Costume jewelry: pros and contras

What is costume jewelry?
Costume jewelry is a jewelry which is considered to be much less valuable jewelry, which is rather affordable. Materials that are used to produce such jewelry are glass, plastic, base metals, they all are meant to imitate the real gems and precious metals.
We should mention that costume jewelry appeared as widely-spread jewelry not earlier than 1930s. Though cheap jewelry does existed long before that time, the purpose was rather different from the upcoming demands. However surprisingly it may seem, costume jewelry was mainly produced for rich people. They wanted to have the copies of their exquisite jewelry either for safety or some other reasons.

Why to buy costume jewelry?
Of course, its rather obvious, that costume jewelry is not what you will store for further generations. Called fashion in other words, it implies that you will wear it for some time when it will be in fashion. Quite a passing fad you may purchase it in large quantities to match various outfits.
It is quite common to search for a jewelry that has been worn by your favorite celebrity. Most people watch the well-known Awards shows, where celebrities demonstrate gorgeous and most precious jewelry. In fact they almost never appear in the same pieces twice. Nevertheless you wouldnt call the jewelry they wear a trifle as its price may be rather shocking. Today those, who produce costume jewelry, take into consideration that people want to have a ring like Madonna had at her wedding or necklace resembling Gwyneth Paltrows one. And this would be a good possibility to have one with less expense.
It can be a good idea to collect jewelry of different styles, forms and colors and make your own history of jewelry. In this case buying expensive jewelry may be beyond your purse, while costume jewelry is a real pickup for smaller budget.

Why to avoid costume jewelry?
Undeniably, costume jewelry is rather inexpensive. But some of them may not delight your eye as long as youve expected it. Look thoroughly at jewelry pieces - evident signs of damage, scratches and other imperfections may result in short life of your jewelry. Besides, some metals can cause allergic reactions on the skin.
Costume jewelry piece, which is claimed to be a fine jewelry, should be avoided at all costs. The value and the age are usually indicated at the back of the item. A piece made of precious metals is always marked, for example 925 stands for sterling silver, and 585 for 14k gold. Hallmarks and country of manufacture should also be included in this case. If you want to find out the age of the jewelry, check the clasp, the hinge or the pin shaft. For example, C clasp was introduced earlier than safety clasp and cylinder hinge was primary to ball hinge.
Anyway it can be a good deal or a waste of money, the choice is yours only. It can be useful to have the necessary classic set of fine jewelry and another ones of costume jewelry to go with the latest fashion trends.