Vintage jewelry has performed many roles throughout background, including warding off evil spirits, symbolizing religion and adornment for the sake of beauty. Today, collectors are attracted to vintage costume jewelry as well as vintage wedding jewelry for its design, aesthetic value and embodiment of the era in which it was produced.
In nearly every culture, the upper class has always had access to and means to acquire fine jewelry, but the desire to possess or wear something pretty wasn’t limited by the wealthy. While fine jewelry imitations made from paste or glass could be traced back to the actual 1700s, costume jewelry as we know it today emerged combined with the rise of the middle class and industrialization as well as didn’t reach its peak until the first quarter of the actual 20th century.
The Victorian Influence on Costume Jewelry
While Victorian costume jewelry doesn’t technically quality as vintage costume jewelry, the pieces produced throughout the reign of Queen Victoria over Great britain (1837-1901) definitely influenced practice: when Victoria took the thrown, women around the world started to view her as the fashion icon to copy.
The jewelry Queen Victoria is probably most known well know for today is her mourning jewelry, which she began putting on after her husband, Prince Albert died within 1861. Mourning jewelry was, as one would anticipate, generally black or dark in color and was typically from materials such as jet, bog oak, dyed horn and locks.
The use of hair wasn’t limited to mourning jewelry however, In an era where many people weren’t able to afford to possess portraits or photographs, women began the practice of braiding their locks into intricate bracelets, rings or brooches they’d later give to families and friends as keepsakes. Sometimes, the women would use pieces of gold or small stones as accents.
Art Nouveau Jewelry
The Art Nouveau Movement (c. 1890-1920) is often described as a rebellion against the Industrial Revolution’s methods of mass production. Often elaborate in style, Art Nouveau jewelry is seen as an asymmetrical lines and the use of sensual and nature-inspired images like leaves, lilies, dragonflies, and female faces as well as depictions of long, flowing hair.
Art Deco Jewelry
In contrast to the sensual and flowing lines depicted in art nouveau jewelry, art deco jewelry style focused more on angles and geometric patterns. Egyptian and Asian motifs were widely used in those times (c. 1920-1935) and it was also during this period that costume jewelry making began to come into its own.
During the 1930s, the pieces were produced almost using the intention of being disposable; the materials used were cheap. Jewelry was designed to become worn with single outfits or only before current fashion changed. It was also during the art deco movement that Bakelite jewelry, made from hard plastic, was made popular by fashion designers like Coco Chanel that featured it in the woman’s collections.
War-time Costume Jewelry
The start of World War II had a substantial impact on the style of costume jewelry, with patriotic symbols began appearing everywhere together with symbols of love, like hearts and lockets. As the times grew more complicated, fashion grew simpler and the jewelry produced during this period was less elaborate than what had been seen before.
Additionally, many traditional materials used in the making of costume jewelry were limited in quantity once they were available at just about all. Rhinestones, for example, could no longer end up being imported from Europe and were an issue and silver replaced alloys like copper and metal.
Post World War II towards the 1960s
When the war ended, many Americans enjoyed a windfall of disposable income. With darker times in it, women began adding glamour back to their lives and costume jewelry makers responded through fashioning big, bold pieces with sparkle and shine.
The arrival of the actual 1960s saw the rise of what’s sometimes known as the Mod era where traditions gave method to wilder designs that first featured bold floral motifs and later, the peace symbol. Enameled costume jewelry painted in bright colors had been popular and acrylic glass was accustomed to produce clunky and big pieces.
