Mel Lewis writes:
Paste or costume jewelry can be confused with the real thing. But being fake doesn't betoken second best or even a cut price collectable. There is a respectable history to costume jewelry, which has tempted hallowed fashion names from this century, such as Chanel, Schiaparelli and Trifari, to try their hand. The craft of faking jewelry dates to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who adored glass beads that simulated gems. Rock crystals in the limestone at Clifton, Bristol, were made into 'diamonds', while Cornish tin mines yielded crystals with convincing sparkle and impressive adamantine qualities. But it took till the 1670s for George Ravenscroft to perfect flint glass hard and clear enough to really give diamonds a run for their money. Strasbourg jeweler George-Frederic Strass established himself in Paris from 1724 and went on to develop glass that could be facet cut, polished and colored vividly enough to rival the brilliancy and drama of genuine stones. Calibre cutting - shaping paste stones to fit a mount, a feat impossible with real gems - is another desirable feature of 18th century paste work. "A good Georgian suite can sell for thousands of pounds," says expert Sally Everitt, though basic early twentieth century work can be bought from £10 ($16). Fact: antique paste jewelry frequently sells alongside genuine gold, silver and gem set jewelry at auction!
Collectors in search of genuine Georgian pieces should look for a closed setting and an egg shape or rounded back. The stone was backed with silver or gold foil, to enhance the inferior light-reflecting properties of glass, as compared with diamond. Early - 18th century - paste was set in precious metal mounts. Some Victorian work features gold mounts, to prevent marking of skin and clothes, but thereafter base metal became the norm. However ... in WWII metals deemed essential to the war effort (for turning into guns and bullets) were banned from use in fripperies such as jewelry. Ironically, silver became the patriotically acceptable substitute.Base metal won't bend, so broken pieces, being unrepairable were usually junked. But silver-set paste can be reworked and is therefore still around in quantity. Most of these 1940s' silver pieces were made in the USA, are not hall marked, but do carry a "STERLING" stamp. This is no purist pursuit, however: even "bastardised" jewelry can make the grade with collectors - if the bowdlerised "bits" are merit worthy enough, and include, say, gem set butterfly, flower or leaf Art Nouveau design elements from belt buckles ... or broken-up shoe buckles from the Deco years (1922-30). The later may well contain genuine amethyst or aquamarine highlights, as an added bonus. Never assume that jewelry bought cheap, or with an unpromising pedigree, is paste. Real diamonds have a peculiar soapy texture. If you are unsure whether items is paste or real get a professional opinion.
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