Tossed Out Trash Or Cherished Treasure?—

Vintage Jewelry An Affordable Bit Of History

By Nancy K. Crevier

There is something about the human body that desires decoration. The unadorned skin begs for some application to make it stand out from all other flesh surrounding it, and through the centuries, men and women have found ways to comply.

Ear and nose piercings have been common since ancient and Biblical times. Piercings of body parts provided permanent areas of the body to display ornamentation and the practice has remained popular right up through modern times, although cultural mores dictate which body piercings are more acceptable than others.

Even more permanent than piercings is the application of a tattoo to the body, with a colored ink inserted beneath the skin’s surface. Popular for more than 5,000 years, tattoos have been applied as a status symbol or as symbols of beauty. Tattoos may have spiritual or historical significance, particularly in Polynesian cultures.

Far less invasive, though, are the many forms of jewelry humans have created for themselves and others, using natural and created products as far back as 70,000 years ago.

Jewelry has served not only decorative purposes, but functional purposes as well, holding together clothing before the era of buttons and buttonholes. Jewelry has been worn over the centuries for religious and superstitious reasons, and has often indicated social status.

The jewelry selected by men and women of Western cultures, as with every other culture, has been a reflection of the history of the times.

“Mourning jewelry” made of vulcanite, ebonite, and black glass was popular during the Victorian era, following the death of England’s Prince Albert. Later Victorian pieces included lockets, hair ornaments, cameos (frequently embellished with the Queen’s likeness), cuff links, and pierced earrings. Along with flowers, snakes, lizards, and birds, there was acrostic jewelry. Acrostic jewelry, made up of various precious and semiprecious stones in which the first letter of each stone spelled out a word, was a development of the Victorian era.

Lacy, open work jewelry, with lots of garlands and dangling necklaces highlighted the Edwardian era, from 1890 to 1920. Tiaras and collar necklaces were popular, often studded with diamonds, pearls, or faux gemstones.

As costume jewelry gained popularity with the public, overlapping the Edwardian era was the Art Nouveau era. Flowing, curvy, feminine figures and patterns were the rage for the mass-produced pieces.

The Art Deco period, in the 1920s and 1930s, was known for sleekly shaped, boldly colored jewelry, oversized cocktail rings, pendants, and elaborate accessories such as embellished cigarette cases.

The Retro period, 1935 to 1950, was a more glamorous era, reflecting a fascination with Hollywood and the many Hollywood stars. Sunburst designs, ballerinas, and horses dominated jewelry trends, and the postwar military influence was seen in many pieces of jewelry. It was during the Retro period, too, that the synthetic Bakelite and celluloid plastics developed in the early 20th Century became popular materials for making costume jewelry.

Elaborate, sophisticated designs, charm bracelets, and poodle and Christmas tree pins decorated with glass rhinestones dominated the Art Modern period from 1945 to 1960.

Always, diamonds remained a girl’s best friend, as did other gems and natural stones, and craftspeople continued to blend the old and the new with precious and semiprecious metals, natural elements, and creativity into continually evolving products.

Cherished Treasures

For Marcia Chaloux of Newtown, buying and selling costume jewelry is a passion that has evolved into a part-time job through her business, Cherished Treasures.

When she received a box of jewelry that had belonged to her father’s mother nine years ago, it set off a wave of nostalgia that was only intensified as her other grandparents began to pass away in short order.

“I’ve never really been into jewelry, but I love beads and had been making some beaded jewelry. Then I started going through the box of my grandmother’s jewelry and it really brought back some wonderful memories,” recalled Ms Chaloux.

 It was not until her curiosity was captured by an eBay offering of a lot of 700 pieces of costume jewelry in 2003, though, that her love affair with fashion jewelry truly began. “I was looking for beads to buy and saw this lot and, on a whim, just decided to bid on it,” she said.

Fifty-four dollars plus $26 in shipping later (“It was two, taped together and very heavy boxes that were shipped,” she said), the “wonderful, old pieces” arrived at her home. It took her more than three weeks to sort through the treasures, much of what she discovered was costume jewelry created by some of the well-known designers of the 1920s and 1930s.

“I was just hooked,” said Ms Chaloux, and she started doing research through library books and online, educating herself about the specific designers who had created the jewels that have bedecked fashion-conscious American women during the last century. “I got the feeling that whoever had owned this lot had been in the business at some time. There were pieces by Monet, Napier, Trifari, Coro, and Kramer, and these are names that collectors look for,” Ms Chaloux said.

She brought some of the pieces down to shops in the Cannondale area of Wilton, and found shop owners going gaga over it. From there, Ms Chaloux began to look out for more costume jewelry and started attending regional shows to sell the vintage pieces she had collected. “That was the start, and it has grown into an obsession,” laughed Ms Chaloux, who works as a product manager for a branding and packaging design firm in Danbury when she is not trading jewelry.

“Vintage costume jewelry, right up through the 1980s, was really well-made, which is why it has endured,” said Ms Chaloux, even though the inexpensive pieces were never intended to be more than seasonal baubles at the time they were marketed. At shows, costume jewelry collectors often have a specific designer or style or era in mind as they shop, she said, and she has learned to identify what people are seeking.

“People love crystal, especially old, old crystal necklaces with the beads strung on chain,” she said. Other buyers look for Bakelite bracelets or a particular animal or figure, often rhinestone encrusted. Still others want Florenza or Coro designed pieces, and there are those who may simply see a piece that stirs a memory and they buy it.

Keeping It Affordable

The weak economy has not hurt her business greatly, said Ms Chaloux, although some of the shows are smaller, with fewer dealers. “I think that people like to buy something for themselves, even when times are tough. It makes them feel better about themselves, and they can do it with costume jewelry for as little as $2 or up to $100. I try to keep it affordable,” she said.

Collecting vintage jewelry has led to some nice surprises, said Ms Chaloux. “Within that first box I ever bought, just finding that some of it was as old as it was, was exciting. There was one hand painted porcelain pin, a most beautiful rose pattern, that I discovered was actually a well-known piece from the late 1800s,” she said.

A collection of jewelry she received on consignment had a bracelet that tweaked her curiosity. She brought it to a local jeweler to be assessed and discovered that the chunky, somewhat ostentatious charm bracelet was actually held together by 18 karat gold ringers and clasp, and made of genuine citrine, garnets, and blue zircon. Other items that at first glance appear to be of glass or manufactured materials have also turned out to be rather valuable, as well, she said, though by and large those instances are rare.

“Mainly, it is just all fun,” she said.

Along with vintage and antique shows, Ms Chaloux also does private parties, and will take on collections for consignment. She is able to provide minor jewelry repair for vintage jewelry. Contact her at cherishedtreasures@charter.net.

“I love it,” said Ms Chaloux. “You can get a piece of history at an affordable price.”