Imitation Jewelry: A Guide To Feeling Like A Sophisticated Woman
Imitation jewelry, often called costume jewelry, makes an affordable alternative to real jewelry, which can be extremely costly. Every woman would like a fine selection of bracelets, necklaces, pendants and jewels, and many own some fine items of real jewelry, however a wide collection of real gold and diamonds is not attainable for most.
This is where imitation, or costume, jewelry comes into play. It’s true that, at the lower end of the market, a lot of imitation jewelry is of poor quality and is rightly known as ‘junk jewelry’, it is also possible to get some beautiful imitation jewelry that is virtually impossible to tell apart from the real thing. Such imitation pieces may not be pure gold, but will be gold plated, and will be much more affordable than real jewelry.
Imitation jewelry originally became popular in the 1930s when it was used as a cheap fashion accessory for certain outfits. The idea was that the costume jewelry would quickly become unfashionable and would be replaced to match the next style that came along. Imitation jewelry was an immediate hit and has been massively popular ever since.
Usually, imitation jewelry is manufactured from cheaper materials such as plastic, glass, base metals, and synthetic or non-precious stones. Although some high-end imitation jewelry will use gold plating, semi-precious stones or American diamonds, and the result can be very close or even identical to the genuine article.
The design and production of imitation jewelry has become a massive industry. There are thousands of producers globally producing high-quality necklaces, anklets, tiaras, ear-rings and all kinds of jewelry to an extremely high standard. Some of the top-quality imitation jewelry originates in countries like India and China where there is a long tradition of crafting top-quality products. That said, some of the best pieces is mass produced and marketed by western companies like Dior, Chanel and Coventry.
These days, the US has by far the highest demand for jewelry in the world, with more than 30% of the market share. With such a huge demand for both real and costume jewelry here, it is little surprise that there is an excellent selection for sale in stores and on the internet. Competition between dealers can be fierce, so there are some great bargains to be had.
While imitation jewelry will never truly equal the quality, beauty and value of the real thing, it remains popular even in the most exclusive circles. Film stars such as Audrey Hepburn wore unique pieces of imitation jewelry, while Barbara Bush wore an imitation pearl necklace to her husband’s inaugural ball.
Many unique items of imitation jewelry such as this are priceless collectibles, as are many of the more distinctive, high-quality pieces. So, it can be seen that imitation jewelry needn’t be cheap and tacky, but a valuable addition to a woman’s jewelry collection at a fraction of the price of the ‘real thing’.