Collectible Costume Jewelry: Identification & Values (Hardcover)

by Cherri Simonds (Author) "mation like a starving person gobbling up scrumptious cheesecake. Ahhh, let them eat cake!..." (more)
Key Phrases: clear rhinestone accents, unfoiled rhinestones, white simulated pearls, Art Deco, Sarah Coventry, Miriam Haskell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Collectible Costume Jewelry simplifies the understanding of historical and social influences which will aid in identification. All the major designers and manufacturers like Haskell, Coro, Eisenberg, and Trifari are featured. There are dates given and examples of the jewelry for which the designer/manufacturer is best known. A time chart shows what was in style during each period of time as do the fascinating vintage ads. There are examples from the Victorian era to the present, even featuring recent pieces by designers such as Anne Klein and Joan Rivers. There is a helpful glossary of jewelry terms with picture examples. Nearly 600 full-color pictures arranged by subjects. Current values, marks, and detailed descriptions. 2003 values. REVIEW: This book addresses all kinds of questions about costume jewelry - how do you know if a piece is worth anything even though it is signed? How do know if it is rare? What about fakes? Is it a reproduction? How do I take care of the jewelry once I start collecting it? What do I do if the item is broken? This book addresses all of these topics and more.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Collector Books (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891457623
• ISBN-13: 978-0891457626
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,507 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #26 in	Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Jewelry
  #43 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Textile & Costume
  #77 in	Books > Reference > Catalogs & Directories > Catalogs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST book! You should READ AND look at the pretty pics!, November 21, 1999

By	Phyllis Goodwin (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This is a FABULOUS book! I only wish I had this for all categories of my collectables. Not only does she have WONDERFUL color pictures of ALL different types of costume jewelry, enabling you to see other pieces similar to yours; but she does an excellent job CLARIFYING terms ie BAKELITE vs CELLULOID vs PLASTIC! She even includes diagrams & terminology of stone cuts & facets, pearl lengths & styles and jewelry designs. PLUS there are diagrams of "signature" markings.There is also a section on "Watch Outs" for FRAUDULENT copies. As a novice collector, I found this to be just what I need to be knowledgable and also to alert me when sellers don't know what they're talking about. This is a book you want to READ AND LOOK at the pretty pictures.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for beginners., July 9, 2001

By	William L. Gilstrap (Vidor, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This book is mostly a picture book and the pictures are excellent. It has a Designer/Manufacturer chart toward the front of the book. This is a good help for beginners. There are some cautions about copies of signed jewelry, some tips about cleaning/storing a collection, a glossary, and drawings of some marks and signatures. All in all it's a nice book for beginners, it's strongest point being the many fine color illustrations. Another interesting feature is the section showing old jewelry advertisements.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice Photography, But of Limited Value, June 20, 2000

By A Customer

Simonds has put together a nice collection of photographs of a variety of 20th century costume jewelry. However, future buyers should understand that the book is limited in its scope: 1920s to the recent past - focusing primarily on 40s to 60s items. Other problems with the book: very little on Bakelite & Lucite, an obsession with ornate 50s faux precious stone pieces, and failure to connect manufacturer/designer with their mark or signature. It was frustrating to go through 5 pages of designer identification prose at the front of the book only to find the related graphics stuck in an Appendix at the end of the book with NO indication as to who belonged with which mark.

In all, its a book best suited for beginning collectors of rhinestone and similar types of jewelry, not for someone attempting to do serious research. It was a waste of my money.