Disclaimer: Please be aware that there are varying views out there as to dating antique and vintage jewelry. The observations below are based on research and my general acceptance as to what constitutes dates and time periods for vintage and antique jewelry closures. If unsure, or have an opposite view, please seek a professional second opinion. Especially in the case of expensive gold or silver pieces. This blog deals with costume jewelry typically for sale in the costume jewelry market today. Thanks for stopping by and, tell your friends about us if you found this interesting.
How does one tell if a piece of jewelry is vintage or not? With today's remakes it can be hard to tell. Be on the lookout for the words "Vintage Style", "Vintage Look", and "Vintage Like". These generally mean you are getting a piece of jewelry (or jewellery as we in Canada spell it) that has been recently manufactured to look old. Not always, but about 90 percent of the time.
Old pieces should have a bit, to a lot, of age showing up as discoloration or wear. Most of the wear is bound to show up where the piece meets the body or clothing. Please be aware that there will be some pieces referred to as "NOS" which simply translates to "New Old Stock", generally implying that the piece is old, just never worn. These come from store closeouts etc. where the items have sat around for years before being rediscovered. As it is today, some will buy a piece of jewelry and wear it a few times only to let it sit in a jewelry box for the remainder of their lives. So how do you tell?
One of the quickest ways (though no one way is foolproof), is to check the back of the piece. Look for a brand name. Vintage companies, like all companies, had a beginning and ending date range where they were in business. Just type "research vintage jewelry" into any browser and you should be able to find the dates and company stamps for most manufacturers on various websites. Although you will get a "began in 1940 ended in 1979 etc.", there are ways to muddle through the process of elimination to narrow down that date. Some stamps were only issued between certain years and changed as the company progressed in years. This could mean a different look to the way it was spelled. Maybe printed during certain years and then written out in script writing for a few more. You will also be surprised to find out some companies would change their product names completely as with Krementz, who added a Dept. Store line stamped simply "Diana".
Now lets get down to the meat and bones of discerning a piece without research. Again, look at the back of the piece. The pointed pin and roll clasp get used the most, so look for wear and discoloration on these parts. Next, we will look at pin/brooch closures in photo's:
The wide C Clasp closure below dates from the 1800's to around the 1910's. The pin nestled into an open C that did not close around the pin. This closure may still be found on later pieces in the 20's-50's and right up to present day. If you have this closure, and see wear, rest assured you have an antique to vintage piece.
The next closure you see here is another type of C Clasp Closure. This is the type of closure, and wear, you really want to see in an antique piece. This was a simple thin wire that was open, and held the pointed pin in place. Notice the pointy part of the pin also extends past the brooch itself. These were unique, and quite rustic, with a simple closure to keep that brooch in it's place. Generally these are found on older, heavier pieces from the 1800's-1910. You do have an antique piece if you see this type of closure.
Also in the mix will be the "Trombone Closure" or "Tube Closure". This secure little closure is definitely in the antique/vintage category. These have been described as being from the 1800's-1940's. Personally, I often date these between the 1920's and 1930's. These are quite often found on European Celluloid brooches, as well as on a few metallic pieces. You turn the closure and pull out the end to expose the pin, and put the piece on. You then push the end back in and turn to secure. On another type, you just pull out the end (which is a simple tube), position the pin, and push the end back in place with no turning required. This, in my opinion, is one of the most secure closures you can find on an antique/vintage piece. More commonly seen in European, rather than American pieces.
The next closure I want to show you is the "Roll Clasp Closure". All it contains is a covering that rolls/spins over a C-clasp to lock the pin in place. These will date from the 1920's to today. The general consensus is that they were invented in the 1920's and caught on rather quickly with the manufacturers of the time. The first clasps had a rather shorter "head" that you grab onto to turn. Some also had just a spring mechanism that you would move outward, put in the pin, and then release to secure it. As they evolved, todays popular closure took on the modern look.
Finally you are going to come across, guaranteed, a false C-closure. This is just a closure that has lost it's spin head. It looks like a C-Clasp closure, but is not. This piece can be anywhere from the 1920's to now. If you aren't a purist, then a fine example with a broken spin clasp should do you no harm. There will be a decrease in resale value though. The first photo shows you the components that used to be part of the brooch. The last to photos show the piece missing the spin head but, still functions well as a pseudo C-closure. How can you tell if it is a C-Clasp Closure or a broken Spin Clasp Closure? Easy. The "C" will be slightly wide but very thin. See my last two photo's. The exterior sides of the fake "C", will probably have scratches where the head constantly rolled over it. Real C clasp closures are "thicker" or "flare out" in thickness.
I hope you have enjoyed this little info blog and will return with more on dating a brooch soon.
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