Is it Real? Finding Valuable Vintage Costume Jewelry

One of the best things about shopping online with Goodwill is finding rare and unique items. You can discover these treasures in Goodwill’s online jewelry listings. From bold midcentury brooches to delicate Art Deco necklaces, our online jewelry listings are full of unique finds donated by generous supporters across the Milwaukee and Chicago region.And when you know what to look for, you can spot truly special items hiding in plain sight. 

Shopping for vintage jewelry 

Like any type of online resale shopping, it’s important to understand what you are buying. If you are interested in vintage or antique costume jewelry for sale, here’s what to look for.  

How old is vintage jewelry? 

At Goodwill, we look at the age and materials of an item. This helps us decide if it is fine jewelry, vintage costume jewelry, or antique costume jewelry. 

• Vintage costume jewelry typically includes pieces made from the mid-1920s through the 1970s or 1980s.
• Antique costume jewelry refers to items created before the 1920s.

These distinctions help us evaluate potential value, craftsmanship, and historical significance.

How Goodwill identifies and evaluates antique and vintage jewelry

The jewelry experts at Goodwill ecommerce examine each piece of jewelry for sale. When we believe an item is a potential vintage or antique jewelry find, we focus on three key areas:

• The clasp – for both necklaces and bracelets
• Bracelet construction
• Earring backs 

Clasp types: your secret weapon for dating vintage jewelry

Clasp design and construction are among the most reliable clues for determining the age of a piece. Modern necklaces and bracelets use a “lobster clasp” to connect the two ends of the chain around the wearer’s neck or wrist. A lobster clap is a round or oval fastener. It has a spring hinge that opens and closes. Lobster clasps are common today, but rare on pre-1970s jewelry items. 

Vintage clasps include:

• Hook and eye clasps, featuring  a hook that slipped through a ring on the other end chain with no closure. Hook and eye clasps are often found on mid-century costume necklaces.
• Screw clasps, a closure where each end of the necklace twisted together to lock it in place. Screw clasps were especially popular in the 1930s – 1950s.
• Tongue and groove clasps, where a flat metal tongue snaps into a box housing. Tongue and groove clasps were extremely common on mid-century bracelets.
• Fold over clasps, featuring a hinged metal flap that folded over a bar or link. Fold over clasps are often found on bracelets and charm necklaces from the 1950s – 1970s.

Clasp construction is like a timestamp. When you recognize the mechanism, you can often narrow the creation date to a specific decade. This is especially powerful when evaluating Goodwill jewelry items online. 

Bracelet construction: it’s all about the stretch

Unlike modern bracelets which typically stretch due to elastic bands, vintage costume bracelets are made from metal and expand due to the use of hinges that allow the band to expand and contract. This hinged construction is a hallmark of quality vintage jewelry.

Earring backs: another clue in plain sight

Although people have been piercing their ears for centuries, before the 1970s, jewelry manufacturers typically used clips or screw backs on earrings rather than post backs. If you see a post back on an earring, it’s likely that it was manufactured in the 1970s or later. 

How to know if vintage jewelry is real 

To find out if a piece is antique or vintage jewelry, the online jewelry team checks the necklace clasps and earring backs. They also look for:

• Hallmarks – A hallmark is a small mark on a piece of jewelry. It is usually found on or near the closure. This mark shows the manufacturer, metal content, or date of creation. There are many vintage jewelry brands that have distinctive hallmarks, such as the Crown Trifari symbol, the Coro or Corocraft script, or Lisner art deco or block lettering marks.  
• Craftsmanship – Other popular vintage jewelry manufacturers, such as Bakelite, did not typically include a hallmark on their items. In these cases, we look for a higher level of craftsmanship that will typically be found in modern costume jewelry. For example, one telltale sign of Bakelight is the absence of seams. Most vintage costume jewelry users higher quality techniques to join materials or fasten stones, even though the materials were inexpensive. 
• Prongs – Vintage jewelry is typically attached using higher quality prongs. When buying vintage jewelry online, zoom in and check the prongs closely. It can be hard to find a jeweler who will repair vintage pieces. 
• Pin backs – Modern costume jewelry brooches usually have a rollover safety catch. This catch holds the pin with a rotating jaw. Vintage and antique jewelry usually has a simpler closure. Sometimes, it just has a C-shaped hook for the pin. The pin often sticks out beyond the edge of the brooch. 

About collectible rare vintage costume jewelry  

Some of the most exciting items we have posted for auction on ShopGoodwill are Alfred Phillipe designs for Trifari. Philippe created two jewelry lines that vintage jewelry collectors often see as valuable. 

Philippe’s Frutti Tutti line, also known as Fruit Salad, featured vibrant colored stones. These pieces were made in the mid-1930s. They include large brooches with a wide variety of designs. Many of these designs look like fruits and leaves. 

Jelly Belly animal designs featured all types of animals. Designers produced these designs in the 1940s. The center of each animal was a acrylic stone called lucite, which brought a jelly-like appearance to the belly of each animal. 

Vintage jewelry is a great way to show your style. Wearing it helps those around you appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship of the early 1900s. When shopping in an online thrift store, be sure to carefully red the descriptions and take your time when looking at the photos. However, at the end of the day, what truly matters is if you love and enjoy wearing your unique jewelry find. 

 This post is an updated version of a blog originally published in January 2025.