Installment #2 of How to Start a Vintage Costume Jewelry Collection

Last month we talked about how to start a vintage costume jewelry collection.  Here is a recap of questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to purchase a piece of vintage jewelry:

•    Is it in good condition?
•    Do you like it?
•    Is it a good investment?
•    Is it signed by the designer? Is it well designed?
•    Are there any extras that make it more interesting?

We also recommended four designers for beginning collectors to focus on.  Those were

•    Coro
•    Kramer
•    Trifari
•    Weiss

Coro was our designer of the month last month so we gave a little history and showed some examples of designs.  I promised this month to feature Trifari, but first I wanted to address a question I got from one of my dear customers.  She wanted to know why on earth we didn’t include Monet in our list of recommended designers to collect.  She LOVES Monet and felt that they should have been included.

Well, I’d like to say this about that:  If there is a designer that you love – by all means, collect their pieces!  Don’t go by what I or any other so-called experts say. 

To answer her question as to why they aren’t recommended, one of the reasons is that Monet tends NOT to use glitzy rhinestones and consequently is not widely collected.  (This is precisely WHY my customer friend LIKES Monet – because she doesn’t like rhinestones!)  You should only purchase Monet jewelry that is in mint condition.  The most popular pieces are the large chunky Cleopatra-style necklaces and collars and chunky charm bracelets.  Monet Christmas pins are also good choices, but remember they are still being produced today.  If you want to collect vintage Monet, the best thing to do is study vintage advertising and then try to find the pieces in the ad.

More on Dating Vintage Jewelry

Last month I barely scratched the surface of this subject and I’m not going to go into much more detail here; like I said entire books have been written on this subject.  However, I did want to address the subject a bit more and recommend some research materials should you wish to delve into this more deeply.

One of the books I turn to frequently when trying to identify a piece of jewelry is Warman’s Jewelry Identification and Price Guide by Christie Romero.  Not only are there tons of wonderful photographs of jewelry through the years, but in the back there is a Glossary that includes line drawings of various types of clasps and a whole section on metal marks, divided by country.  So for example, there is a section on Mexican silver marks that is just invaluable. 

Collecting Costume Jewelry 202 by Julia Carroll is another valuable guide for identifying and dating jewelry from 1935 to 1980 with well-laid out charts of manufacturers and marks.

These are by all means not the only guides and maybe not even the best, but I like them and turn to them frequently when researching estate pieces that I have purchased.  There is plenty of research available out on the internet, so just type your question into Google and go!

More on Metal

We just touched on metal last month too.  I try not to make my newsletters too long – I want you to read them!  So I’ll mention a bit more here regarding metal.

Jewelry that is marked 1/20 KGF means that a thin layer of gold has been joined to the metal.  This does NOT significantly increase the price of a piece, although some dealers will try to charge more for jewelry with these types of marks.  The value of a piece with a 1/20 KGF mark should be determined by the beauty and design of the piece, not by the gold content.

Many times there will be a wash of gold vermeil over Sterling Silver.  It gives the look of gold, but over time the vermeil will wear away; some loss of vermeil is expected and does not preclude purchasing the piece, provided it meets other criteria, such as design.  Here is a really good example of gold vermeil over sterling silver in this butterfly brooch from Coro.  This piece is valuable because it is in mint condition with no loss of vermeil and still has its original tag!

Hardware

For different types of clasps and pierced earring styles, I recommend both the Warman’s book mentioned earlier and Julia Carroll’s Costume Jewelry 101.  Identifying the type of clasp is an important clue in dating jewelry.

Ms. Carroll recommends walking away from jewelry if the hardware is not in good working order.  The reason for this is that most vintage jewelry was not designed to last for decades and performing a repair can be a risky business.  If you DO elect to attempt a repair because you just truly love the piece, be sure to develop a relationship with a reputable jeweler.  I have someone that I work with regularly and one of the things I like about her is that she will tell me if she doesn’t think a piece can or should be repaired.

