5 Tips For Starting a Vintage Costume Jewelry Collection

By Deena O'Daniel

Remember when you were a little girl and Mom or Grandma let you play with her jewelry box? All those pins, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings were so much fun to wear, and to pretend you were a grown-up lady.

Vintage costume jewelry, like those long-gone treasures (or, if you were lucky enough to inherit them, the precious mementos you have kept) can be found at very reasonable prices.

There are 5 major things to consider when buying vintage costume jewelry for your personal collection, or as an investment.

1. First of all, do you like it? If you're going to own it, admire it, display it and wear it, you need to like it. It doesn't matter what it is, what it looks like to others - the most important thing is that you like it.

2. Next, consider its condition. Be sure that the vintage piece is in good condition. Does the hardware work properly? Are all stones intact? Are metal finishes worn away? If you are considering the purchase as an investment, it doesn't matter as much whether you like it, but it must be in good condition.

3. Is it a good investment, if that's why you are buying it? Is it signed (is the manufacturer's mark on the piece)? Is it part of a growing trend, such as Christmas jewelry, or '60s flower power?

4. Is it signed? Designer-signed jewelry is generally a good investment. Invest in a jeweler's loupe (small magnifying glass) so you can find the signature - it may be on the back, on the stem of a brooch, on the screw-back or clip of an earring, or on a clasp.

5. Are there any added features? Jewelry sets of two or more pieces are highly collectible. The original box adds value, as do original price and manufacturer's tags.

Have fun with your collection! Learn more about vintage costume jewelry from books, internet searches and blogs. Just looking through a price guide will give you inspiration and hours of pleasure. But beware! Collecting vintage costume jewelry can become addictive!

My name is Deena O'Daniel, and I have been collecting vintage costume jewelry for years -- I discovered that I was a collector when I regretted the sale of a particularly beautiful Aurora Borealis rhinestone brooch. Now I do sell vintage and contemporary costume jewelry on my web site, but sometimes there's a piece that I just cant bear to part with.

My web site, http://www.oakhillboutique.com has a large array of costume jewelry, but that's not all. China, pottery, collectibles and gifts are among the hundreds of items. I love to shop and I love a bargain, and I love to pass the bargains along to my customers.

Visit the above link often, since new items arrive every week. You never know what you'll find, but I can assure you that you'll find great gifts and collectibles at great prices.

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How to Clean Rhinestone Jewelry

By Thomas Wong

If you are shopping for beautiful stone jewelry on a budget, perhaps rhinestone jewelry would fit your requirements. Rhinestone is a sparkling natural stone which was first found in areas surrounding the Rhine River. Because of its close resemblance to the diamond, it is sometimes refer as imitation diamond. It is one of the highest ranges of crystal stones available in the market today.

Rhinestone is one of the favorite crystal stones used in costume jewelry and fashion accessory. Known for its beauty and quality, it is the perfect stones when you are on a shopping budget. In fact today, you can see many modern women wearing rhinestone jewelries or accessories. Stone makers take full advantage of its glittering quality and transform the stone into an elegant and authentic masterpiece of jewelries and fashion accessories.

You can find many varieties of rhinestone jewelries as you walk into a jewelry stones shop. If you are fascinated by the sparkling and beauty of the rhinestone jewelries, it is just a normal reaction.

In order to optimize the beautiful sparkling effect, the rhinestone is glued to a thin shinny metal foil. Besides adding glittering flashes to the stone like a mirror, the metal foil provides support to the stone when embedding to a base such as a ring or a bracelet. Usually the base is made from non-precious metals such as brass, bronze or copper and coated in gold or silver paint.

The magnificent combination shinning metal foil and coated metal base enhances the sparkling beauty of the rhinestone. The stone may lose its glittering effect due to oxidation after expose to sunlight, air and pollution for a period of times. But a good thing to know is, the cleaning process is simple and not expensive. You can do the cleaning yourself at home.

Many people just use soap and water and brush the stone with a toothbrush to clean it by subjecting it to running water. That way, you may risk getting the metal foil wet which will turn the color to black. One trick is to avoid subjecting the metal foil to water for a long time. If you notice that the foil get wet in process of cleaning the stone, just shake off the excess water. You may have to do this action several times throughout the cleaning process.

After you have completed the cleaning process, wipe the rhinestone dry with a clean dry cloth. You can also use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

If you find that the stone has turned yellowish at the bottom, it is due to the oxidation of the glue holding the stone and the metal foil. Since the problem is underneath the stone, it may not be possible for you to clean it without remove the stone. To solve this problem, you may have to send the rhinestone jewelry to the expert to clean it.

You can find more articles on rhinestone at http://www.rhinestonebelt.org

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