BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Fashion Jewelry Costume Jewelry

Costume jewelry is popularly known as fashion jewelry or fake jewelry. It is a kind of jewelry that is made of less valuable materials like glass, plastic, and synthetic stones, instead of more valuable materials such as precious gems. Costume jewelry is often flashy and usually pretty inexpensive. Its main use is in fashion, as opposed to "real" jewelry which may be used as collectibles, keepsakes, or investments.

I like jewelry and have noticed my own trend right now - it changes from time to time. I am collecting a lot of jewelry with crystals in it and if it has pearls with it, so much the better!

Costume jewelry or fashion jewelry certainly has its place in today's fashion world. Fashion jewelry is really directed towards teens and young-adults. The goal is to have many pieces of jewelry, one each for each outfit. With gold at about $800 per ounce, the innovative use of base metals such as copper in the design of fashion jewelry is particularly interesting.

One great place to buy jewelry - don't laugh - is AVON! I have pieces that are over 20 years old and I still wear them. My favorite holiday set is a pair of white pointsettia earrings that has a matching combination pin and scarf holder.

I was looking through a woman's magazine the other day and it said pearls were back "in". Big ones, the grey and black ones are very hip this season.

This type of jewelry is made with base metals that are gold, rhodium or silver plated and is normally set with faceted glass stones such as rhinestones or crystals such as the brand name Swarovski. This term to describe nonprecious jewelry came into wide use in the 1930's when coined by movie producer Cecil B. DeMille.

Some of the many costume jewelry terms and types are cloisonne (enamel divided by sections of metal) diamante (set with rhinestones) and jewelry made from paper-mache or Bakelite.