsure why the only options in this thread are costume jewelry or fine gold. diamond types. The majority of my jewelry are expensive, artisan or designer, sterling silver pieces which last amazingly well with some care, are reasonably affordable (less than designer costume), and sometimes have semi-precious stones. I do have ridiculously expensive precious gems rings and bracelets,(still expensive though bought at wholesale) and one designer gold and precious gem ring that I seldom wear. I also have thick 24 and 22 K chains that I sometimes wear with sterling. Because the gold is soft, and I once had a beautiful gold/diamond pendant on a thin chain that was snatched, (I grabbed the pendant), I now would only put pendants on thick gold chains which wont break as easily. I recently bought a 10k chain as it also will not tarnish, but is stronger. It will hold one of my most loved pieces, an ancient Greek coin encircled in gold. It's age, to me, makes it special, though it din't cost as much as my precious gem rings. Unique, artisan pieces of high quality, are, to me, more wearable, and give me more joy than precious jewelry which must be pampered. The only precious gem jewelry I have been buying now are tiny earrings which always stay in my ears. They need more care keeping them clean, but they wont get banged around and don't need to be babied. Otherwise demi fine, unique and designer sterling is my go to jewelry. Kieselstein Cord is one of my favorites. Designer costume rings, necklaces and bracelets seem foolish to me because, if you wear them enough to justify the cost, they will soon show their age. If you don't wear then enough, they are a waste of money. Costume brooches and earrings, though, should be able to last if well made.

 

[Louish]

This is a really interesting topic. I like mixing high end with “real” or designer. I think this keeps my expensive & somewhat safe jewellery look more current/trendy while at the same time make my fashion jewellery look more expensive by association!

I don’t have the funds to have a huge designer jewellery collection so my expensive pieces are things I wear daily - I use my fashion jewellery to mix it up.

However, even with my fashion jewellery I’m fussy. If I’m going for plated I look for excellent quality as I still expect longevity. My favourites at the moment are Missoma & Alighieri.

 

[aquatopaz]

This is a really interesting topic. I like mixing high end with “real” or designer. I think this keeps my expensive & somewhat safe jewellery look more current/trendy while at the same time make my fashion jewellery look more expensive by association!
I don’t have the funds to have a huge designer jewellery collection so my expensive pieces are things I wear daily - I use my fashion jewellery to mix it up.

However, even with my fashion jewellery I’m fussy. If I’m going for plated I look for exemption all quality as I still expect longevity. My favourites at the moment are Missoma & Alighieri.

You are in great company because Coco Chanel did this mixing as well. With large and sporadically used pieces, it would be insane to have them all be real.

 

[880]

This is a really interesting topic. I like mixing high end with “real” or designer. I think this keeps my expensive & somewhat safe jewellery look more current/trendy while at the same time make my fashion jewellery look more expensive by association!

I don’t have the funds to have a huge designer jewellery collection so my expensive pieces are things I wear daily - I use my fashion jewellery to mix it up.

However, even with my fashion jewellery I’m fussy. If I’m going for plated I look for excellent quality as I still expect longevity. My favourites at the moment are Missoma & Alighieri.

Agree with all of this. Thank you for introducing me to Alighieri on another TPF thread.

 

[Louish]

Agree with all of this. Thank you for introducing me to Alighieri on another TPF thread.

I’m so glad! I only have 2 necklaces so far but many more are on my wish list!

 

[Bagatha Christie]

I don’t have a straight answer on this.
I have a Chanel monogram pendant and I really regret it. It’s just not my aesthetic. I really wish I’d gone to a local jewellers and bought some gold.

Conversely, I also have a lot of cheap costume jewellery which brightens up my looks and I can stand to lose without too much regret (circle of life). But you may hate the clutter.

The real problem is, unless you like simple, I think it takes a couple of goes to refine your aesthetic in fine jewellery too.
You also have to be able to stomach the losses. I got a rose gold bracelet I was 18 and I lost it in a house move and it still drives me nuts. After that the first fine jewellery I really went for was my wedding set and I found it so hard to pick one that I let my husband surprise me. (Victorian YG sapphire and diamonds) I love it but I do find myself glancing at emeralds in platinum sometimes all the same.

Trends do change in fine jewellery too and you’ve got to be ready to wear it off trend or store it. E.g. No one seems to like pave, clusters or cameos anymore.