Extras that Add Value

•    Sets.  If possible, buy sets of jewelry.  A demi-parure is 2 matching pieces of jewelry, such as a bracelet and earrings.  A full parure is 3 pieces or more, such as adding a necklace. 
•    Original Box.  An original box can increase the price of a piece of jewelry by 25% -- collectors love ‘em!
•    Original tags:  It’s always a thrill to find an original tag on a piece of vintage jewelry.  Just beware of paper tags with designer signatures attached to unsigned pieces of jewelry.
•    Provenance.  Sometimes an owner can provide dating information or anecdotal information about the jewelry.  This may not add value to the piece, but it does make it more interesting.  For instance, I have on my website several pieces of jewelry from my late aunt, who loved her bling – I’ve written about her in my blog in the past and also have included some tidbits in some of the listings.
•    Vintage Advertising:  If you can find your piece of jewelry in a vintage ad (or in one of the many books about costume jewelry), there may be some added value; in addition, it helps with dating.

Okay, I think that’s going to be it for me today on the subject of building a collection.

If you have any specific questions that I might be able to help with or any subject you would like to see addressed in future newsletters, please email me and let me know!

Trifari

Whether you’ve been involved with the world of vintage costume jewelry or not, you’ve probably heard of Trifari.  They are a dream come true for a beginning collector.  The jewelry is well made, beautiful and was often made in great quantity over their long history, so prices of many pieces are affordable.

Trifari & Trifari was begun in 1910 by Gustavo Trifari and his uncle, Ludovico Trifari.  In 1918, Gustavo left and together with Leo Krussman founded Trifari & Krussman.  In 1925, Carl Fishel joined the team and the company was renamed Trifari, Krussman & Fishel.  You may find jewelry manufactured during this time marked “KTF.”  These would be highly collectible.

In 1954, Trifari made a line marked KTF with a crown over the “T.”  These should not be confused with the early KTF jewelry.

From 1930 to 1968, Alfred Philippe was the top designer for Trifari.

In the 1940’s metal for costume jewelry was hard to come by because of the war.  Trifari made many pieces of sterling silver during this era.  They also patented a plating process called Trifanium which gave the jewelry a look of gold or silver and happily for collectors, helped to maintain the beauty of the pieces over time.

Also during the war years, Trifari created the famous jelly belly jewelry.  True jelly bellies are figurals, such as birds or fish with a clear Lucite belly.  Lucite was developed by Dupont in 1937. (Note:  the colored lucite "jelly bellies" are not considered true jelly bellies, although many designers refer to them as such.  True jelly bellies are clear lucite.

Following is a list of what collectors should look for when evaluating Trifari jewelry:

•    True jelly bellies are clear Lucite, not colored.  The colored versions are usually made later and may even be recast from the originals.
•    Look for moonglow stones.  Moonglow stones are cabochons of varying colors that seem to glow from within.
•    Look for figural pins – collectors love these.  Look for beautifully enameled pieces or with pastel moonglow bellies.
•    In the 1950s Trifari excelled at making choker sets of pearl and gold tone metal.  Look for sets of 3 to 4 pieces.
•    Jewels with molded or carved stones are becoming more collectible and increasing in value.
•    Look for pieces that feature both gold and silver tone metal.  This was expensive to process.

In 1975 Trifari was purchased by Hallmark.  In 1988 Crystal Brands Jewelry purchased the company.  In 1994, Trifari was purchased by Chase Capital Partners, Lattice Holding, a division of the Monet group, which was purchased by Liz Claiborne in 2000.  Trifari remains a part of the Liz Claiborne group today and the jewelry is no longer manufactured in the United States.

I hope this was helpful and informative – again, feel free to comment or send questions – I am happy to engage in discussions about vintage jewelry – there is always more to learn!

xoxo,

Karen

Comments

[Wedding Ring]

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