If you are a collector of vintage costume jewelry, you already know that there is a lot of history behind this type of jewelry and that there are a lot of factors that need to be considered when trying to determine whether or not a piece is actually what someone says it is.  Whether you are a buyer, a collector or someone wishing to sell vintage jewelry, knowing how to authenticate vintage costume jewelry is a vital element to making sure that you or anyone you buy or sell pieces from is not going to be getting ripped off.

The following is a rather extensive collection of books that are all geared towards helping you make sure that your jewelry is in fact authentic vintage costume jewelry.

Rejuvenated Jewels: New Designs from Vintage Treasures by Amy Hana
Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage by Carole Tanenbaum
Warman’s Vintage Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans) by Leigh Leshner
Inside the Jewelry Box: A Collector’s Guide To Costume Jewelry, Identification And Values by Ann Mitchell
Kenneth Jay Lane: Faking It by Kenneth Jay Lane
Ladies’ Vintage Accessories by LaRee Johnson Bruton
Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920 to 1940s by Leigh Leshner
Accessorizing The Bride: Vintage Wedding Finery Through The Decades by Norma Shephard
Vintage & Vogue Ladies’ Compacts Identification & Value Guide: Identification & Value Guide by Roselyn Gerson
Earstrings: An entry from UXL’s Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages by –
Advertisement for Trifari Costume Jewelry, Vintage” This is Not a Book but a Vintage Article/advertisement from a Journal by Vintage Paper
Katzman’s Jewel Necklaces c.1929 – Depression Era Costume Jewelry Beading Designs in Color by Bead Importer Nathan L. Katzman
Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry by –

Click on the highlighted links for details and purchase information.

While these books are not the end all and be all of certifying the authenticity of vintage costume jewelry, they will certainly empower the average collector or buyer of vintage jewelry to the point where they are able to verify for themselves whether or not a particular piece they are dealing with is actually real or if it is a fake.  These books work by informing you as to who made what – when – as well as by providing pictures of pieces along with signatures, marks and distinctive styles.  The books mentioned above are literally an encyclopedia of the history of costume jewelry.