Buy Unique Antique, Vintage and Second Hand Jewellery Online

A piece of jewellery is considered antique if it is over 100 years old. On the other hand, vintage jewellery is between 50 to 100 years old. So, at the time of writing this article (February 2000), any piece of jewellery that made between 1920 and 1970 is considered vintage jewellery. One easy way to remember the differences is, something antique is also vintage, but something vintage is not necessarily antique.

There are two rough definitions of a vintage piece, and they are often used interchangeably depending on the occasion. The first being anything that is second hand or previously used. However, this definition is not accurate. The second definition which is generally acceptable classifies a vintage piece as anything that is aged but not necessarily of antique age. Therefore, articles classified under the aegis of vintage is any piece created after 1920, which technically includes Retro jewellery.
What distinguishes vintage jewellery from other jewellery is the fact that though it is often worn or put on display and they are less likely to break or suffer any damage.

It is pertinent to point out the differences between fine jewellery and costume jewellery. Regardless of age, fine jewellery will attract more considerable value due to their makeup compared to costume jewellery. Fine jewellery includes gold, real pearls, diamond, silver and other precious gemstones. However, vintage costume jewellery has its attraction and collectors who value their uniqueness will pay any amount to own a piece.

Vintage jewellery is more natural to blend with any of today’s contemporary fashion trends as it adds extra flair to any outfit. By market standards, vintage jewellery doesn’t cost as much money as a piece of antique jewellery will, but that does not make it any less desirable or collectable.

The hunt for antique, vintage and retro period jewellery is a constant one as collectors recognise the rarity and sentimental value attached to these pieces. The broad emotional appeal attached to these pieces owing mainly to its uniqueness; no two pieces are alike. The definition and categorisation of jewellery pieces into vintage, antique and retro period is best left for experts to decide. Such that trying to self-date and evaluate your vintage or retro pieces can prove to be very risky for business. This makes it difficult for an inexpert buyer to understand these aspects of the market because as time marches on, the allocation of antique, vintage and retro collectables shifts. Meaning, in 50 years, a piece that is currently referred to as retro would become vintage and a vintage piece will become antique. Likewise, some current trends and articles will be seen as a retro in 50 years.

The Economic Value of Antique Jewellery

Any jewellery item that belongs to a period such as the year 1920 or over a hundred years of age is an antique jewellery. Jewellery has always been a form of self-expression; hence antique jewellery is adored for its uniqueness.

Antique jewellery is hand-crafted and not mass produced using machinery and other casting techniques. Many of the pieces of antique jewellery were hand-crafted long before the era of machines, thereby making each piece unique.
These pieces of jewellery are usually well made, and that is why they have stood the test of time. Most of the jewellery advertised on billboards, TV, and magazines today lack both character and authenticity, which should be something innate in your collection of jewellery.

The Different Styles of Antique Jewellery

There are loads of different styles of antique jewellery out there. The first to be examined briefly is Victorian jewellery, and there are precisely three types of Victorian jewellery, namely:

• Early Victorian jewellery
• Mid-Victorian jewellery
• Late Victorian jewellery

However, most jewellers of today usually lump them all together in one category. Let’s take a brief look at each of the antique jewellery outlined below:

Early Victorian Jewellery

Early Victorian jewellery was produced in the 19th century, specifically from the years 1837-1855. This set of jewellery was, in most cases, inspired by nature designs.

These designs are intricately and delicately etched into gold while lockets and brooches, which had different coloured gemstones and became highly fashionable pieces of the time.

Mid-Victorian Jewellery

Mid-Victorian jewellery was hand-crafted in the 19th century as well, circa 1856-1880. These pieces of jewellery coincide at the time when Queen Elizabeth’s husband passed away, thereby corresponding with a time of sorrow.

The Mid-Victorian designs were quite grave and solemn so that they can be in tune with the period of mourning. These pieces of jewellery were decorated with dark and heavy stones.

However, the Mid-Victorian antique jewellery was considered much more creative, according to jewellery experts than its predecessor, the Early Victorian jewellery. The Mid-Victorian antique jewellery featured mosaics and shells.

Late Victorian Jewellery

Late Victorian jewellery came to light in the year 1885-1900, the period usually referred to as the Aesthetic period. It featured feminine designs jewelled with bright gemstones and diamonds.

At the time when Late Victorian jewellery was popular, crescent and star designs were also trendy and utilised extensively.

Other Styles of Antique Jewellery

1. Nouveau Jewellery became the preferred style of jewellery from 1895-1915. It featured natural designs such as butterflies, flowers, etc. Most of them are naturalistic in design and usually curved in an attempt to imitate the curves of the feminine features portraying a romantic jewellery style at the time.
2. Art Deco jewellery (1915-1935) became the popular style of jewellery right after the decline of Nouveau jewellery. It was named after L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industries Modernes which held in Paris, France in 1925.
   Several cultures inspired this style of jewellery, which included
   -Roman architecture
   -Ancient Egyptian art
   -American Indian art
   -Greek architecture
   -Dadaism, as well as Cubism also greatly influenced Art Deco.

