INTRODUCTION

Chapter 4 is the last chapter in Collecting Costume Jewelry 404 The Basics of Recognizing Great Design. It is the final exercise in answering the question posed in the Introduction. Can a collector today, by studying vintage brands, predict which contemporary brands may be collectible in the future?

This chapter features jewelry by talented contemporary jewelry designers who have launched their own unique brands, and successfully marketed their jewelry to earn a place in today’s fashion world.

It is limited to costume jewelry produced after 1990. The brands selected have been in continuous business for at least ten years and have consistently produced distinctive jewelry exhibiting many of the six elements of great design studied in earlier chapters: Shape, Line, Color, Contrast, Visual Weight, and Balance.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE JEWELRY! Brand biographies are provided but it is important to remember that the brands selected are still molding their jewelry history.

Today the world of retail is in transition and poses special challenges to jewelry brands. Malls are struggling. Jewelry sales are moving online and sometimes purchased by “name brand status” regardless of quality. Marketing is largely through social media. Manufacturing is a global enterprise with materials for each design sourced from many different countries.

Fashions change, business practices change, and manufacturing techniques change, but great design transcends decades. Only time will tell if the contemporary brands selected here will be future collectibles.

Author’s Note: The jewelry examples shown in Chapter 4 are based on my personal aesthetic. It was an interesting, challenging jewelry journey looking for these brands. Right now, the number of brands featured in this chapter is limited, but, hopefully as I continue my quest, more will be added.