Vintage Costume Jewelry by Lisstore on eBay

Buyer Beware!

The following information is provided courtesy of one reputable dealer I have dealt with in the past and bears repeating:

* The most important rule of all: if it looks too good, and the price is too good, it probably IS too good . . . to be true.

* There may be more than one "fake" of any given piece. So, observe carefully, even if the piece you want to buy doesn't look like the "fake" I've presented. Be wary if it doesn't look like the "real" piece, either.

* There are unsigned pieces out there that may look a lot like important signed "high end" pieces. Likely, they were made at the time the real piece was popular, and were "knockoffs" made by competing manufacturers trying to capitalize on the popularity of the signed pieces. These are not "fakes" -- however, they're not necessarily an unsigned version of an authentic piece, either, so don't pay a "real" price for them.

* Be wary of claims that a piece is an "unsigned this-or-that." Yes, it could be -- perhaps it was made by a "jobber," both for a "name" company and for its own distribution as an unsigned piece. But, how does the dealer know? Provenance can be hard to prove. Ask questions. Read, study, and learn all you can. I have found, in my travels to antique malls and shops across the country, that very few costume jewelry dealers (excepting the ones I know, of course!) are really as knowledgeable as they should be. Also, some dealers are knowingly selling fakes . . . greed and a wish to boost the bottom line can lead some dealers to turn a blind eye to ethics. Be tight-fisted with your money, and don't buy unless you feel comfortable and have done your homework.

* Be wary of familiar-looking pieces that sport another designer's name. For example, neither Boucher nor Hobe made jelly bellies . . . period. Any JB with either signature is not genuine.

The following is a link to an extremely valuable collection of educational resources: Costume Jewelry Information

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