What Is the Difference between Antique and Vintage Jewellery?

20 February 2014

Through the ages, people have always adorned themselves with different kinds of jewelleries, from the wedding ring that couples wear every day to the heirlooms that we only get to use on very special occasions. However, do you know how to categorize your favourite jewellery pieces? Just like furniture and other antiques, jewellery is generally categorized via a royalty period era. For example, some jewelleries are tagged as Edwardian, Georgian, or Victorian.
The major difference between antique and vintage jewellery is age. If we really follow the strict definition, for an item to be considered antique, it has to be at least one hundred years old. What can be considered vintage are items that are older than twenty years. In the world of jewellery collection, this type of classification is not always followed, and jewelry items that have not reached 100 years in age are also tagged as antique. In fact, the stylistic period of the jewelry is what is considered as more important in distinguishing between the antique and vintage. A great number of jewelry collectors consider items dating on and prior to the Art Deco period as antique jewelry.

Both vintage and antique jewelry are also generally split into two major categories based on the actual materials and cost. The first category is fine jewelry and this refers to items made using precious metals such as silver, gold, and platinum. The cheaper (but not really cheap) costumized antique and vintage jewelry are designed and made mainly using semi-precious stones and base metals. They are usually branded by the styles of the era when they were produced.

The manufacture of comparatively reasonably-priced costume jewelry began during the 1700s. This provided people with a great alternative to costly silver, gold, and gemstone jewelry. Today, only a few pieces of antique costume jewelry from the Georgian era can be found. Victorian costume jewelries are still plentiful and they are considered highly collectible. These pieces of jewelry are usually made of glass or paste instead of expensive gems. Victorian era jewelry are also usually made of brass and other base metals rather than silver or gold. Jewelries from this era are generally considered as antique.

The different stylistic periods after the Victorian period which includes the Art Deco era are also deemed as antique by many collectors and dealers. The Art Deco period which spans from 1920 to 1935, is perhaps the last period that might be classified as antique by jewelry collectors.

Ken Ross Jewellers

Established in 1954, Ken Ross Jewellers is renowned for producing and maintaining fine jewelry and watches. And over the decades, many awards have been won. Ken Ross Jewellers specializes in supplying fine jewelry like diamonds and semi-precious stones, plus repairs for rings, wedding bands and watches. For a valuation of a diamond you have, repairs on a wedding ring or new precious diamond jewelry, contact:

Optimized by: Netwizard SEO