I guess people would say stick to solitaire diamonds for now. That’s probably safest. I’d also say go independent shop before designer and consider secondhand.

 

[Bagatha Christie]

Alrighty, but of course recognize that not all of this will be to everyone's taste, and some of it is super extra. This is most of my favorite pieces. Additionally, I want to add that this represents about $100 and some hunting time invested.

View attachment 4392620
The color, most of which is lucite. It's just cheap vintage bangles, mostly, but so much fun to wear.

View attachment 4392621
Necklaces. I love the mid-century Japanese beaded necklaces, but prefer those with glass beads rather than coated plastic. They can be rich like the green, or sparkling like the clear faceted, or funky like the milky white, and look good on everyone, which is why they were so popular. The celluloid fruit is ridiculous, but goes perfectly with my bright pink and purple cotton Hawaiian saque back dress from the early 60s. It's just such a look. And of course, a Japanese beaded Peter pan collar. Because who doesn't love a Peter pan collar?

View attachment 4392622
A suite of matched Lisner, and I actually got the earrings and bracelet together over a year ago and found the brooch last week.

View attachment 4392623
1970s Whiting and Davis (of handbag fame) metal mesh bib necklace. Look how it glitters!

View attachment 4392624
The swans here are reverse carved glass by Whiting and Davis, the functional bell earrings are Lisner and sound like fairies, and the ones I'm holding are onyx with sterling, hematite, and tiny rubies, but still qualify as costume rather than fine.

View attachment 4392626
Bracelets. The two upper left are made of gold-painted porcelain, the two upper right are W&D repousse and the front center is antique art nouveau etched brass.

View attachment 4392627
And the brooches. The bird is gold plated sterling by Forstner, the cherries and deer are both Sarah Coventry, the mouse with moveable glasses is just simple old Avon, and the elephant is a Barry Goldwater campaign pin from 1964. But apparently animals in spectacles is a thing I can't resist.

Every one of these items brings me joy, and I have gotten compliments on each and every one, including the ridiculous fruit.

I love fruit and flower jewellery so I am living for your banana necklace and the cherry brooch. Beautiful lucite too!

 

[verychic555]

I don’t have a straight answer on this.
I have a Chanel monogram pendant and I really regret it. It’s just not my aesthetic. I really wish I’d gone to a local jewellers and bought some gold.

Conversely, I also have a lot of cheap costume jewellery which brightens up my looks and I can stand to lose without too much regret (circle of life). But you may hate the clutter.

The real problem is, unless you like simple, I think it takes a couple of goes to refine your aesthetic in fine jewellery too.
You also have to be able to stomach the losses. I got a rose gold bracelet I was 18 and I lost it in a house move and it still drives me nuts. After that the first fine jewellery I really went for was my wedding set and I found it so hard to pick one that I let my husband surprise me. (Victorian YG sapphire and diamonds) I love it but I do find myself glancing at emeralds in platinum sometimes all the same.

Trends do change in fine jewellery too and you’ve got to be ready to wear it off trend or store it. E.g. No one seems to like pave, clusters or cameos anymore.

I guess people would say stick to solitaire diamonds for now. That’s probably safest. I’d also say go independent shop before designer and consider secondhand.

I agree there is no straight answer to this. It depends on your preferences and the current trends. For me, when I was younger I bought nice/classy looking costume jewelry. I occasionally bought from forever 21, but most of them were good quality from Macy’s and Nordstrom. I like statement pieces, and those designs are generally not found in fine jewelry. Now that I’m older, I find that I look at costume jewelry but my interest shifted to fine jewelry. It could also have something to do with the fact that I have several designs of costume jewelry and don’t need more. I think it’s ok if ones buys quality costume jewelry or statement pieces as long as you don’t spend a fortune on them, because there are times I wouldn’t want to wear real jewelry, but save for fine jewelry. It gets tricky when it’s luxury costume jewelry, so it’s non-precious materials with fine jewelry prices. For those I would buy a small number of iconic pieces like a pair or two of cc ratings, one cc necklace, an Hermès bracelet or two or a piece that you absolutely “must have” and still focus more on fine jewelry. I also find that as i got older, some of my fine jewelry pieces became more “appropriate” than when I was younger.