Because precious metals and gemstones drive the price of jewellery out of budget for a lot of people, costume jewellery is a popular alternative. Generally, costume jewellery is made from less expensive materials – base metals for settings and glass or plastic in place of precious stones. As the name suggests, ‘costume’ jewellery was originally created to go with stage costumes in theatre productions where it was unrealistic to adorn actors with authentic diamond brooches or other jewels large enough for an audience to fully appreciate. The tradition of making ‘costume’ jewellery items translated easily into the world of high fashion, which is why the terms ‘costume’ and ‘fashion’ jewellery are interchangeable.
Costume jewellery was really popularised by Coco Chanel, who used ornate brooches, hair accessories, bracelets and pendants to complete some of her most legendary catwalk creations. Today, these simple pieces of jewellery are seen as true collectors’ items and change hands for extraordinary sums of money given the materials used to create them.
Arguably, the titan of costume jewellery world is American Kenneth Jay Lane whose faux gemstone creations have been seen such fashion icons as Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the Duchess of Windsor. Other leading designers who create costume jewellery include: As costume jewellery is generally less expensive, it offers an easy way to update classic outfits in your wardrobe as well as providing a potential investment for the future.
It might sound strange, but there is a high-end market for costume jewellery. In those more expensive pieces of jewellery, it is common to find synthetic, or “lab created” gemstones. The difference between synthetic and natural gemstones is simple – a natural gemstone is the result of a long natural process, gemstones are usually recovered from the earth by mining, they are then cut and polished to suit the design of the jewellery they’ll be used in.
A synthetic gemstone, on the other hand, is made in a lab by technicians. They add the appropriate ingredients and effectively cook the mixture until it is ready to be cut and polished for use in jewellery. A good synthetic stone isn’t perfect, in fact, one of the tell-tale signs of fake gemstones is that they appear ‘too perfect’ to the trained eye. All in all, synthetic gemstones are difficult for a layperson to distinguish from natural gems – as such, they can present a more affordable alternative to any item of jewellery you might be interested in purchasing.
As always, when buying jewellery online, be sure to get a clear description of the items you’re considering buying. Ask whether the piece is made from coloured glass or synthetic gemstones – and check around to see if the price is competitive for the materials included in the item. The online market for costume jewellery is quite competitive, so ask the vendor for additional images to ensure you’re getting exactly what you’re after – if not, there’s bound to be another retailer out there with exactly what you need.
© Jewellery Box.org.uk 2006.
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