Please share your costume jewelry!
- Thread starter maryg1
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Omigosh! LOVE the pink!
Your grandmother had marvelous taste. So tell me, do you wear all of these pieces at once? Or would it be too blinding? I can see wearing a couple of these pieces with a plain black dress. Or a white blouse and black skirt. They would turn something very sober into something very dramatic. Thank you for posting the pics! They're beautiful! Did your grandmother collect these in recent decades, or did she buy them in the period in which they were made? I'd say 1940s-1950s?
Omigosh! LOVE the pink!
Thank you for posting the pics! They're beautiful! Did your grandmother collect these in recent decades, or did she buy them in the period in which they were made? I'd say 1940s-1950s?
My grandmother would have bought them new. I have an old family and my grandparents' generation definitely did things differently...
I have only worn most of these pieces playing around. Someone else might be able to comment on the original look or styling. There are definitely matching pieces, but I have no idea if they were worn at once. This was a generation that dressed up though....
Oh I LOVE costume jewellry!!! There seems to be more fun with design and execution, and the care that can go into it and craftsmanship exceeds many 'fine' jewellry brands, and many use real semi precious stones, which is not really costume I suppose but at the same time it's not 'fine' jewellry.
I've collected vintage Miriam Haskell, Iradj Moini, Mesi Jilly, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, Arnel Papa, Arek Wolski, Erickson Beamon, Pamela Love, YSL, Dannijo, Hanna Bernhard, and a few others I can't recall off the top of my head...
I bought a Hannah Bernhard flamingo brooch of vintage swarovski crystals, loved it so much and asked Nathalie to commission a piece. It's a huge articulated coral cod (trout like fish in orange with turquoise spots I caught as a girl on a childhood holiday) and is stunning. She did a stand for it in bronze using vintage Chanel pieces... I should try upload a picture. I am still on the hunt for a cloche to display it in. I've bought two which are too narrow to house it... Though I've never been too taken with Chanel in general, and the prices are a bit too fine jewellry equivalent. As in i have bought an actual south sea pearl strand for the same Chanel equivalent, but the real pearls were larger. Go figure. Though I would never say no to a gift of it!
I dress quite 'plainly', the odd Marni or JCrew piece notwithstanding, so the pieces aren't competing with much, and my bags are more classic.
There doesn't seem much love so far so hope we see lots of lovely posts!
I've collected vintage Miriam Haskell, Iradj Moini, Mesi Jilly, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, Arnel Papa, Arek Wolski, Erickson Beamon, Pamela Love, YSL, Dannijo, Hanna Bernhard, and a few others I can't recall off the top of my head...
I bought a Hannah Bernhard flamingo brooch of vintage swarovski crystals, loved it so much and asked Nathalie to commission a piece. It's a huge articulated coral cod (trout like fish in orange with turquoise spots I caught as a girl on a childhood holiday) and is stunning. She did a stand for it in bronze using vintage Chanel pieces... I should try upload a picture. I am still on the hunt for a cloche to display it in. I've bought two which are too narrow to house it... Though I've never been too taken with Chanel in general, and the prices are a bit too fine jewellry equivalent. As in i have bought an actual south sea pearl strand for the same Chanel equivalent, but the real pearls were larger. Go figure. Though I would never say no to a gift of it!
I dress quite 'plainly', the odd Marni or JCrew piece notwithstanding, so the pieces aren't competing with much, and my bags are more classic.
There doesn't seem much love so far so hope we see lots of lovely posts!
I found a great site selling lots of statement jewellery. I bought the vintage cross earrings and skull earrings and u looove them! They are www.lovethyaccessories.co.uk
I do love a nice big colorful statement necklace from time to time, but I never spend over $40 or so, and most are under $20. I like to add add pops of color to otherwise plain outfits or create different looks from something simple like an LBD, especially when traveling. Personally though, I would never buy designer costume pieces. I would rather put that money toward better quality. On a side note, while I don't consider Sterling Silver and semiprecious stones "fine" jewelry exactly, when I think of costume jewelry I usually think base metal or something that is plated.
