Costume Jewelry

Although cheap jewelry existed before the 20th century, the peak production of costume jewelry began in the 1930s in Europe, and is often attributed to the emergence of the middle class. This type of jewelry was made mostly of metal, vermeil (gold leaf glued to the silver) and sterling silver set with semi-precious stones (topaz, amethyst, peridot, citrine, coral ...), some organic materials and enamels.

In 1930 rhinestones (the bottom of the glass-coated silver powder or silver leaf to imitate diamonds), has been in great demand in Europe. Jewelry generally reflects the materials, techniques and trends in the fashion of an era.

The design and materials used in costume jewelry can often identify the period in which they did. For example, some types of combs, perfume bottles and clips were in the dress of 1930. The Art Deco period jewelry and later the back are easily recognizable by their sophisticated style and appearance.

Vermeil jewelry was mainly used during the Second World War, due to the shortage of gold. Today, the styles of the early periods become very popular. Unfortunately, many of the parts produced today lack dynamism and quality of the originals.