In the title, I clarified my post to further narrow the vintage jewelry area to vintage "costume" jewelry. I am by far no jewelry expert but by researching, reading reference books, and pouring over web sites on vintage jewelry, I have come up with a pointer or two.
As you look at the back of the piece, keep track of how the back looks as it is a true clue to the age of the piece. Reference books on Costume Jewelry are invaluable as they give you details on how the majority of jewelry backs will look during a particular time period.
My next suggestion would be to look for a signature or mark which is usually on the back of the jewelry. This is also referred to as a hallmark. I used this example because the particular piece has a stamped MONET mark on the back of the brooch which is easy to read and identify. When you are just beginning to collect vintage jewelry, I would try and pick as many signed pieces as possible. There are a lot of signed Sarah Coventry, Monet, and Trifari. All three of these companies have new items that carry new hallmarks so be on the lookout for these newer items as they will not fall into the vintage category.
This is one of the resource sites where I look to see the maker's mark during a particular time period. For example, if you go to the M section and look down until you find MONET, you will see how the marks changed over specific years. This is the link for that site: http://www.illusionjewels.com/research/costumejewelrymarksm.html
Speaking of Monet, there is a reference book that I own, that is specifically about the history of Monet jewelry. It is not my most used reference book but it is one that I'm happy to have in my Costume Jewelry reference collection. Here is the information below:
Monet: The Master Jewelers
Alice Vega , with Photography by Terry Niefield
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