Cómo elegir una joya vintage

¿Cómo elegir una joya pasada de moda, vintage o antigua? Esta guía rápida explica cómo encontrar el adecuado para usted ♦

Do you like vintage jewelry? Or do you prefer the ancient ones (attention: there is a difference)? But are you sure that what you are about to buy are not simply jewels that have been used for a few years? It is not easy to distinguish the genres, yet it is necessary to avoid being fooled by bad sellers. Nor is it easy to get exactly the period, vintage or antique jewel you want. In fact, definitions such as period jewelery, vintage and antique are often used incorrectly and only serve to confuse the ideas of those who buy. Then there are also words such as «heritage» or «estate» which can complicate the choice even more. Find out the differences between the jewels of the past and take these five tips into account before you shop.

1 Locate the style

To properly choose a vintage jewel or antique, you must start from a simple consideration: all that is not new is been used. But, of course, a 200 years old ring has a value other than a jewel that is ten years old. The first step is, therefore, define what age is a gem. If you are not expert in jewelry history, you can search through the internet (maybe see gioiellis.com) of the reference points or the jewels that look like what you want to buy. In this way, one can determine the age of the jewel to an accuracy of 10-20 years. It is already a good result. For example, two styles that have influenced for a long time the world of jewelry are the Art Nouveau, which in Italy is also called Liberty (1900-1925) and the Art Deco (about 1925-1940). Even the sites of auction houses such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s can help you because they keep images of jewelry that have a certain date.

2 Antique Fakes

Often they find jewelry made now, but inspired by the past and are sold in an ambiguous way as if they were ancient. The Art Deco style, for example, is back in fashion for some years and many jewelers have started to produce jewelry in this style. And an unreliable dealer might try to sell a new cameo, like an antique, like a vintage jewel, when in fact it is only a reproduction of an antique piece. Fortunately, find out if a jewel has a story is usually quite simple: just look the ring, necklace o bracelet very carefully, perhaps by using a magnifying glass or simple glasses. A jewel that has many years has almost certainly of little marks on the metal, sometimes even scratches on the stones, which indicate its use.

3 Second hand

A used jewel isn’t sure an old, antique or vintage piece: simply was used before. Maybe very little: there are examples of the jewels not very used. This is the case, for example, of rings received as a gift but which have never been worn because they do not like, or (it happens) of engagement rings which return to the jeweler after which the torque ratio is broken. Of course, in this case, it is not a vintage jewel, but contemporary.

4 Vintage jewelry

A piece of jewelry is vintage if is at least 20-30 years. In practice, if a jewel was built before 1980 it can be considered vintage. Vintage is a term used in English and French to indicate the same thing. But this word is also a generic definition: can be defined in this way also a jewel in Art Deco style of the thirties, though, of course, is more appropriate to define precisely the period in which the piece was made. So if the seller simply defines as vintage and antique jewel, turn on your antennas and observe better.

5 Ancient Jewels

When you can define an ancient jewel? There is no precise date, however, is generally considered as an ancient jewel that is over a hundred years. Of course, to define how old a gem you need some evidence, which lays down the date on which it was created. Attention to defining «old style», which simply means that this jewel is an imitation. A jewel of the Belle Epoque has not necessarily been made in the nineteenth century, but it may indicate that reproduces the style.