I just finished reading this wonderful article posted at Antiques Avenue, and anyone with a passion for old jewelry – from seasoned collector to new enthusiast – would do well to read this piece.

Modern reproductions or “vintage look” jewelry is cropping up everywhere, filling cases at antique stores and cramming the listing queues on eBay.  Without a real understanding of what to look for, it is easy to mistake a fine reproduction for a real original.  Sadly, such a mistake can mean that the purchaser overpaid for the piece.

As someone who grew up enjoying vintage jewelry (my mother and grandmother both had extensive jewelry collections, and mom spent years selling costume jewelry at swap meets and flea markets), I have always had a hard time articulating how to identify modern reproductions of vintage pieces.  To me, a piece of vintage jewelry has a certain “feel” to it that gives a clue to its age.  Fortunately, Antiques Avenue has a much better grasp on articulating the components that make up that “feel” which can give clues to a piece’s authenticity.  The article features sixteen simply written bullet points, each one pointing to a clue that can lend some authority to a particular piece’s authenticity.  Thank you, Antiques Avenue, for this eminently useful read.

Advertisement