Fashion Jewelry

Jewelry was invented to accessorise fashion, and fashion jewelry was invented to make jewelry affordable. Fashion jewelry — also called costume jewelry — is jewelry made to complement a particular fashionable costume or garment, usually with base metals and simulated stones, rather than to serve as a collectible, a keepsake or an investment.

Fashion Jewelry Versus Fine Jewelry

The difference is materials. Fine jewelry is made of solid gold, sterling silver, platinum and other precious metals, with genuine gemstones. Fashion jewelry is typically made with brass, copper or aluminium, plated to look precious, and set with simulated stones — pieces that read as diamond, topaz, pearl or crystal at a fraction of the cost. Other names for the category include costume jewelry, imitated jewelry, trinkets and fake jewelry.

That material split is also the point of the category. Because a fashion piece is inexpensive, it can follow the season: bold shapes, current colours and dramatic statement designs that would be reckless in solid gold become sensible purchases. Necklaces — delicate, pendant and statement — earrings from hoops and drops to posts, rings, and bracelets worn layered for boho, rustic or edgy effects make up the working wardrobe, alongside alternative body jewelry.

The Limits: Wear, Tarnish and Repair

The trade-off is durability. Base metals bend and tarnish easily, plating wears, and simulated stones can crack, so fashion jewelry does not typically hold up as well as fine jewelry handled with care. Once a fashion piece breaks it is near impossible to fix: the heat needed to solder brass or copper back together would blacken the gold or silver plating that gives the piece its finish.

Buying with those limits in mind keeps the category enjoyable. Fashion jewelry rewards rotation — several current pieces worn in turn — rather than daily wear of one favourite until it fails. Retailers such as Macy's, Claire's and Kohl's carry wide fashion jewelry ranges, and the jewelry stores, manufacturers and wholesalers linked from this page cover the trade side. The fashion earrings summary and the fashion rings page take two categories in more detail.

Caring for Fashion Jewelry

Fashion jewelry lasts longest when it is treated as clothing rather than as metal. Keep it dry — water, perfume and hairspray all attack plating — and put it on last, after cosmetics, for the same reason. Store pieces separately in soft pouches or lined boxes so simulated stones do not scratch each other, and wipe them with a dry cloth after wearing to remove the skin oils that dull a finish. None of this makes a fashion piece permanent, but it routinely doubles the wearable life of a necklace or pair of earrings, which at fashion jewelry prices is the difference between a bargain and a waste.