How To Identify Vintage Jewelry
Have you ever wanted to learn more about how to identify and understand the vintage jewelry business more like an expert, but didn’t know where to begin? Learn how to identify vintage jewelry by fasteners, clasps and hooks; styles; designers; hallmarks; material and more.
This article is for beginner to intermediate vintage resellers and collectors who are looking to gain a base of knowledge to help improve their vintage jewelry expertise. Vintage jewelry is a quickly growing industry with more and more resellers turning to it because it’s size free, easy to photograph, and oftentimes collectible, therefore increasing in value. Plus: Jewelry rarely gets “damaged,” while vintage clothing can oftentimes disintegrate over time.
Learn the foundational principles to identifying vintage jewelry and recognizing potential vintage jewelry value. Click here to join our community’s quickly growing vintage jewelry marketplace and to join as a seller with a 30-day free trial.
Editor’s note: This content was inspired by a 2-hour video masterclass on identifying and authenticating vintage jewelry. The masterclass was first hosted September 2023 and was sold alongside this glossary as a Black Friday educational product. Scroll down to the bottom of this article to purchase the PDF version of this content as well as the 2-hour masterclass for just $17 (originally $47!).
Fasteners, Clasps & Hooks
Simple Hook
When prevalent: 1970s – 1980s
J Clasp
When prevalent: Mid century – 1970s
C Clasp
When prevalent: Early 20th century
Box Spring Clasp
When prevalent: Mid-century
Fancy Pullover Clasp
When prevalent: 1980s
Filigree Box Clasp
When prevalent: Victorian – Art Deco
Modern Pullover Clasp
When prevalent: Mid Century – 1970s
Simple Shepard’s Clasp
When prevalent: Edwardian
Art Deco Box Clasp
When prevalent: Used since the Victorian era
Push in Clasp
When prevalent: 1920s-1930s
Toggle Clasp
When prevalent: 1990s - contemporary
Foldover Clasp
When prevalent: Art Deco 1920s-1930s
Push in Bracelet Clasp
When prevalent: Mid-century
Barrel Clasp
When prevalent: Invented 1930s; popular again 1960s
Simple Spring Clasp
When prevalent: Victorian era through today - differing only in size - and seemed to make its debut on 1900 bracelets.
Thumbless Clasp
When prevalent: Czech Glass - Art Deco movement and is one of the elements of designers like Haskell and Neiger.
Jewelry Styles & Modern Revival Styles
Victorian
Dating from: 1800s - 1900
Mimicked the Queen’s jewelry – from snake pieces to orange blossoms to mourning jewelry. Often in real gold and silver; technology made jewelry more accessible to the masses.
Edwardian
Dating from: 1901-1914
Jewelry and style was light and airy and feminine – think swirls and ornate lines. Technology was allowing for more detailed intricate pieces. If a piece has a platinum or ornate frame you can usually assume it is Edwardian or earlier.
Art Nouveau
Dating from: 1895 - 1915
Spans both Victorian and Edwardian eras, focused on more organic elements such as insects, flowers and the female form. Jewelry and accessories featuring “risque” nude females proliferated this era.
Art Deco
Dating from: 1919 - 1939
The most defining characteristic of the Deco period was geometric shapes – rectangles, triangles, octagons – representing the modern and streamlined spirit of the era.
Retro Mid Century
Dating from: 1935-1950s
Expressive and innovative costume jewelry was the hallmark here; it was feminine and cost-conscious during the war years. Popular motifs were embellished brooches, statement bracelets and necklaces, gemstone pendants, birds, ballerinas and nature.
Mid Century
1950s - 1960s
Salvador Dali, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau were among the artists who inspired American Studio Jewelers to create “Jewelry as Art” or “Wearable Art. Drawing their inspiration from the philosophies of Bauhaus, Dadaism, Surrealism, Isomorphism and Cubism, the modernist‘s work was characterized by abstract and non-objective form. Creations by Mid-Century American Studio Jewelers were often one-of-a-kind and totally hand fabricated.
1960s
1960s embraced bold designs mixed with the femininity of the 1950s. Large hoop earrings, medallion necklaces, bangle bracelets, Victorian “Revival” pieces mimicking the queen’s pieces at costume level, Egyptian Revival, chunky chains, love beads and peace signs were de rigueur.
1970s
1970s were a time of increased connection with nature, apparent in the jewelry materials of the day. Bone, shell, wood, stone were common in this natural “hippie” time! Turquoise made its first huge insurgence and the most common metal was gold – used in chunky bracelets, rings, chains and layering necklaces.
