By Ben Marks — Costume jewelry is worn to make a statement, a shorthand way to convey both one's mood and sense of style. Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright famously chose her brooches to send signals to the world's heads of states, as does former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks in her capacity as a pundit for MSNBC. But long before either were using costume jewelry to deliver subtle messages to adversaries and allies alike, women in the 1920s and '30s wore fashion pins and bracelets to...

Carole Tanenbaum on Costume Jewelry's 'Wow' Factor

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — My husband and I have many collections. We were in London at one point in the ’80s, and I saw a fabulous collection of vintage costume jewelry. Each item was like a little object of art. I bought about two dozen pieces, including some wonderful early Chanels that are virtually impossible to find today, and several pieces by Dior and Hobe. That really got me started. Because I had begun at the high-end, but didn’t know it, I developed an eye for pieces that had great integrity. As a...

Christie Romero on Differences Between Fine and Costume Jewelry Over the Decades

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of things. Gradually jewelry became my focus. In the mid-1980s I started getting serious, and in 1988 I started teaching small classes, workshops, and seminars, primarily on costume jewelry but also some fine jewelry. Vintage costume jewelry was just beginning to take off as a collectible. Up until that time, most people thought it was junk. They didn’t understand what it was...