What Defines Retro Costume Jewelry?

The word "retro" in relation to jewelry, does not refer to an item's being old or outdated. Retro instead is a trade term which refers to 1940s jewelry. However, be aware that there are many people who use the word in the colloquial sense or are completely mistaken about a piece's age.  Some people also use the word to describe 50s jewelry.

To understand what defines retro jewelry, first we have to talk about deco.  Art Deco is both a style and period. People often refer to deco jewelry as jewelry that came from the 20s and 30s. However, it is also a style which gained it's name from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modern. "Deco" pieces of jewelry were typically in silver or silver tone, were geometric and more often than not, were unmarked. These pieces often used a great deal of clear paste (aka rhinestones). Bakelite and cellulite pieces were also popular during this period. Deco is not to be mistaken with "deco style" which was instead pieces made later when the style became popular again.

So what defines the "retro" period and how can you identify a piece as being "retro"? Prior to World War II, most designers got their inspiration from Parisian designers. However, when the war started in Europe in 1939, it caused numerous changes in the jewelry business. First, many Europeans who had been making jewelry (both fine and costume) came to the United States. Second, production of jewelry ceased in Paris, which meant that Americans had to find their own inspiration for making jewelry. Third, before the US joined the war it already started rationing most metals used in costume jewelry. Rhodium was one of the last to be rationed in 1942.  This caused all war time jewelry to be made out of sterling. Finally, rhinestones stopped being imported from Europe. The last is important because Americans primarily imported rhinestones and could not make quality rhinestones. Also, for whatever reason, people during this time moved away from silver toned jewelry. Instead most pieces were sterling in a gold tone.

The result was that many war time pieces used fewer rhinestones and instead used enamel or pearls. Often a piece would be based around one central stone. Even after the war, this style continued, although many pieces started using more rhinestones as things began to return to normal in Europe.  Below is a typical Retro brooch made by Coro. However, while this mold was used during the war this brooch was actually made in the late 40s post-war, since it is not made from sterling and uses copper.

Now look at these vintage ads from Eisenberg. The first one dates from 1941. As you can see there is already a shift towards using fewer rhinestones.  Also, while a number of pieces use many rhinestones, there is a shift away from the geometric pieces of the Deco era.

 

Now look at an ad by Eisenberg from 1943. Notice that everything is designed around one central stone and that there are far fewer rhinestones.

However, once you start getting to the end of the 1940s, identification can be a little harder.  While they continued to make some of the war time styles, as you saw with the Coro bow brooch, they started moving towards the 1950s style. So how do you tell if a costume piece is from the late 40s or early 50s? During the 1950s makers returned to using many rhinestones and you can positively date any items with a copyright symbol as being made in the year 1955 of later. Aurora borealis were also commonly used in 1950s jewelry and were only invented in 1953. Marquis shaped stones were also very popular in 1950s jewelry.

So in conclusion how can we tell that an item is Retro? Unlike the Deco period, costume jewelry made during the Retro period was generally not geometric, and was gold toned, using few or no rhinestones. Costume jewelry makers designed pieces around one or a few central stones if they used rhinestones at all, and often utilized pearls and enamels.  Jewelry made during this time period were frequently marked unlike many of the items made during the previous era. Jewelry during the end of the 1940s started to again use base metals and utilized more rhinestones in their designs. Usually you can identify jewelry from the 1950s through the type of stones used as well as the use of the copyright symbol from 1955 onwards. Sometimes it is easy to confuse jewelry from the early 50s from that of the late 40s.  However, that will be discussed in a later blog entry.

Below I have included a number of Retro, or transitional Retro pieces to examine:

Here is an example of a Retro Lisner choker and bracelet.  I'm not sure on the exact date of this set but I believe they were made during the war due to the lack of paste. However, they are not marked sterling so they may date to the late 40s.

Here is a transitional piece from 1938-42. This unsigned trembler brooch, based on Coro's famous "Quivering Camellia" set. It is made of rhodium with a gold toned wash, so it could not have been made after 1942. As you can see this design uses a great deal of paste unlike later pieces.

If you are unfamiliar with what rhodium looks like, I am including a picture of the back of this brooch.  It has a bit of an unrefined look, unlike sterling silver.

Unfortunately I do not have any enamel Retro pieces at the moment.  They tend to be extremely collectible and rare, since enamel is easily damaged.  Good enamel pieces from the period go can go for as much as $300-800. However, I do have a good example of a novelty brooch which does not use enamel. This banjo brooch is by Coro and I have been unable to date it. I believe it is early or late 1940s. It is unlikely to be a war time piece since it is not sterling. 

