Designer Jewelry Gems

Imitation jewelry, often known as costume jewelry, is an affordable alternative to real jewelry, which can be very expensive. Every woman wants a fine choice of rings, necklaces, pendants and jewels, and a lot own some beautiful pieces of genuine jewelry, however a wide collection of real gold and precious stones is not attainable for most.

This is where imitation, or costume, jewelry comes into play. While it is true that, at the lower end of the market, much imitation jewelry is of poor quality and is rightly known as ‘junk jewelry’, it is also possible to get some very high-quality imitation jewelry that is nearly impossible to tell apart from the genuine article. These imitation pieces will not be pure gold, but will be gold plated, and will be much more affordable than genuine jewelry.

Imitation jewelry first became popular in the ’30s when it was used as an affordable fashion accessory for certain outfits. The idea was that the costume jewelry would soon become unfashionable and would be replaced to match the next style to come along. Imitation jewelry was an immediate hit and has been hugely popular ever since.

In general, imitation jewelry is made from cheaper materials such as plastic, glass, base metals, and synthetic or non-precious stones. That said, some high-end imitation jewelry will use gold plating, semi-precious metals or American diamonds, and the result can be extremely close or even identical to the real thing.

The design and production of costume jewelry has become a huge industry. There are thousands of producers around the world producing high-quality necklaces, anklets, tiaras, ear-rings and all kinds of jewelry to a very good standard. Some of the top-quality imitation jewelry originates in countries such as India and Thailand where there is a long tradition of crafting top-quality products. However, some of the best pieces is mass produced and sold by western companies like Dior, Chanel and Coventry.

Today the US has by far the highest demand for jewelry in the world, with more than 30% of the market share. With such a high demand for both real and imitation jewelry here, it is no wonder that there is an excellent range available in stores and on the internet. Competition between retailers can be fierce, so there are some great bargains to be had.

While costume jewelry will never truly attain the quality, beauty and value of the real thing, it remains popular even in the highest circles. Film stars such as Audrey Hepburn owned unique items of imitation jewelry, while Barbara Bush wore an imitation pearl necklace to her husband’s inaugural ball.

A lot of unique pieces of imitation jewelry such as this are valuable collectibles, as are many of the more distinctive, high-quality examples. So, it can be seen that imitation jewelry needn’t be second best, but a valuable addition to any woman’s collection at a fraction of the expense of the ‘genuine article’.