Vintage jewellery may be distinguished from antique jewellery which tends to be jewellery that is pre 1920s. So is anything not the vintage look? Sure! Vintage is certainly something more distinctive than the herringbone gold chains and St Christophers that adorn the pages of your local catalogue store. 

 

Being into vintage adds a lot of fun to your wardrobe. Costume gems, colourful brooches and cocktail rings, pearls and bows, watch necklaces and charms, these have all glittered from dozens of runways and quickly find their way into your high street or mall. With stone encrusted pieces from the forties and fifties, baubles from sixties pop art, groovy bright seventies colours and shed loads of eighties glam, whatever’s in fashion is far more interesting than sterling silver studs and plain chains. The look is whimsical and fortunately for obsessive fashion followers everywhere, it’s also affordable, with faux gems and inexpensive metals like silver and gold plate being high on the runway trends list. 

 

If, like me, you’re a fan of vintage jewellery, you might be wondering what to buy now that’ll be a good investment for the future. We’re talking about the real vintage deal here  jewellery with a past, not the high street imitations. Well, there’s a few designers that are sure to be vintage collectibles a few decades from now. 

 

The names to watch for are: 

 

Alexander McQueen 

 

Chanel  always classic, always in fashion 

 

John Galliano 

 

Lanvin (Alber Elbaz) 

 

Louis Vuitton 

 

Marc Jacobs 

 

Miuccia Prada 

 

Naturally, names come with a price tag but you can keep your eye out for bargains while allowing the high street alternatives to add spice to your wardrobe. Places to look: 

 

Ebay  be careful for fakes though 

 

Web 

 

Charity shops, especially in high fashion areas 

 

Markets 

 

If you’re buying the real thing, do examine pieces carefully to make sure stones are secure and metal parts are intact. Look at the claws holding the stones, to see that they’re all there. Stones are really expensive or impossible to replace so it’s worth taking the time. 

 

Also, when you’re buying brands, try to find out if they have been repaired as repaired pieces aren’t necessarily worth less but it may affect the value, especially on old pieces. Keep an eye out for pieces with a signature, trademark, designer’s name, stamp, etc as these marks add value and make the piece more collectable/desirable.