Many women love wearing and collecting vintage and antique jewellery. These jewels have stood the test of time in terms of beauty and style. From brooches, pins and lockets to rings, earrings, bangles and watches, there are many jewellery pieces to choose. While most girls dare to rock old stuff, if you wish to wear vintage and antique jewellery, here are ten crucial rules to follow.

1. Cameo

Antique cameos add old-world elegance to any jewel collection. Vintage cameos can feature many different scenes and images like ladies or couples. Hand-carved cameos from older eras may be very valuable and, as such, these jewels never go out of style. Wear a cameo on you blazer or sweater. You can also wear a small cameo ring or earrings.

2. Art Nouveau Pendant

The Art Nouveau period is well-known for its elegant designs. Many pendants of the era featured women, botanicals, and insects. Jewelers employed techniques like enameling to create exquisite and jeweled scenes. Adding a piece of Art Nouveau jewellery is a great way to add vintage charm to any collection. Wear your antique pendant with a gold chain or a black velvet ribbon.

3. Vintage Costume Jewel

Wearing a designer piece of costume jewellery created by a notable designer like Miriam Haskell is a popular way to showcase your vintage style. Haskell created marvelously colorful brooches that can still be collected today. Wear an eye-catching costume jewellery pin with a suit or on jeans jacket. Many women collect vintage costume jewellery that continues to go up in value.

4. Guilloche Locket

Guilloche is a type of French enameling that was popularly used early in the twentieth century, especially for lockets. Many guilloche lockets feature painted accents like flowers, birds, and ribbons. Uniformly sweet, guilloche lockets continue to be charming additions to any collection. Wear your locket with a sweater that allows you to show it off.

Read also – 10 Surprising Things Your Jewellery Says about You

5. Celluloid Pin or Brooch

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Celluloid is an early plastic that was often used as a material for making jewellery. You can find antique celluloid pins and brooches that represent small animals like dogs or cats. Basket pins filled with carved celluloid flowers were also popular during the late Victorian period and early twentieth century.

6. Arts and Crafts Inlaid Bracelet

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The Arts and Crafts era of the early nineteenth century is known for its outstanding craftsmanship. If you are able to procure a fine silver bracelet inlaid with precious minerals like lapis lazuli, amber, or jet, you’ll have a lovely treasure to wear with jeans or even a dress. Arts and Crafts silver brooches are also highly collectible.

7. Edwardian Lariat

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Lariat necklace designs boast long strands of beads, pearls, or chains. Popular during the Edwardian era, these long necklaces are making a comeback because they can be worn in many different ways. Women can wrap them several times around their neck or leave them long and dangling. A vintage lariat can also be worn with a wide array of contemporary styles.

Read also – 10 Ways Jewellery Changed during the 19th and 20th Centuries

8. Art Deco Watch

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If you can procure a vintage Art Deco watch, you’ll have a stunning collectible to showcase on your wrist. Many Art Deco watches contained beautiful enameling and multiple colors. Clock faces were usually geometric in shape. In some cases, gems would be inlaid along the watch band. If you don’t care for wrist watches, look for an Art Deco watch pendant.

9. Amethyst Drop Earrings

Amethysts were popular gems during the nineteenth century. With their beautiful purple hue, amethyst drop earrings are a romantic ornament for any woman. These gems continue to be revered. Wearing a pair of vintage amethyst drop earrings reflects the romance and elegance of the Victorian era. If you can’t find amethysts, consider searching for garnet earrings, another popular gem of the nineteenth century.

10. Bakelite Bangles

Bakelite, a hard plastic, was popularly crafted into jewellery during the early nineteenth century. Many designs were quite whimsical while others, like bangles, were popularly worn by many women of the era. Today, wearing Bakelite bangles is an eye-catching fashion statement. You might wear a carved Bakelite bangle or a translucent shade of apple juice or olive.

Read also – 10 Wonderful Ways to Wear Bangles

These are a few ways you can wear vintage and antique jewellery. Check your grandma’s attic, garage sales or flea markets to add a few antique pieces to your collection. You’ll enjoy the charms that vintage jewels offer as they complement your style. What are your best ways to rock vintage jewellery?