1980s
1980s were characterized by chunky gold jewelry, plastics, hoop earrings. However, more traditional costume jewelry like pearls and rhinestone brooches were still embraced – often in much bigger sizes.
1990s
1990s were a time of bold and eclectic pieces like chokers, bangle bracelets and hoop earrings. At the same time, more delicate pendant necklaces and softer lines were also popular – a throwback to the Edwardian/Nouveau eras.
Victorian Revival
1960s-1970s
Victorian Revival (1960s, 1970s) Jewelry copied the chunky, Egyptian, big stones and ornate frames of the original, using plastics and glass rather than fine stones.
Edwardian Revival
Full of beautiful details and very delicate. This period marked the transition from Victorian jewelry to more modern jewelry.
Art Nouveau Revival
1960s
Jewelry used delicate scrolls, leaves, ribbon bows, hearts, circles, swooping swags (or garlands as they were later called) to mimic the romance of the original period.
Art Deco Revival
Featuring the geometry and straight lines of the original Deco, often using glass or similar lucite stones to mimic the glass.
Egyptian Revival
Egyptian revival jewelry (1920s and then again 1960s/70s) was a renewed interest in ancient Egyptian jewelry styles. Featuring hieroglyphics, scarabs, reeds and lotus flowers, Egyptian revival jewelry was spurred by the discovery of ancient Egyptian tombs, notably the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
Jewelry Hallmarks to Look For
Hallmarks are small symbols or words stamped on jewelry, accessories, and other precious metal items. They can provide information about the item’s:
- Country of origin
- Artist Date of creation
- Metal content
- The manufacturer’s name
- The designer’s name or initials
- A symbol Date of creation
Costume Jewelry Designers
Miriam Haskell
Napier
Trifari
Monet
Eisenberg
Albert Weiss
Hattie Carnegie
Ciner
Vendome
Kramer
Sarah Coventry
Hobe
Schiaparelli
Kenneth Lane
Whiting & Davis
Coro
Avon
Vintage Jewelry Materials
Celluloid
Victorian Era through 1940s
Bakelite (or Catalin)
Art Deco through Mid-Century
Resin
Popular in pricier chunky jewelry, 1980s through present
Lucite
Mid-century thru 1980s
Czech / Bohemia Glass
Produced in the regions of Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. It’s remarkable strength and stability made it perfect for cutting and engraving, and the varied colors made it perfect for jewelry
Vintage Costume Jewelry Stones
Vintage Costume Jewelry stones are usually paste stones, Rhinestones, glass, lucite and gemstones such as Turquoise, Quartz, Mother of Pearl and Citrine. These stones “resemble” the real deal, i.e. quartz looks like diamonds and gemstones look like rubies and sapphires and emeralds.
Vintage Sterling Silver
Quick Facts
Beginning in the 1970S, a law was passed requiring silver jewelry to be marked with “925” or “958” to indicate the percentage of silver content “European 800″ silver jewelry is often British, French, German, or Austria German silver is an alloy of copper and nickel valued for craftsmanship The “800” in Art Deco refers to 80% silver content Silver: An oval stamp indicates the item is silver Sterling: The phrase “sterling” is stamped on many post-1870 USA pieces
Vintage Golds
Any jewelry marked with initials like EPG or EGP is likely gold plated Italian gold is often marked with 585 Gold made in other European countries may be marked with 750 585 indicates 14 karat gold 750 indicates 18 karat gold
Testing Your Jewelry Content
Presidium Tester
Presidium Tester: Gem testers are available in all varieties – some only test for diamonds, etc, but the majority of them use thermal wands to detect the heat in a stone to tell you if it is real or glass.
Acid Tests
Acid Tests: Acid tests include a testing stone and acids that react to Sterling, and Golds of different karats. Used by sellers and jewelers everywhere. Haven’t changed much in the last 20 years. You simply scratch the item on the stone and see which acid reacts.
Bakelite Tests
Bakelite Test: Simichrome is actually a benign Jewelry Polish that just happens to change color when it reacts with the chemicals in Bakelite. You just take a Qtip with a bit of Simichrome on it and gently rub the surface of the item. Bakelite will turn the pinkish Simichrome to a rust color.
More Ways to Learn from Study Books
Costume Jewelry
The Great Pretenders
The Art of Juliana Jewelry
Hattie Carnegie
Next Steps to Leveling Up Your Vintage Jewelry Mastery
In the world of vintage resale, understanding how to date vintage jewelry is becoming more important to take advantage and profit from this growing industry. Not looking to make money by selling vintage jewelry? Having the foundational knowledge to date vintage jewelry helps all collectors to know exactly what they’re buying!
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