7 Super Facts You Didn't Know About Costume Jewelry

1.  Opals were Queen Victoria's favorite stones.  She gave them as wedding gifts to her daughters. 

2.  Ancient man wore garnet for protection against being struck by lightening.  

3.  Pearls were the most popular necklace in the 1920s. 

4.  Screwback earrings date from 1909.

5.  Chatelaines- a central piece that was hooked or pinned at the waist.  Attached were chaines with swivel attachment for hanging a variety of household necessities such as scissors, needles, thread, knife, coin purse, pencil, scent bottle, etc.  

6.  The snake motif, believed to be a symbol of eternal love was used throughout the Victorian period. 

7.  Gutta-Percha- made from the sap of a Malayan tree used to make lockets, brooches, bracelets and walking cane heads. 


Here is a cute pair of screwback earrings!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124614186/vintage-silvertone-shamrock-screwback?













Bell, Jeanenne. Answers to Questions about Old Jewelry, 1840-1950. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1999. Print.