There is no doubt that vintage and antique pendants have that certain “something” that modern pieces just do not possess. However, to many people, a pendant is a pendant, and they don’t know that there is a definite difference between a vintage pendant and an antique one.
Antique miniature portrait pendant
How Do Vintage And Antique Pendants Differ From Each Other?
“Antique” and “vintage” are many times, used to describe older pieces of jewellery, which is not the case at all.
Although an item of jewellery must be at least one hundred years old to deem it an antique, there are some dealers and collectors who will refer to slightly newer pieces of jewellery, especially Art Deco pieces, as “antique”.
Generally, for a piece of jewellery to be categorised as “vintage”, it must be no younger than 20 years old.
5 Reasons To Invest In Antique And Vintage Pendants
- 1. Excellent Value For Money – vintage, antique and second-hand jewellery is VAT exempt, which reduces the cost of these pieces by 20% immediately, compared to what you would pay for brand new items. This alone makes an antique or vintage pendant better value than a new one. Other aspects that lower the cost of vintage and antique pendants is that the stones are cheaper, and there are no manufacturing expenses involved. Also, diamond dealers prefer modern stones such as round, brilliant-cut diamonds rather than the old, antique-cut type stones, which can also reduce costs significantly. It must be emphasised too however, that, rather than being inferior to modern stones, old cut stones are extremely desirable and collectable.
- 2. Superior Quality - you will often hear people say that things as well, aren’t made the way they were made before, and this includes jewellery, among many others. The jewellery these days is most time cast, unlike antique jewellery which was always handmade, and vintage jewellery as well, which was also handmade sometimes, or hand-finished, at least. Although antique and vintage items are frequently imitated, it is virtually impossible to find pieces that have been duplicated. It is also almost impossible to find an expensive, customised piece of jewellery manufactured today, with the same exceptional quality and workmanship that is always found in vintage and antique jewellery.
Antique and vintage jewellery was made by extremely talented craftsmen who took the time to create intricate and unique customised pieces. Jewellery in those days was never mass-produced, which is evident in the exceptional quality of workmanship of vintage and antique jewellery.
- 3. It’s A Good Investment – there is a good chance, if you’ve ever tried to sell a piece of used jewellery, that you were dismayed at the low price you were offered for it. This is because the value of modern jewellery is based on what the separate prices of metal and stones are worth on the wholesale market. With vintage and antique pieces, however, it is the price of the entire piece, rather than the cost of its parts since each item is unique and impossible to duplicate with modern production methods. In other words, although vintage and antique jewellery pieces cost less than modern pieces, they are, in fact, worth more.
- 4. Vintage And Antique Jewellery Is Romantic And Unique – after buying a piece of vintage or antique jewellery, there is very little chance that you will find another one exactly like it in the future. Design and craftsmanship were the most important part of jewellery creation in days gone by, unlike the pieces of today, where the primary focus of manufacture, is on the size of the gem/s used in the piece.
Even popular styles with diamond solitaire designs, were unique in those days since they were frequently customised and handcrafted with exquisite flourishes like pierced openwork, hand-crafted Mille grain work, carved shanks, as well as calibre-cut accent gems, which are not often used in modern jewellery, because of the high cost.
- 5. Used Jewellery Is Ethical And Eco-Friendly – the fact that vintage and antique jewellery items are ethical and environmentally-friendly is what many people find incredibly attractive. There are ethical issues connected to metal and diamond mining that many people, quite understandably, find concerning. There is jewellery today that is made from ethically sourced materials, but these are extremely expensive. Buying antique or vintage jewellery is one way to know for certain that you are not contributing to the already fragile condition of our environment, and you won’t have to pay anything more.
Significant amounts of water and energy are required for the mining process of precious metals and gemstones. This means that no modern jewellery can be manufactured in an eco-friendly way. By choosing to buy a stunning vintage or antique piece, on the other hand, makes you a conservator, rather than simply a consumer!
In Conclusion
Jewellery is a great way to make a personal statement about yourself, so make sure that the vintage or antique pendant that you buy is a piece that you love and reflects the real you. Vintage and antique jewellery pieces come with a long history behind them, so take the opportunity to use your pendant to add your personal bit of history to its story.
In addition, by buying a vintage or antique pendant, you are not only supporting local business rather than a large corporation, but you are also reducing your personal impact on our environment. We offer a fine collection of Vintage and Antiques pendants currently on Vintage Tom that you can see here
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