Conclusion

Antique jewellery is much more than the adornment that you or anyone around you can wear. It comes with a small piece of history embedded in it along with unmatched character when compared to mass-produced jewellery.

Why You Should Buy Jewellery Online

Many people these days love to shop for clothes, shoes, and accessories online, thanks to the remarkable advent of technology. However, a few people like to buy jewellery online, while many others baulk at such an idea. If you belong to this class of people, here’s why you should consider buying your jewellery online.

1. Buying Jewellery Online Grants Easy Access to Varieties
   First of all, it is much easier to get access to all the variety of jewellery in one place. If you prefer to buy your jewellery at a brick and mortar store, you may end up wasting countless hours – and money – searching for a perfect piece of jewellery, and you may not even be lucky enough to find it. But you can browse eCommerce sites online or the websites of renowned jewellers or brands with online retail stores. Since different brands are accessible to you, you can buy jewellery online at a very cheap rate; this does not imply that the jewellery itself is cheap.
2. Compare Prices When You Buy Jewellery Online
   Browsing online makes it easy to compare prices and eliminates the need to run from one shop to another, which can be pretty exhausting and time-consuming. By opening several images on your favourite browser, you can compare prices, brands, and looks before purchasing the one that looks much better.
3. Finding Unisex Items Becomes Easier
   Secondly, shopping online makes it much easier to locate unsex items. Although it is possible to find unisex jewellery in an offline shop, it can be a tiring process. Shopping on the internet is a breeze as you can quickly narrow down your search to nothing else but unisex jewellery. When you do this, only unisex items will be presented to you in your search results, and you can go through each one before making up your mind to purchase the ones that tickle your fancy.
4. Get All Pieces of Jewellery in One Place When You Shop Online
   You can find brooches and rings in the same place. You can also find watches, precious stones, cuff-links, anklets, and pendants as well. All you need to do is click on the particular type of jewellery that you are searching for or need to buy, and several varieties will appear on your screen within a few seconds.

The beauty of technology these days is that you can shop right on your mobile devices. And so without having to face any form of hassle, you can not only browse but also buy jewellery online within a few minutes!
So, buying your jewellery online is an excellent idea as overhead is costly, and online retailers usually have an underlying advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

Online retail stores like the London Gold Centre can afford to sell their jewellery at prices that are significantly lower compared to that of traditional stores. You can even see as much as 80% discount, thereby saving you a lot of money in the end. LGC buys jewellery directly from clients.

On a final note, make sure that you buy your jewellery from a reputable and trusted source, which can save you from a lot of trouble in the future.

Second-Hand Jewellery

A second-hand material is usually a piece of personal property that acquires to a second owner. Essentially, it is a used, and unwanted jewellery by its original owner. These articles put up for sale and ownership then transferred to another person. The purchase of second-hand good usually takes place in garage sales, private and public auctions, online auctions or sale. They typically sell for a fraction of their original price. A second-hand material passed on within a family referred to as hand-me-downs, and in this case, money does not necessarily need to change hands.

However, in the case of jewellery or art collection, the meaning of second hand retains its original meaning. Still, in principle, there are a few differences here and there, especially in the area of pricing and valuation.
Many buyers and users of jewellery often misunderstand the evaluation and categorisation of their jewellery pieces. While the most common misconception found when categorising them into antique, vintage and retro ages. Many buyers have a minimal idea of what separates second-hand materials from the periods mentioned above.

An antique piece includes those piece that made over 100 years ago while vintage is those made between 50 and 100 years ago and retro are relatively recent.

Many people believe a piece of second hand jewellery is the same as vintage, but that has been proven wrong by collectors. An antique piece can be second hand, the same way, a vintage article can be second hand and the same as retro. Essentially, a second-hand item is any piece that has been previously owned and used. Meaning, if a previous owner of an item puts it up for sale, whoever bids for such material or eventually buys it is buying a piece of second hand jewellery.

Compared to the market value, the prices of the second-hand value are relatively lower compared to the original value or cost price. Though the value rarely drops in the case of jewellery, except there is a crash in the global market and consumer spending.

The evaluation of antique, vintage and retro pieces are left for experts to decide, the same way experts do the categorisation into ages. An article is regarded as second hand if previously purchased at an auction or shop, and the buyer chooses to sell it on to a different owner. Such articles, which could be antique, vintage or retro at the time of the auction is referred to as second hand jewellery (at the time a new buyer buys it).