What is Costume Jewelry
Q.I want to buy something for my mom and I've saved up about $125. Anyways, I was browsing on the web trying to find her sometin and found something that she "might" like. It says its a opal tennis bracelet, but its under a category of "Costume Jewelry" So, what is costume jewelry? Does that mean its fake and used in costumes? Sure is expensive if that is what it means.
A.Webster's dictionary defines costume jewelry as: "inexpensive jewelry designed for wear with current fashions." Webster's also defines precious as: "of real value or high price; highly esteemed or cherished." And semiprecious as: "of less commercial value than a precious stone." A lot of folks in this newsgroup (which is about the craft of making jewelry) suggest that these terms are obsolescent, meaningless, and inappropriate -- cliches that are sometimes offensive. These terms tend to convey values and attitudes that jewelry crafters and artists tend not to share -- that the value of a piece lies in the materials it's made from, not the design, concept, or quality of construction. Designers tend to favor the concept of jewelry as ornament --"something that lends grace or beauty" or embellishment. The idea of ornament works well when you view jewelry and other personal embellishments from the perspective of every culture of the world, throughout history. In the big picture of world cultures, the words costume and semiprecious tend to seem shallow and inappropriate -- even demeaning. So if you think your mom might like an opal tennis bracelet, don't be put off by the category it's listed under. If it can lend grace and beauty, great. But -- be sure you will be able to return the bracelet. The ongoing advice from this group is to buy from reputable, knowledgeable suppliers. And with jewelry, a gif or jpg can only give you a general idea of what you will be getting. Grace and beauty are one thing. getting a fair deal is another
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