Fashion Jewelry Down the Ages

Fashion jewelry is not a concept that was born in modern times
contrary to what a lot of people might think. It existed way
back, dating as far back to the 1700’s. In those days it used to
be referred to as costume jewelry. Costume and fashion jewelry
are essentially the same thing. They were used to accessorize
certain outfits and were not meant to last long periods of
times. Here a peek at what fashion jewelry looked like over the
last couple of centuries.

The 1700s – duplications of the fine jewelry of the rich

The fashion jewelry that was perhaps the most common in the
1700s was duplicates of the fine jewelry that the rich
possessed. The rich duplicated their fine jewelry for a number
of reasons. These fashion jewelry items and were often made out
of cheap metal with glass stones that were pasted on it.

The 1800s – inventive middle class jewelry

By the middle of the 1800s, the middle class had grown in
substantial numbers and jewelry began to be manufactured at
different levels to cater to all strata’s of society. While fine
jewelry from precious metal and stone was still being made,
fashion jewelry was also being made. This jewelry was generally
made of an inexpensive base metal and then covered with a layer
of rolled gold. Semi precious stones like corals, pearls,
amethysts etc would be used. These brought down the cost of the
jewelry considerably yet kept it looking classy. There was also
the even cheaper variety which was base metal that looked like
gold with glass stones. This was fashion jewelry that was
affordable to everybody.

The 1900’s – stylish make believes

In the 1900s fashion jewelry went through distinct phases and it
is because of this that it is fairly easy to distinguish the era
from which a particular piece came from. Between 1910 and 1930
silver was the in color for metal. Most of the jewelry from this
period was set in base metals that were colored to look silver.
In the 1930s rhinestones became a popular material that was
being used in fashion jewelry in Europe. These stones however
were not freely available in America till the 1940s and
therefore the rhinestone jewelry that was found in America prior
to the 1940s was made up of small clusters of stones rather that
a big single piece.

The present times – modern and trendy?

The fashion jewelry available today is not very different from
what was used in the years that have gone by. The concept is
still the same – inexpensive fun jewelry to accessorize an
outfit. In fact while fashion jewelry today is modern, trendy &
stylish, there is also a segment that is reverting to antique
and vintage styles. These pieces may not be as heavy as their
original counter part, but if they are worn right they make
excellent fashion statements and are most definitely
conversation starters! So go ahead, have fun accessorizing with
fashion jewelry and dress to turn heads.


About The Author: Queen Bee Jewelry offers a great selection of
Women's Jewelry including Fashion Jewelry and Sterling Silver
Jewelry. Visit us on the web at http://www.queenbjewelry.com for
all your fashion jewelry needs.