Caring for Vintage Costume Jewelry

Costume jewelry was made to be worn, not locked away, but a little care keeps a seventy-year-old brooch looking the way its maker intended. Most of what shortens a piece's life is avoidable.

Keep it dry. Old rhinestones are often foil-backed, and moisture creeps behind the foil and turns the stones cloudy and gray. That means no perfume, lotion or hairspray after the piece is on, and never a quick rinse under the tap.

Store it flat and separate. Chains tangle and enamel chips when pieces knock together in a drawer, so a lined tray or individual pouches pay for themselves. A soft dry brush lifts dust from settings without loosening stones.

Dating a piece is half the fun: the clasp, the findings and the backstamp usually tell you the decade. Bring one by the mall and we will help you read it, or browse the cases next time you are walking the floor.