Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 by Julia C. Carroll (2004)

If you can only buy one jewelry book, then this is the one to have. It is well organized, well written and is easy to follow for the beginner, but helpful to the advanced collector as well.

It has 304 pages which are chock full of high quality full color photographs. Most of the jewelry was shot against a white background which is easy on the eyes, and makes the jewels really "pop." It is arranged in alphabetical order by designer.

The book includes great chapters on the ins and outs of buying vintage jewelry and determining prices. Ms. Carroll is an author that also recognizes the importance of ebay in the jewelry collecting world. She includes several sections on how to find and sell jewelry on ebay. There is even a section on identifying the designers of unsigned jewelry, including Juliana.

The feature I found most helpful in the book is the detailed information about each designer, including dates of operation, a brief history, marks, signature looks and recommendations on what to collect. Of particular interest are the expanded sections on recommended designers for beginning collectors, including Weiss, Trifar, Coro & Kramer.

Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 is great for the beginner, but this experienced collector returns to it time after time! I give it 5 Suns Up! :-)

lots of photos+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is my first book on collecting vintage and costume jewelry and I cannot put it down. I have read through it completely twice now. It sits right beside my computer terminal for quick reference. I had no idea that I would find this book so captivating. It feeds my passion for "BLING".

The author, Julia C. Carroll, does a terrific job of educating the novice collector as to terminology, definitions, how to start, where to start, what to look for, and even gives one instruction on how to catalogue your collection. She gives the new collector a starting point with 4 different designers and how to evaluate the jewelry you are interested in. For example, it is always best to buy a set rather than an indivdual item. If you like the piece, make sure it is in good condition. Look for missing stones, broken fasteners, or scratches. If every thing works, go ahead with a reasonable price offer. Try to build up your collection for potential trading or selling power in order to upgrade your own collection.

There are many designers featured within these pages. Dates & history of the company, trademarks of their designs and marks or copyright logos are highlighted. They are all in alphabetical order for easy reference. The author gives you a simple GUIDE system to use in the decision making process of purchasing the jewelry.
One chapter is dedicated to "when to buy and when to walk away". Other chapters deal with upgrading your collection, repairing & cleaning, storing and insuring your collection.

I cannot forget the most important part; the outstanding color photographs showing a style or two for each designer from A to Z. It will take your breath away. Along with the photos, a small paragraph is written along with estimated values for the pictured item.

I recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out either, collecting, buying or selling vintage and costume jewelry. You may have been given your mother's or grandmother's stash, you may have found jewels at a flea market or a garage sale or you may be shopping and browsing on eBay. This is an exceptional identification and value guide in the basics of starting, building & upgrading your collection. It is a MUST HAVE. Julia C. Carroll is the author of Costume Jewelry 101. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next reference tool, Costume Jewelry 202.

I decided to buy this book because we have started a collection for our daughter. We have many pieces & some we know very little about. This book has already become useful & I just got it today. And I'm not even past the 1st few pages. LOL! It has lots of color photos which is a BIG +. Also some helpful tips. I'm happy :) with my purchase. Great Book @ A Great Price!

This book is a worthwhile addition to a collector's library. Along with the rich, detailed description of the pieces thoughout, you can really see what the jewelry looks like through the excellent colored photos. I really bought the book looking for some inspiration in crafting my own stuff, but now I am also a collector after reading this book.

I recently ordered several costume jewelry guides. I was so excited when they arrived. This one & Costume Jewelry Variations - ID & Price Guide by M.Cohen.
This was the first one I looked at. When I opened this book, my heart fluttered. LITERALLY. I couldn't get to the next page or picture fast enough.
I wanted to stop & read the print but.....the jewelry had me.
This is my personal opinion.....But...This book - HANDS DOWNS - surpasses any of the jewelry guides I've read, scanned through, peeked at, drooled over so far.
There is so much information in here. So many designers. Many I've never heard of. Things to look for when buying, signatures & marks, trademark pieces from specific designers & "THE PICTURES." OMG! BEAUTIFUL PICTURES ON EVERY PAGE!
This Lady does an awesome job of explaining things. I ordered her "Costume Jewelry 202" yesterday, not knowing if I would even enjoy "101" & now I can't wait.
If that book is half the book this one is..... SHE"S A KEEPER! .

should have read first. Very good with easy step by step of how to start. Lots of good info...lots of really good photos and answers.