I wear costume jewelry, I guess. I prefer "real" materials and avoid resin, base metal, gold-tone/silver-tone, brass, etc. I do have a couple of pieces that have resin, one with gold-tone, but they were beautifully done. I think those pieces were under $100.
I like heavier weight pieces. If they are small, I'll save my money and opt for solid gold - not the hollow cheaper gold. When I need a larger statement piece, I have had good luck so far with silver and gold-over-silver. I would not pay tens of thousands of dollars for a large solid gold piece - it does not get worn as much because it attracts so much attention, it may trend out, etc. Going with a "costume" piece lets me vary my accessories for the cost of a wardrobe piece, and the ones I buy can often be mistaken for solid gold (if people really thought I would wear a big solid gold piece
).
Most of my silver and gold-over-silver pieces run between $50 and $130. I would do rhodium-plated, gold-over-stainless, probably stainless. I avoid gold over brass or "base metal". The gold may rub off one day - that figures into the price for me. I prefer gold-plated to gold-tone because I want the piece to look like real gold, and, in theory, the part that shows IS real gold. The gold-tone often seems too bright or saturated.
For stones, I would do glass, crystal, freshwater pearls, any natural stone, cz, topaz, mop, even wood or shell material if it seems like it would stand up. I think anything that is natural or non-changing and pretty would work for me. I always worry that resin would yellow over time - another reason to avoid it. I don't mind cleaning silver as long as it can be cleaned without ruining the stones on the piece.
I usually buy the costume pieces on sale or at Hautelook, which can be hit or miss. I have had good luck with a couple of gold-over-silver pieces in the $100 range. The $16 pieces (marked down from $125!) I purchased looked like plastic and glue, so I'm not tempted by those anymore.
I like heavier weight pieces. If they are small, I'll save my money and opt for solid gold - not the hollow cheaper gold. When I need a larger statement piece, I have had good luck so far with silver and gold-over-silver. I would not pay tens of thousands of dollars for a large solid gold piece - it does not get worn as much because it attracts so much attention, it may trend out, etc. Going with a "costume" piece lets me vary my accessories for the cost of a wardrobe piece, and the ones I buy can often be mistaken for solid gold (if people really thought I would wear a big solid gold piece
).Most of my silver and gold-over-silver pieces run between $50 and $130. I would do rhodium-plated, gold-over-stainless, probably stainless. I avoid gold over brass or "base metal". The gold may rub off one day - that figures into the price for me. I prefer gold-plated to gold-tone because I want the piece to look like real gold, and, in theory, the part that shows IS real gold. The gold-tone often seems too bright or saturated.
For stones, I would do glass, crystal, freshwater pearls, any natural stone, cz, topaz, mop, even wood or shell material if it seems like it would stand up. I think anything that is natural or non-changing and pretty would work for me. I always worry that resin would yellow over time - another reason to avoid it. I don't mind cleaning silver as long as it can be cleaned without ruining the stones on the piece.
I usually buy the costume pieces on sale or at Hautelook, which can be hit or miss. I have had good luck with a couple of gold-over-silver pieces in the $100 range. The $16 pieces (marked down from $125!) I purchased looked like plastic and glue, so I'm not tempted by those anymore.
Not really.
I much prefer sterling/gold/platinum and semi or precious stones - fine jewelry - to costume jewelry. But, I do have a few pieces that people have given me and I make sure to wear occasionally. Also, I do have a couple pieces of jewelry made out of wood or leather that I like. The only other costume jewelry I will wear are some vintage pieces from my grandmother.
I much prefer sterling/gold/platinum and semi or precious stones - fine jewelry - to costume jewelry. But, I do have a few pieces that people have given me and I make sure to wear occasionally. Also, I do have a couple pieces of jewelry made out of wood or leather that I like. The only other costume jewelry I will wear are some vintage pieces from my grandmother.