All About Costume Jewelry

By Author: Aland Williams
Total Articles: 20
Comment this article

Costume jewelry is known by several names: fashion, chunky, junk, fake and fallalery. These are usually jewelry which has been created to complement the current trend in fashion.

In the 1930s, the costume jewelry was synonymous with the word “cheap” for they were disposable and they were only worn with a specific outfit and not with other outfits. Once worn, they were ignored and disposed, along with the outfit. In fact, many of the outfits were sold with their own costume jewelry. Costume also means temporary. The very term of “Costume Jewelry” first came out in the early 20th century and actually refers to costumes or outfits. So the jewelry were made to complement that specific outfit.

The costume jewelry was usually made from low quality materials as opposed to find jewelry which were made from precious metals and stones or gems. They were cheaper so were not even considered as collectibles. The materials which were used to make them include glass, plastic, manmade stones, base metals, PVC and fibreglass.

When they first came out, the cheap materials were made to look like fine jewelry by using ...
... rhinestones, Lucite, pewter, silver, nickel and brass. During the first Economic Depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the rhinestones were even further degraded so they could be cheaper and more affordable. Interestingly enough, during World War II, sterling silver was used to create the costume jewelry because the very cheap metals which were originally used were needed in the war effort, specifically, the creation of planes and bullets and other armaments.

Another reason was that silver could simulate platinum more effectively and platinum was and is a very expensive metal. To simulate diamonds, cubic zirconium and high quality crystals were used. The colored crystals were used to simulate the precious and semi-precious stones.

But probably the prime examples of excellent costume jewelry were those which were created for Hollywood movies. The camera could pick up the light of real jewelry which were typically absent in the costume ones. So there was a lot of research and innovation done to create the costume jewelry which could look like the real and fine jewelry. Today, costume jewelry fetches a high price, especially when they come from high-fashion houses which design the trendiest designs that all designers wish to follow.

At present, the most popular costume ring is the one which imitates the ring of Catherine Middleton who soon married Prince William. Although the ring was originally the Prince’s mother, Princess Diana, the modern day romance has sparked renewed interest in the ring. Just goes to show that fashion is synonymous, still, with romance.

Author has a passion for online jewellery items and he is a born entrepreneur in this field. Out of his love for high fashion jewellery and the jewelry available online, he has made posts on sieraden and Armbanden