Beware of Fake Copies of Vintage Jewelry

 After selling vintage jewelry for almost a decade and collecting for many years longer, it is really disheartening to purchase a jewelry item, sold as vintage, only to discover that the item is a copy and not the real thing.  Unfortunately, there are companies who purposely copy vintage jewelry and manufacture the copy and put it up for sale.  Sometimes the item has beautiful rhinestones or crystal beads but when you exam it further, you find that these stones are sitting in a cheap poorly designed jewelry item foundation.  

I could take photos of several examples but will just explain some examples of what to look for; starting with brooches.  If you find a brooch which looks like the backing has been thrown on and all of the gold or silver finish is uneven and messy, this is a good example of a cheap copy.  The front may look beautiful but the back holds many of the keys to a good piece of jewelry.  

Around the 2000s, lots of jewelry was made overseas, even by large companies who previously made quality jewelry.  Some of the things I look for on necklaces are tiny extension chains.  Older jewelry made thicker extension chains and usually with a hook or fold over clasp.  New jewelry has a lobster clasp.  There are good quality items made in the 80s and 90s which have lobster clasps but if you see it attached to a tiny extension chain, this is a clue.  Brooches look for backs which are finished with the gold or silver tone thrown on look.  

Crystal beads that are older and made before 2000s, usually are not the round flat variety.  These can still be very pretty but the crystals which were on beautiful necklaces from the 50s and 60s come in round beads, bicone beads, and occasionally barrel cut beads.  Of course, there are other varieties of cuts but the glass beads sold since the 2000s in mass quantity have a particular shape.  

One thing to remember is that not every rule of thumb is absolute.  In other words, there are exceptions and that is what makes collecting vintage jewelry difficult at times.  Now that we have helpful tools like Google Lens, you are able to take a photo of an item and most of the time can find a bit more information about it or one similar.  I recently found a gorgeous necklace which was designed to look like one from the 60s or 70s with flashing rhinestones but I was skeptical of the metal and setting.  With a few short clicks to Google Lens, I found the exact item for sale on an overseas site for 99 cents.  If it had been true vintage, it would have been a few hundred dollars instead.  

If you want to collect vintage jewelry, do your homework and collect a few tools to help you verify the item you are purchasing is actually vintage.  I have a Presidium Gem tester for testing gemstones or even glass, compared to Lucite.  A magnet will let you know if something is possibly sterling as sterling silver is non-magnetic.  Research and studying photographs of vintage items and knowing your brands is also super helpful.  

Best of luck in your quest for finding vintage jewelry items.