Welcome to my website!
My name is Julia C. Carroll (Julie to my friends) and I am the author of two books about collecting costume jewelry: Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building & Upgrading and Collecting Costume Jewelry 202: The Basics of Dating Jewelry 1935 – 1980. (A synopsis and ordering information is provided below.)
My goal for this brand new website is simple. I want to help new and not so new collectors learn about collectible costume jewelry by providing clear, easy-to-use, online Reference Guides exploring various costume jewelry related topics. I will include my personal tips and recommendations when possible and expand and update the guides frequently. For me, learning about my collection is as much fun as collecting. I hope you agree and will find this site useful and entertaining.
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS:
The good news is that I am working on Collecting Costume Jewelry 303 due to be released in the fall of 2009. The bad news is that this project is consuming ALL of my spare time so I am, unfortunately, neglecting this website. I am trying to answer my emails but I am unable to update this site as often as I would like. Please continue to email me - I love to hear from you - and please bear with me concerning the website. THANK YOU!
NOTE/DISCLAIMER: Permission is required to use any of the information or photographs from this site. Accuracy is my goal; however, mistakes do happen. My recommendations are just that, my personal opinions. I can take no responsibility for losses incurred by collectors following my advice. Copyright 2007.
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Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: SECOND EDITION GOOD NEWS! The second edition of Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building, and Upgrading, is now available! While maintaining the easy-to-use format as the popular first edition, this second edition (sporting a hot new cover) is fully updated. This new edition is much the same book, providing beginning collectors with friendly advice on how to begin a collection and how to recognize good quality costume jewelry. Background information for almost 130 different makers, including my recommendations on which pieces from each designer are the most collectible, are provided. In addition, this new edition is enhanced with the following updates:
Once again, tips on how to upgrade a collection by selling to dealers and trading with friends; tips on how to catalog a collection; and tips on repairing, storing, and cleaning jewelry are included. An index of patent design numbers rounds out the book.
Collecting Costume Jewelry 202: The Basics of Dating Jewelry 1935 – 1980 “One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from beginning and intermediate collectors is “How old is this piece?” “Collecting Costume Jewelry 202: The Basics of Dating Jewelry, 1935 – 1980” is intended to help collectors answer this question. This text explores, with clear instructions and colorful illustrations, the following six methods for dating costume jewelry:
Method one: Dating jewelry from the maker’s signature. I love research, so this book is packed full of information.” This is a huge, 495 page reference, with over 600 photographs, 550 illustrations, 160 vintage advertisements, and charts listing over 4,000 patents numbers. Every little tidbit of information I could locate is carefully recorded in the captions, including a range of years when each piece was likely produced. More complex than my first book, this sequel is appropriate for intermediate and high end collectors.
Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building & Upgrading ***FIRST EDITION - This first edition is no longer in print. However, a newly released second edition is now available with updated information, additional photographs, and more makers!!*** “With the popularity of online auctions such as eBay, anyone with money can acquire a first-rate collection of costume jewelry. Stunningly beautiful vintage designer pieces are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. However, for many passionate collectors, the fun of collecting is the hunt for beautiful yet affordable treasures from bygone eras. This book is aimed at the beginning collector on a budget who wants to build a collection through guile and creativity. It includes tips on how to successfully find affordable but wonderful pieces and on how to avoid costly mistakes. Also included are tips on how to negotiate a good price, advice on using a computer to catalog a collection, and information on upgrading to improve a collection. There is a large reference chapter in this book, which includes photographs of and values for jewelry from over 120 different designers. A summary of information chart for each of the 120 designers provides the beginning collector with important background information about each designer, and includes my recommendations on which designers are the most collectible.”
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