Customer Reviews

Collecting Costume Jewelry 101, Basics of starting, building & upgrading, Identification and Value Guide

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
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Hang on to your hats, jewelry lovers!!!! This is a book you MUSTN'T MISS!!! Julia C Carroll never disappoints collectors at any level of expertise. Once again, in this visually stunning new book she grabs us with beautiful pages in a logical and practical teaching layout that keeps us turning those pages!! The pictures are generous in volume and so well done you can examine the details in each piece. This new upgrade is a MUST HAVE-beautiful, bright, full of the great educational info of the original "101", but with so many more pictures and facts!! I find other authors' guides nice to thumb through, but you really learn to identify and nail down pieces out in the real world by studying Julia's "101" and "202". My collection is now full of incredible pieces I learned to look for only because of her great books. If you want the pride of knowing what to buy, and how to not overpay, buy and study this wonderfully updated book...even if you have the original "101", ADD THIS TO YOUR LIBRARY!!! Then sign on to buy her "202". Thanks, Julia C!! How about a "303"??????!!!!

"Collecting Costume Jewellery 101" is essentially a beginners' guide to the main makers of (American) designer costume jewellery. Other information is also given, such as how to repair and clean costume jewellery and what to do with unwanted jewellery, all of which would be useful to a person starting a costume jewellery collection. However, the vast majority of this book are devoted to summaries of the main jewellery making companies.

For most designers, the summary given is brief, comprising the dates of operation of the company; a brief history of the company; the signature look of the product; and buying recommendations. Nevertheless, this is more than enough for a beginning collector. Greater detail is given about Coro, Kramer, Trifari and Weiss, however, four designers whom Carroll recommends for beginning collectors. Numerous color photographs are also provided for each designer, with values given for each piece of jewellery.

For people seeking a more detailed discussion of designer costume jewellery, I recommend the sequel to this book, "Collecting Costume Jewellery 202", although both books are well worth investing in.

I am so tickled and honored to have jewelry from my private collection featured in Julia's books. This new Second Edition of the "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101" book features a bright new cover with colorful layouts and 200+ new photographs and additional designers. Julia and I have been jewelry friends for many years and her incredible knowledge in this field has helped me form an extensive collection. So jewelry lovers, it is time to set aside the original edition that is dog-eared & note filled, and add this new second edition which features many new photographs and designers that are not in the first edition! As her other books, it is a great learning tool that will teach you so much about forming a fabulous costume jewelry collection of your own! She is so thorough in her research which you will see with all the updated information and new values. We can only hope there will be a 303 version in the future!

I read the reviews before I decided to purchase this book... and everyone was right! It is fantastic. You can obtain a wealth of knowledge about costume jewelry within a day or two. Julia C. Carroll leaves nothing out of this colorful, practical and FUN resource. Answers to questions will be right at your fingertips. It is like having your own personal guide as you scroll through eBay or prepare to go to the antique malls. If you or someone you know is new to collecting costume jewelry from the 40's, 50's, 60's and beyond, this is the book to get! I am already excited to order 202.

This was a wonderfully informative book with information that dozens of other books on this subject do not cover. Also suggested is the sequel, Costume Jewelry 202.

Fabulous book for the beginner or seasoned collector. Deserves highest rating. Well worth every penny and more.

I'm learning the business which includes vintage jewelry and this is a very valuable resource, packed with wonderful and interesting information

This book will give you all the basic information to begin or add to your jewelry collection. It has wonderful basic information and I have used many time already and I've only had it a few weeks.
Seller was great, good communication and prompt delivery. Overall a GREAT experience.

I will definitely keep this book as a reference for my growing interest in vintage costume jewelry. Since I am just new to this I am learning a lot from the descriptions of pictured pieces . Also from chapter 6 to the glossary I picked up a lot of information. This is definitely a keeper for me.

I highly recommend, beautiful pictures and a wealth of knowledge. If you are a beginning collector or advanced, this book will be one of the first you reach for when researching your costume jewelry.