Summer is a great time to scour yard and estate sales for interesting
fine jewelry pieces. There are great finds out there, but it’s
sometimes difficult to know what you’re looking at if you don’t first
arm yourself with some knowledge about jewelry before hitting the sales.
Here’s an overview of the definitions and differences between estate,
vintage, and antique jewelry.
Estate, vintage, and antique jewelry
have similar meanings but the differences between them can greatly
influence the value of the jewelry pieces. Before you purchase a
previously owned piece of jewelry, it’s important to know the
differences.
Estate jewelry: An Umbrella Term
Many
people consider estate jewelry to be any piece of jewelry that has been
passed down from a previous generation, but it actually refers to any
piece of jewelry that was previously owned, regardless of its age.
Estate
jewelry can be broken down into two types: vintage jewelry that is less
than 100 years old and antique jewelry that is more than 100 years old.
For more on the difference between vintage and antique jewelry, we reference about style.com’s jewelry article, “What is the Difference Between Antique, Vintage, and Estate Jewelry?”
Vintage jewelry: Less than 100 years old
To
be considered vintage, jewelry has to be at least 20 to 30 years old,
and created between 1910 and 1990. Vintage is probably the most common
term of the three, since it encompasses a large collection of jewelry
ages.
The most commonly collected are vintage pieces from between
1940 and 1970. That includes the glamorous, Hollywood-inspired 1940s
jewelry, the fabulous Jackie Kennedy-inspired jewelry of the ‘60s, and
even the bold jewelry of the 1980s.
Jewelry eras included within vintage include: Modern, Mid-Century Modern, Retro, and Art Deco.
Antique jewelry: More than 100 years old
Antique
jewelry is any piece of jewelry that is at least a century old. So, by
definition, all antique jewelry is considered vintage, but not all
vintage jewelry is considered antique.
When shopping for antique
jewelry, beware of the term “antique style,” which is a tip off that the
piece is not really antique, but rather made in the style of older,
antique jewelry. Anytime the word “style” is used when describing a
piece of jewelry it most likely means the item is a reproduction.
Many
pieces from the 1920's are now considered antique, especially those
made in the earlier part of decade. Jewelry eras included in antique
jewelry are Art Deco, Edwardian, Belle Eqoque, Art Nouveau, Victorian,
and Georgian.
It’s important to remember that the use of the terms
estate, vintage, and antique can be confusing, and in some cases
misleading, so it is very important to understand the differences to
avoid accidentally buying a reproduction piece.
Source: about/com/jewelry