Vintage jewelry is beautiful, vintage and exquisite and will suit any woman’s taste. They go well with many outfits, look great, add a romantic touch to an outfit and hint at a woman’s fragility with their elegance. Modern jewelry is good, but sometimes you want to wear something vintage, especially now antiquity is at the peak of fashion. Jewelry in a vintage style, including silver and filigree, is used by many designers at their shows; leading jewelry houses make jewelry “in the vintage style” since this trend is in demand now.
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The first wave of vintage fashion began in the 1990s in the West. Slowly it reached us. Such stars of show business as the beautiful Julia Roberts and charming Kate Moss are distinguished by their love for vintage. Today’s U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is also a well-known fan of vintage jewelry.
In this article, we will consider what kind of jewelry we can call vintage, with what to wear them. Let’s analyze their main types.
Not long ago, vintage jewelry could be purchased mostly at flea markets abroad. The world’s leading jewelry brands are setting aside whole lines and trends for developing and manufacturing such items, mainly in silver. To buy vintage jewelry to your liking now, there is no problem – many websites offer jewelry as factory production and create at home by the hands of talented craftsmen and artisans. Among them, you can see gold and silver jewelry.
What Counts As Vintage
The first thing to learn is to distinguish between vintage and antique. Antique jewelry is those that have historical value, they will always cost more, and they are always the originals. Whereas vintage jewelry is “old-fashioned” and can be made today, the style and design remind us of the jewelry of our grandmothers and mothers. For example, the famous filigree – even a non-specialist can see this as retro jewelry. Vintage does not claim to be centuries of fashion, going no further than 50-60 years. On average, the age and style of vintage jewelry are about 30-40 years old. So now, by vintage style, we can mean the style of the 80s and the 60s and the 70s.
Officially, vintage jewelry is no more than sixty and no less than thirty years old. If a piece of jewelry is less than fifteen years old, it refers to the new model. What is older than sixty years – antiques, if it has at least some value – material or as a piece of art.
Stylists do not agree on what age jewelry can be rightfully considered vintage. Some even refuse to recognize as vintage what is younger than 30 years.
How To Choose
What parameters to pay attention to when buying vintage jewelry:
- Vintage jewelry should contain elements of the style of a bygone era. This style can be expressed in the colours used, the stone cut, an interesting intricate lock, the way of decorating, and the arrangement and stylistics of the patterns. For example, the filigree style is immediately visible, and it becomes clear that a vintage piece of jewelry is before us. By the way, gold jewelry rarely is made with the filigree technique. More often, it is made of silver. Hair ornaments made of gold are practically never seen.
- Cost. Original vintage jewelry, especially if it is beautiful, cannot cost cheap. And the elder it is, the more expensive it is. But of course, you can easily buy not an original, but a product “like a vintage. It will be the same but made in the present time. It will not be valuable, except for the production cost. This includes, for the most part, hair clips.
- Pay attention to the brand. For example, vintage jewelry by Chanel, which Mademoiselle herself designed, is one thing, but filigree by an unknown Siberian craftswoman is something else. But there is also a matter of taste. Modern products of masters, including hairpins, also represent an original and interesting trend.
Many stylists say that vintage and antique fine jewelry can turn almost any outfit into a stylish and equally sophisticated one. So if you do not know what to dilute a boring office dark suit, put on a silver vintage brooch and earrings and go to conquer the career heights. Which in this case will conquer with much more readiness. And for a date will be perfectly suitable skillfully made hairclip in the technique of filigree.
Types
Let’s take a look at what vintage costume jewelry is.
- Silver ones. This is a whole separate layer. This material has always been cheaper than gold. That’s why jewellers were not shy about using it, so they experimented with it to their utmost. And that’s why we can now find so many exquisite vintage silver pieces: intricate twigs, interesting semi-precious stones etc. Just do not forget, when you buy silverware from different countries, this material oxidizes very quickly, and it is necessary to clean it regularly. In the case of antique jewelry, this should be done carefully so as not to damage the fragile thing. By the way, such a fashion trend as the boho style – free and bold – cannot be shared with vintage silver jewelry. Fashionistas especially adore beautiful hairpins, rings and bracelets.
- Articles with natural stones. When creating vintage jewelry, semi-precious and ornamental stones such as amber, turquoise, jasper, garnet, etc., are most often used. There can be many of them. In most cases, vintage-style stones have a cabochon cut – a convex domed shape. Very often, it happens that in the center of the composition is a large stone and a scattering of smaller ones on the sides of it.
- Hair products. Here any fashionista has a rich selection of amazingly decorated headbands and combs. Such accessories are usually richly decorated with feathers, stones, and artificial flowers. Often hairpins are also made in the technique of filigree.
- Vintage silver rings are usually large, more like rings. Often with a stone.
What To Wear With
- When wearing several pieces of vintage jewelry, Stylists advise not to mix different metals. If you choose silver, do not wear gold jewelry along with it. This also applies to products in the filigree technique.
- It is better not to take risks and not to mix vintage jewelry from different eras. It can be difficult for a non-specialist to understand all the fashion styles and trends. So just in case, it is better to wear costume jewelry of one style. For example, more modern art deco products will look absurd next to refined Gregorian curved earrings.
- Don’t put on everything you have in your box that is vintage all at once. It looks beautiful and appropriate only if you adhere to the boho dressing style. In all other cases, it is better to show moderation.
- Stylists recommend expressive eye-catching vintage jewelry combined with simple, concise clothing without “trinkets” and extravagances. In this case, a beautiful contrast will be created, which is now fashionable.
- Vintage jewelry is also good because it is easily transformable. Advanced fashionistas easily transform a retro necklace into a beautiful belt and a brooch into a hairclip. And it looks harmonious and beautiful.
- If you inherited vintage jewelry, but the items have small defects or breakage, do not throw them away. It is better to take a master and let him fix the lock or make other small repairs – you will be left with a beautiful memory of the dearest people and, perhaps, a good investment and, in fact, an inheritance for their children.
Brands
Look at what famous brands from different countries can boast the most sought-after vintage jewelry and accessories.
- Hermes. Retro handkerchiefs of this brand are a great investment and are just very beautiful. It would be best if you looked for them on foreign online auctions.
- Missoni. This Italian brand offers us vintage accessories and clothing, including jewelry and hairpins.
- Yves Saint Laurent. Their vintage-style watch is a famous and stylish accessory.
- Thierry Mugler. The brand was iconic in fashion in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century.
- Iris Apfel. A well-known American fan of vintage jewelry with an extensive collection.
- Maria di Gregorio. A modern Italian brand. It creates exquisite vintage jewelry made of silver and platinum. His jewelry pieces strike with their lightness, airiness, and brightness. They widely use cold porcelain in producing their articles, making inclusions of precious metals like silver or platinum. She prefers floral motifs. The cost of such vintage jewelry is not insignificant, but the price is justified in this case. Analysts predict that this jewelry house’s products have all the chances to become real antiques and present historical and art historical value.
