A Look at Vintage Jewelry

Vintage jewellery is a piece of jewellery that is at least 25 years old. Jewellery which is more than 100 years old is considered as antique vintage jewellery. There are various periods which define this the craftsmanship and styles in vintage or antique vintage jewellery and these periods date from the Victorian periods up to 1900, the Arts and Crafts period which started from the beginning of the twentieth century and extended up to 1923, The Art Nouveau and Edwardian styles which existed at the same time though for lesser time, the Art deco which was from 1920 to 1935 and the Retro style of the 1940’s.

Collecting Vintage Jewellery

Vintage jewellery can be vintage wedding jewellery, vintage Christmas jewellery, vintage rings, vintage earrings and vintage rhinestones. There are many more types of jewellery and collectors of such items will sort their jewellery according to periods and themes besides types. Before you start a collection it is best to do some research on the periods mentioned above and the jewellery represented by each period. You should know the difference between the various periods.

Consignment shops that contain jewellery donated from personal collections of people who have passed away is a good place to start a vintage collection. Look out also for estate sales where quite often the owners who would have inherited the estate have no idea of the value of the jewellery or its history. Garage sales, especially in older neighbourhoods are another place to start. Finally there are a number of online sites solely devoted to vintage jewellery that can be looked at. You would find all the jewellery neatly classified as per periods and type and you can concentrate on the niche that you are interested in. The photographs of the jewellery would give you a good indication of what you are looking for.

Wearing Vintage Jewellery

There has been a recent trend for using vintage jewellery during weddings and other important social events. Retro vintage jewellery is a favorite here and because of its bold, sculptured shapes and baroque scrolls which are decorated with colored aquamarines, amethysts, and gemstones, including rubies. Vintage wedding jewellery is quite often worn by the bride and the groom and will mostly be period pieces handed down in the family, even if it is quite often borrowed. Vintage jewellery worn by brides quite often belongs to their grandmothers and even earlier generations.

Antique Vintage Jewellery

Antique vintage jewellery is quite often jewellery that has been in a family or collection for generations. These pieces of jewellery will have been retained by the owners because off the unique craftsmanship of the jewellery, and the fact that it has lasted for more than a hundred years speaks for its uniqueness and strength. Quite a few of them may not even have precious stones inlaid into them. They are however likely to have rhinestones or other types of non precious stones.

In spite of this the jewellery is highly desired and the variety of its usage is something unknown in present day times. You would find mourning pins, collar pins and brooches which are very rarely worn nowadays. Quite a few of these antique vintage jewellery may be painted and these hand painted pieces are so rare and treasured that having one in your collection is a coup in itself. Signed pieces are considered the most valuable though unsigned pieces are also in demand because of their age and uniqueness.

Care of Vintage Jewellery

Vintage jewellery requires a lot of care while cleaning so that you do not damage the piece while cleaning it. While soap and water can be used, some of the jewellery may not take kindly to this. It is better to use a polishing cloth and a brush to clean the vintage jewellery piece. You need to be especially careful where stones have been glued in, as this glue may come unstuck and leave you with a damaged piece of jewellery. The patina of age is quite apparent on vintage jewellery pieces and requires to be preserved to keep up that vintage look. Make sure you do not remove this during your cleaning efforts.