The hunt for vintage jewelry can feel like a tricky one to start. Much like finding the best curation of vintage 501s or Chanel tweed jackets, the vintage jewelry market can feel daunting. Jenna Grosfeld, designer and owner of Jenna Blake jewelry (and vintage enthusiast) encourages a new vintage shopper to make the most of the search: “The hunt is what makes it so fun,” she says.
Grosfeld began collecting vintage jewelry on the heels of a fascination—and subsequent accrual—of smaller vintage objects and a childhood spent accompanying family members to vintage fairs. Jewelry, different from decorative arts, felt initially intimidating, says Grosfeld, partly because “dealing with jewelry…immediately sets the tone for a higher priced item.” This is true when you’re interested in pieces with significant stones or signed pieces and styles that have a lot of attention—old mine-cut diamonds, for example.
Realistically, though, you can often find pieces that are reasonably priced. This is especially true when you give yourself the gift of time to look and are open to what might strike you. “If you go in with an agenda you lose the creativity and you miss the discovery,” says Grosfeld.
Vintage jewelry shopping (all jewelry shopping, we must say) is a smoother experience if you’ve been able to spend some time educating yourself. Education doesn’t need to be much, though. Scroll through some sites to price compare; understand what is piquing your interest; read any interviews you can find with jewelry historians. Not only will you feel more empowered when purchasing, but you’ll help yourself to not get swindled. Grosfeld recommends auction catalogs (now widely online) to get an understanding on price—the top auction houses (Sothebys, Christies, and Philipps) “is going to be peak pricing and those are reliable sources and they’re thorough.”
For those that can’t readily head to estate sales or vintage fairs, online auctions and resale sites are a great way to find vintage jewelry treasures and pre-owned timepieces.
