4 Features To Look For In A Valuable Piece Of Vintage Costume Jewelry
Whether you inherited a loved one's estate, bought an interesting jewelry collection at an auction, or otherwise, always be on the lookout for valuable vintage jewelry pieces. Vintage costume jewelry buyers will often pay a lot of money for rare or noteworthy jewelry pieces, even those that may not look like they will be all that valuable.
Costume jewelry has been popular for centuries, and pieces with certain attributes can be quite valuable. How do you know if a vintage piece you have could be worth a good amount of money? Take a look at four features to evaluate before contacting a vintage costume jewelry buyer.
A Valuable Designer Name
Grab a magnifying glass and look closely at your vintage piece. Look for insignias, initials, stamps, and trademarks that could indicate a piece is more valuable. Certain jewelry artisans and designers made pieces that are highly collectible, and, therefore, exceptionally valuable.
Specific Jewelry Styles
Certain vintage costume jewelry styles are valuable simply because they are either iconic for the era they came from or a rare find. Look for vintage pieces that boast unique features compared to other pieces from the era, as these can oftentimes be more valuable. But also, look for features of a piece that make it clearly identifiable as coming from a specific era. In either case, you could have a valuable piece that a buyer would be interested in purchasing.
The Gemstone Cut
If the vintage jewelry piece you have contains gemstones, be sure to pay attention to the cut of the stones. Certain stone cuts are highly valued among collectors because they are either affiliated with a certain artisan or rare to find. For instance, a briolette cut is one of the most complex gem cuts because it leaves a stone with dozens of facets and a ton of flashy sparkle to admire. Therefore, any piece of costume jewelry with a briolette cut may be more valuable.
Time of Production
If possible, try to determine when the piece of jewelry was made. If you are lucky, you may have a piece that comes with a purchase receipt or certificate of authenticity from a seller. However, if you don't have these rare documents, you may be able to tell the time of production by looking at the style. For example, art nouveau styles were really popular in the early 1900s. Therefore, pieces commonly boasted a whimsical style with natural elements.
For more information, contact vintage costume jewelry buyers.