I got this book as I have a lot of cosume jewelry that was left to me by my Mom and Great Aunt. I do not wear jewelry at all any more and would like to sell it on e-bay and have/had no idea what the prices of such jewelry would be.

I love this book as it has answered so many of my questions. I would not hesitate to buy more books of this nature.

Regardless if you collect costume jewelry to add to your collection or to resell the book "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101" by Julia C. Carroll is an excellent resource. The book was the first book of reference that I purchased and was I surprised by how little I knew about costume jewelry! It is richly done in color photo's and is packed full of valuable information on the makers of costume jewelry. A must have for the collector. I decided to buy this book to further my knowledge on costume jewelry for my business on eBay...I buy and resell vintage jewelry and collectibles. This book helps me list my items on eBay being able to better inform my potential customers exactly what the piece of vintage jewelry is and the history behind the makers mark. This book is an excellent resource and I recommend it highly!

Wonderful photos and descriptions added to the ease of using this book as reference for my collection of jewelry. Very well laid out with a wealth of information. Recommended for all collectors.

I have recently found a new love, vintage costume jewelry. I have been selling it for friends and clients for over a year now but did not know much about it. I purchased the Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 book and as a newbie found that I have it open for review at least twice a week. If you are thinking about buying for yourself or buying for resell this is a must have book to get you started as it details information on every aspect of collecting costume jewelry. I have found that with the book I know more about how to distinguish good quality jewelry from fakes and knock offs as well as how to keep track of my inventory and which pieces to pass up. I highly recommend this book to any beginner as it is truly the first step in costume jewelry knowledge.

This book is a valuable resource for anyone collecting, buying or selling costume jewelry. Fabulous information! I bought it to continue to educate myself about jewelry. Great!

When I saw this book I knew I had to have it because on the cover was a piece I'd just purchased....call it fate. It turned out to be one of the best jewelry reference books I've read. I turn to it many times a week in sorting my vintage jewelry finds.

A couple points to this book....one, it is excellent for mid century jewelry. If you're interested in mostly 1940's through 1970's jewelry this is a great guide for you. It doesn't include much on early 1900's jewelry.

Pictures are excellent on this book and examples are pieces are great.

Prices.....jewelry collectors books are often used as value guides and this book like many include values. Values in books are usually at least 3-4 times higher than what is expected in the "real world". This book seems to be more in line with actual values, however is still not reliable as a price guide, especially on ebay. Here are some random examples of prices in book compared to ebay closings in last 30 days.
Pg 120 BSK My Fair Lady Brooch. Price guide says 35-50 and one just sold for 16.50 (highest I could find).
Another example:
Pg. 168 Hattie Carnegie Christmas light up tree. Book price 75.00-95.00, actual sold in last 30 days on ebay 55.00.

The other information in the book with information on each maker gives just enough information without overload. I like the information about dating jewelry and good pictures for examples.

One thing is book lack is unsigned pieces, which are so plentiful that they are often overlooked in price guides as they are harder to identify. I think Julia could do an excellent job with this other side of collecting jewelry.

Overall, I would rate this book as excellent and it would be the book I would recommmend if someone was looking for an addition to their collecting costume jewelry books.

My grandmother left me a collection of vintage costume jewelry and I decided to go to the book store to learn about the pieces. I was totally surprised when I saw many of my pieces in this book! The information provided on each piece made me realize I currently own some truly wonderful pieces of vintage costume jewelry. Besides the pieces I now own, this book has me HOOKED on continuing to add to this fabulous collection. I can't seem to put the book down! I looked at many of the books on costume jewelry but I kept going back to this one. The information is very thorough & clear, beautiful photos, and loved the old jewelry ads. The more I learn, the more I want! A friend just told me that Julia Carroll has another book out now called, "Collecting Costume Jewelry 202" so I just order that one also. Thank you so much, Julia, you and Granny have added something very special to my life!

This is one of the BEST & MOST INFORMATIVE books on the market for novice and seasoned collectors. She provides each designer from A - Z with information on their dates of operation, history, marks/signatures and recommendations on pieces to purchase. I love the clear and close-up photos. I thought the section on how to sell online was extremely helpful. It has been awhile since I sold on eBay and this information was so clear and precise that it makes me want to start listing again. Plus the section on "Cataloging a Collection" was extremely helpful. I now have my entire collection on my computer for easy reference. Can we all hope that she is working on book #2!