Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry

by Carole Tanenbaum

You may have seen them in some wonderful old movie, sparkling on Audrey Hepburn or Claudette Colbert, looking as if they cost millions of dollars. They didn’t; they are not the real thing. But even though they are faux, they’re made with the same care and attention as the real strands of artificial pearls individually knotted, “gems” hand set and pronged, plastic bangles more stunning than ivory. Fabulous Fakes gives you one hundred years of the most amazing pieces of costume jewelry ever produced, in brilliant and beautiful color.

It tells their story, starting with mass-produced Victorian jewelry, moving through the wonderfully sophisticated lines of art deco geometrics, and parking at the doorstep of 1990s designer and artisanal jewelry.

Whether you love the boldness of Czech crystal or the delicate handiwork of Miriam Haskell, whether your jewels are part of your everyday fashion or a breathtaking collection of objets , the thrill of finding them is the same. Fabulous Fakes is your treasure map to discovering the craftsmanship and tradition that have made these pieces part of our collective memory.

Genres: Jewellery, Fashion

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a newbie at collecting costume jewelry, I learned a great deal about different time periods and designers of note from this book. It features selective, exemplary pieces from Carole's personal collection. I had hoped it would be a much bigger catalogue of important pieces, which it is not. This book is best for the casually curious or beginner.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good eye-candy book of costume jewelry. The author's collection is pretty amazing. I was distracted when reading by thinking how much money it took to build this collection, but the text was thorough and I must say again that the eye-candy photography was pretty satisfying.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All about costume jewelry for collectors. Lovely.

[Meg Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a sparkle queen like me, this is the world's best picture book.

[Marina]

Bought on sale at B&N due to interest in jewelry design and history.