What Is Vintage Jewellery?
What is vintage jewellery? - a definition guide With the difference between vintage, antique and contemporary second hand jewellery and what does retro and kitsch really mean?
On Jewels and Finery we are specific in using the terms above as we date many of our pieces of vintage jewellery. The guide below gives the age range on when each term can be correctly use.
Vintage Jewellery
This term applies to jewellery that was manufactured between antique and second hand. So that's over 25 years old and up to about 100 years old.
In 2011 this is now the decades including Art Deco from 1911 to around 1986. Now it is very difficult to date exactly to these years - so its easy to say from the 1920s up to the end of the 1980s.
Antique Jewellery
This term applies to jewellery and items that are over 100 years of age. It will include the periods Georgian, Victorian, Arts & Crafts and just about Art Nouveau.
Second Hand, Pre Owned, Contemporary jewellery
This terms is used for any piece of jewellery that is up to 25 years old. Exact would be 1986 onwards - but its is very difficult to be that precise - so Jewels and Finery have the age span from the 1990s to yesterday. This means that items have been pre owned and so not new.
Vintage Inspired Jewellery (Vintage Style Jewellery)
In the style of vintage or retro style - you may have seen these terms used. The jewellery is brand new and have some aspect that looks as though it has a designed of many years ago.
Retro Jewellery
The term retro means "old fashioned" or associated with the past/revived from the past. Used mostly for jewellery from the 1940s and 1950s that has a distinct old fashion - quaint look.
Kitsch Jewellery
This applies to jewellery that was once popular and has a sentimental appeal. Now the term refers to items with mass appeal that have become highly collectible. Its a stroll down memory lane and can include - pop it bead necklaces, love beads, macrame jewellery and dried flowers in resin brooches (to name just a few).
Brooches
