Costume Jewellery
Jewellery before the 20th century was worn by women to show off the wealth of their husbands. The items were made from precious or semi-precious stones and the more expensive they were the wealthier the husband. Costume jewellery was introduced in the 1920’s and changed the way in which jewellery was worn. Made from non-precious materials that were widely available jewellery began to be worn by women to express themselves.
The late 1920’s saw a surge in costume jewellery when Coco Chanel introduced bold statement accessories that women could experiment with. The late 30’s to mid-50’s is what was known as the “Golden Age” for costume jewellery when a hard plastic substance known as Bakelite was used as a means of creating inexpensive beads and bangles. Costume jewellery became so sought after that by 1941 it was being sold in lower end department stores. The late 40’s saw designers like Dior creating costume jewellery which eventually caused women to steer away from restrictive jewellery and go for more affordable expressive pieces.