Most costume jewelry is worth a few dollars a piece, and a drawer full of unsigned brooches, beads and earrings typically sells as a lot for roughly $20-100. The exceptions are signed pieces from makers that collectors follow, and a smaller group of designs that appear in collector reference books. A signed Trifari or Coro brooch usually brings $15-100, while Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Schiaparelli and Trifari jelly bellies can bring $100-800, and vintage Chanel more.
So the job is sorting, not appraising every piece. Look for a signature, check the condition, and set the signed and unusual pieces aside. The rest is still worth selling in a lot, because buyers who make crafts and resellers who sort lots pay for volume.
What counts as costume jewelry
Costume jewelry is made from base metals, glass, rhinestones, plastics and imitation pearls rather than gold, silver and precious stones. It took off in the 1930s, when Hollywood and department stores made bold fashion jewelry respectable, and peaked from the 1940s to the 1960s. Some of the best was designed by people trained in fine jewelry, and the craftsmanship can be excellent.
There is one wartime exception worth knowing. From about 1942 to the end of World War II, base metals were restricted in the United States, so many costume makers used sterling silver instead. A Trifari or Coro piece marked "Sterling" from those years is both collectible and made of real silver.
How to find the signature
Turn every piece over and check, with a magnifying glass or your phone camera zoomed in:
- Brooches: the back, near the pin, the catch or on a raised oval plate.
- Necklaces and bracelets: the clasp, the hook, or a small tag on the chain near the clasp.
- Earrings: the back of the clip or the screw back.
- Haskell and other beadwork: a small oval or horseshoe shaped hang tag near the clasp.
Signatures can be tiny and worn. Some makers used a copyright symbol, a patent number or a design patent number, which helps with dating. Patent numbers can be looked up, and pieces with "Pat. Pend." or a patent number on the back are often from the 1930s to 1950s. A missing signature does not mean a piece is junk: Miriam Haskell pieces made before about 1950 are often unsigned, and Juliana pieces by DeLizza and Elster were sold with paper tags that rarely survive.
The signed makers that matter
Trifari
Trifari is the name most people find. Look for "Trifari" with a crown over the T. Pieces from about 1955 onward add a copyright symbol. Most Trifari sells for $15-100. The jelly belly pins of the 1940s, animals and figures with clear Lucite centers, sell for $200-800 and more for rare designs. Designs by Alfred Philippe, Trifari's chief designer for decades, are the most wanted.
Coro
Coro was one of the largest costume makers in the world, so most Coro is common and sells for $10-50. Look for Corocraft and Vendome, its better lines, which bring more. Coro Duettes, a pair of clips that fit into a single brooch frame, are sought after, especially in sterling.
Miriam Haskell
Haskell pieces use hand wired seed beads, baroque glass pearls and gilded filigree, built in layers on a backing. Signed pieces carry an oval or horseshoe tag. Good Haskell necklaces and brooches often sell for $100-500, and large or early pieces more. Construction matters: real Haskell is wired by hand, not glued.
Eisenberg
Eisenberg made heavy, sparkling rhinestone pieces from the 1930s on. "Eisenberg Original" pieces from the 1930s and 1940s are the most valuable, often $150-800, while the later "Eisenberg Ice" pieces usually sell for $30-150.
Weiss
Weiss is known for high quality rhinestones, including its smoky "black diamond" stones. Signed Weiss brooches and earrings commonly sell for $25-150. Weiss is also widely faked, so a signature on a poorly made piece deserves skepticism.
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli's signed costume jewelry, mostly from the late 1940s and 1950s, uses bold colored stones, aurora borealis rhinestones and lava rock glass. The signature is in script. Sets and large brooches often bring $150-600.
Chanel
Vintage Chanel costume jewelry is the top of the field. Pieces are marked CHANEL with the interlocking CC and Made in France, and pieces from the 1980s onward often carry a season code on a small oval plate. Used pieces commonly sell for $300-2,000 and more. Chanel is also among the most counterfeited names in jewelry, so a reseller or authenticator who specializes in it is worth involving before a sale.
Kenneth Jay Lane
KJL pieces from the 1960s and 1970s, often signed "K.J.L." or "Kenneth Lane", can sell for $50-300 for large statement pieces. Later KJL, sold in huge numbers through television shopping, usually brings $15-60.
Others worth a look
Monet, Napier, Sarah Coventry, Lisner, Kramer, Hobe, Hollycraft, Boucher, Mazer and Joseff of Hollywood all have followings. Most of their pieces sell in the $15-150 range.
Rhinestones and book pieces
Collectors use the phrase "book piece" for a design pictured in one of the standard reference books on costume jewelry. A book piece is easier to identify and date, which tends to lift the price, and dealers mention it in listings.
Rhinestones tell their own story. Good vintage stones are foil-backed glass, often set in prongs rather than glued, and catch light sharply. Aurora borealis stones, with a rainbow surface coating, date from 1955 onward. Glued-in stones are normal on many costume pieces, so gluing alone is not a bad sign, but prong-set stones usually point to better work.
Condition: what costs money
Condition drives costume jewelry prices more than most categories. The common problems:
- Missing stones: cut the value by half or more. Replaced stones that do not match also hurt.
- Dark or cloudy stones: the foil behind the stone has failed, often from water. Lowers value.
- Verdigris: the green crust from corroded copper or brass, often around stones. Light verdigris can sometimes be cleaned; heavy verdigris eats the metal and is hard to reverse.
- Worn plating: base metal showing through gold tone. Visible wear on high points lowers value.
- Replating: a piece that has been replated loses originality, and collectors often prefer honest wear.
- Broken pins, clasps or ear clips: lower the price, though repairs are often simple.
Clean costume jewelry dry or with a barely damp cotton swab. Never soak it, since water seeps behind stones and ruins the foil.
Typical values
| Piece | Approximate resale value |
|---|---|
| Unsigned costume brooch, earrings or beads | $1-15 each |
| Mixed unsigned lot of 30 to 50 pieces | $20-100 |
| Signed Coro, Sarah Coventry, Monet, Napier | $10-60 |
| Signed Trifari, Weiss, Lisner, later KJL | $15-100 |
| WWII sterling Trifari or Coro | $50-250 |
| Miriam Haskell necklace or brooch | $100-500 |
| Eisenberg Original, Schiaparelli, Trifari jelly belly | $150-800 |
| Vintage Chanel CC brooch or necklace | $300-2,000 |
What a photo can settle
A clear photo of the back of each piece, with the signature in focus, settles most questions about maker and era. A photo of the front in daylight shows stone color, missing stones and plating wear. Pieces that need a hands-on look are those with no signature but high quality construction, anything that may be sterling or gold (see our guide on how to tell if gold is real), and anything carrying a famous name like Chanel. If pearls are mixed in, our guide on real versus imitation pearls helps separate them.
For a lot of signed pieces, a dealer who specializes in vintage costume jewelry or an auction house with a jewelry sale is the professional route. For single pieces of uncertain metal, a jeweler's acid test settles it.