This picture is of a Trifari necklace, which was patented by Alfred Philippe in 1945.  Necklace reads "pat. pend." so it was not made after 1945.

Thanks for reading my blog! If you are interested these items are for purchase. Please feel free to email me with any questions that you might have about my blog or the items I'm selling.

You can check out my Bonanza store here:
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/CarrieHuot

Or my Ecrater store... My Ecrater store has a few more items than the Bonanza store including the Banjo brooch.  However, you can see the pictures better at the Bonanza store.
http://carriescostume.ecrater.com/

Buying Costume Jewelry Online

This is meant to be an introduction to buying costume jewelry online. Prior to buying online make sure that you are very familiar with the styles from different time periods and the styles of different makers. There are many fakes out there and many times I have seen items categorized as something they were not. For example, I cannot tell you how many times that a Retro item (one from the 40s) categorized as being Deco (from the 20s). The best way to familiarize yourself with styles and makers is by looking at books if you don't have hands on access to pieces.

First, lets talk about the difference of buying retail as opposed to at auction. You should expect auction prices to be significantly lower than what you would pay for a retail item. This is because the person is getting rid of the item immediately as opposed to retail people who may wait months before finding someone to pay the price for an item. On Ebay I saw one bracelet sell for $170, and a couple weeks later, the same bracelet came up for auction with the matching necklace just with different color stones and the two of them together, in the same condition, only sold for $100. 

How do you go about buying via online auction? If you are buying from an established professional auction house such as one that lists via Live Auctioneers, you can feel pretty confident of their descriptions and conditions. These auction houses usually have professionals working for them who are specialists and often have taken appraisal courses or are certified appraisers. Certified appraisers have to know the legal standards of appraisal, must pass a test and must maintain a membership with a professional organization.

However, if you are buying via Ebay or retail sites such as Etsy, Bonanza and Ecrater to name a few, most people are laymen, even antique dealers. Many sellers do very little, if any research on the items they are selling. This is good and bad, because on one hand, you can get burned buying something that is misrepresented, but on the other you can get a really good steal if you know something the seller does not.

Most websites, including retail websites, seem to have a little to no oversight over the actual content because there is too much to police. They rely on the buyers to police the sellers. The problem with this is that most of the buyers are also not experts, so they don't know if they're receiving a fake or something that is really a reproduction. Do not expect a accurate condition report from many buyers and ask if they do not have the condition of the item listed.  Always ask the condition because if you want to return an item it's best to have in writing what they said about the piece.  For example, I bought what I thought was a nice vintage piece online for a song that was listed "in excellent condition."  It would have been a lovely piece if someone hadn't painted it badly with cheap gold paint.

When buying either at auction or via retail do not hesitate to ask sellers for more information or photographs. If the person does not list a condition always ask for one.  That way if the item is not as described you can return it. Also, always check their return policy because you do not want to be stuck with a dud.  Most people accept returns within a 7 day period but some do not.

In conclusion, unless you're buying from a professional auction house or a company that you trust online, you really must know what you're doing. The internet is a place to get great bargains. However, it is also a place many people sell items that are not what they think they are. Ways to familiarize yourself with jewelry include reading books, familiarizing yourself with styles and makers and checking out patent websites. In the following blog entries I will talk about various makers and styles as well as how to date costume jewelry.

I will leave you with a few trade terms to know when you're buying costume jewelry.




Trade Terms to Know:

Gold tone- refers to a base metal that is gold in color, or something that is sterling silver with a coat of gold colored coating

Silver tone- refers to a base metal that is silver in color or has a silver colored coating

Gold Plated- This means that the item is a base metal with a gold plating, although sometimes I think that some dealers describe items with gold tone as being gold plated.  Usually if they're gold plated someone will put 24k, 18k, etc. Some people believe that gold plating increases the value of  the item but there are many items made of base metals that are far nicer than some that are gold plated.  

Style/Revival- e.g. Deco Style, Retro Style, Victorian Revival, et al, this means that the piece is in the style of that time period NOT that it is from that time period.

Estate- This is a really vague term and could mean just about anything. Technically if you bought an item from a garage sale it is 'from an estate.' Personally, I use this term to mean that the item is used and I'm not sure what time period it is from.

925- Is a mark that is used on jewelry to denote that the item is made from sterling silver