Title: Why antique and vintage costume jewellery?
Published: 9th December 2010
By: Lorraine Evans
Website: www.house-of-francheska.co.uk
Most of the items are kept on the website to provide a future reference for those who are trying to find information on their own vintage costume jewels. I decided to produce the gallery as I could not find many resources available apart from receiving valuable information from contributors and also from well known serious collectors around the world who have written and published wonderful books. Without these dedicated people who fuel themselves with passion for vintage costume jewellery and tirelessly spend thousands of hours researching on the past designers I personally feel we should preserve the designers history as it could be lost through time and this is where the dedication from serious collectors is really appreciated.
The showcase gallery is my small contribution to bring an understanding on vintage costume jewellery and to bring you an extensive database on past jewellery designs and information on the designers. There are plenty of books to buy on antique and vintage costume jewellery and a must have for the serious collector. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to come across more of the same item although this is rare as many are now one off rare pieces due to age and loss over time, limited editions or the item could be a one off tailor-made piece.
Have you ever heard or said "I used to wear jewellery like that, oh how I wish I kept it now" you can own the same again. All our vintage jewels are original and authentic they are the new collectable, some not all the items shown within the gallery are considered museum quality pieces. It is known the earlier designs are more precious than fine jewellery, people often ask me "why is this jewellery so valuable?" my reply - "Because some of the designs were made by high profile designers and most are no longer with us they used intricate techniques plus they were very careful in choosing high quality materials unlike in today's market where the materials are of a lower grade except for the top fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, Lanvin where they do use high quality materials in their designs, another factor to consider is most of today's designs are mass produced".
In the earlier days Hollywood actresses like Bette Davis, Lana Turner and other famous actresses wore jewellery made by these same past designers for their films plus they would have their real gems tailor-made into costume jewellery so they could keep their original fine jewels in a vault, the rich and famous still do this today.
You will find some of the items listed within the gallery will show the information on the original manufacturer, the designer, the patent number with the information sheet and sometimes we come across the original advertisement. This database is growing rapidly and I will try to update it every day. Antique and vintage jewellery value depends on current market trends, condition of the item, the rarity of the design and the designer. You will also see present day new collections from well known designers.
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 Gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor Pictures |
