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Annie Brown

From Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in her signature “ropes and ropes” of faux pearls to Dua Lipa performing at London’s Wembley Stadium in custom Swarovski sparkles, costume jewellery has always made maximum impact. Kenneth Jay Lane, hailed as the “king of costume jewellery” in his day, is a case in point. His bold pieces certainly transformed modes of glamour and aspiration, with his creations worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn as well as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.
As Chanel herself – a long-time lover of costume jewels who only ever designed one high jewellery collection with Bijoux de Diamants in 1932 – once said, “Costume jewellery is not made to give women an aura of wealth but to make them beautiful.”

Chanel is one woman of exceptional taste featured in renowned jewellery editor Carol Woolton’s lush new coffee table book, Costume Jewelry. Co-authored with art historian Maria Luisa Frisa, the book examines nearly 600 jewels from the 1930s to the new millennium, to chart how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned – and empowered – themselves.
“Coco Chanel was significant in influencing women to unshackle themselves from old-fashioned conventions and embrace a new sense of freedom. She mixed faux jewels with a sense of abandon, often interspersed with real jewels,” says Woolton of Chanel’s impact on how women thought about their jewellery.

“With her encouragement, costume jewels began to be valued in their own right as beautiful adornments, rather than imitations of precious gems. And although she favoured baroque designs, they were never worn to mimic the antique,” Woolton continues. “She believed that jewellery shouldn’t be worn as a sign of wealth, which was tantamount, she said, to ‘wearing a cheque around your neck’. [Chanel said,] ‘The mania to want to dazzle disgusts me; jewellery is not meant to arouse envy, still less astonishment. It should remain an ornament and for amusement.’”
Even women who could afford to shop at the likes of Harry Winston or Tiffany & Co. chose to wear Chanel’s non-precious baubles, Woolton notes. The pieces were typically crafted from materials such as resin and glass, and embellished with elements like faux pearls and gold plating.

“She helped costume jewellery become a leveller in society,” the author affirms.
The book charts shifts in tastes – including the introduction of vibrant tropical colours such as those from Kenneth Jay Lane, and also evolutions in materials like Lucite and Bakelite.
As Woolton points out, many of the most impactful jewellery designers started off in the world of costume bijoux, including Fulco di Verdura (who worked for Coco Chanel), Dior’s Victoire de Castellane, designer Elie Top, and Jean Schlumberger, one of Tiffany & Co.’s most iconic designers, who first made jewelled buttons for Elsa Schiaparelli.

“Paste stones” – glass cut to resemble and sparkle like precious gemstones – have been used since the Georgian era. These were sometimes used to supplement real gemstones in important pieces of jewellery, as happened with the Manchester Tiara, created by Cartier for Consuelo Montagu, Dowager Duchess of Manchester, in 1903.
Woolton says the 1930s and 40s are her favourite decades for costume jewels. “Dramatic world events were shifting women’s roles in society and sweeping away snobbish ideals and social conventions around the idea that only certain women might wear certain types of jewellery, and at certain times of the day,” she says.
Jewellery is not meant to arouse envy, still less astonishment. It should remain an ornament and for amusement
Coco Chanel
Another reason for the influx of creativity at this time, she says, was New York becoming an epicentre for the shift as European jewellers fled war-torn Europe and began to fashion new lives – and new desires.
“This defined a golden era of affordable and accessible jewellery that made the old conventions around fine jewels seem antiquated. The notion that fine jewels were the only appropriate adornments, and that nice girls wore real jewels, or none, was swept away,” says Woolton.
Thus, costume jewellery truly encapsulated much societal change.

“Costume jewellery was inclusive of everyone; it spoke of social mobility and became a way for women to show their independence by entering a store and making their own choices with the money they were earning in the workplace,” says Woolton.
This is a shift that is still relevant today. Any remaining vestiges around jewellery “rules” have been thoroughly discarded. Chanel creates both high jewellery and costume jewellery. As do other fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton and Prada.
Australian fashion designer Rebecca Vallance – a favourite of Britain’s Princess Eugenie – launched a capsule of statement art deco-inspired earrings with luxury retailer Mytheresa in September.

Crafted with hammered gold-plated brass and set with diamantés and brown topaz, they fit with Vallance’s preference for making a statement.
“I love that costume jewellery has the power to transform an outfit instantly. It’s expressive, versatile, and allows women to showcase boldness and personality in a way that feels effortless,” she says.
“With this collection, I wanted to bring the same craftsmanship and attention to detail that defines the Rebecca Vallance DNA into pieces that act as the perfect finishing touch – whether for ready-to-wear, evening or bridal.”

Madison Adams, buyer, accessories and fashion jewellery for Moda Operandi, says the luxury e-tailer’s bestselling fashion jewellery brands span the likes of Ben-Amun, who handcrafts bold gold-plated pieces in New York, to European power players such as Bottega Veneta and Chloé.
Adams says the Moda Operandi shopper is exacting in their taste for costume jewellery.
“At Moda, our approach is simple: the bigger, the bolder, the better. In jewellery, more is truly more. Super-unique designs that don’t exist elsewhere almost always become our bestsellers,” she says.

As for how to add pieces, Adams says to look for items that will make an impact.
“For the consumer, we always recommend approaching fashion jewellery as the finishing touch to ready-to-wear. In the luxury space, jewellery often represents a more accessible entry point, yet it can still seamlessly elevate or pare back [an outfit to complement] designer pieces,” she says.
“At Moda, we encourage choosing pieces that don’t just finish a look – they make a statement, spark conversation and leave everyone wondering where you found them.”
Otherwise you could always borrow from Kenneth Jay Lane, who once famously said of himself, “I am myself a fabulous fake.”
Carol Woolton on how to wear costume jewellery

“In our ethically conscious age, it’s important to buy costume pieces in the same way that you would buy precious ones – for life. Look for pieces that are well designed and crafted from good materials with a level of detail that you will always cherish. And have fun with it.
“Recently on my podcast, If Jewels Could Talk, I hosted Simon Wilson, co-founder of London’s iconic Butler & Wilson costume jewellery store. He shared reminiscences of Princess Diana during the 1980s popping into the store to find fun pieces to wear, sometimes turning to surprised customers and asking them what they thought.
“My most recent purchase, designed by make-up artist Val Garland for Vicki Sarge, is a decorative cross on a chain that doubles as a whistle. In this era, when there’s a global dress code of jeans and trainers, use your jewellery to express your identity. Choose pieces that curate the look or style that’s personal to you.”


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A new book by jewellery editor Carol Woolton explores how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned themselves


A new book by jewellery editor Carol Woolton explores how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned themselves.


From Coco Chanel to Dua Lipa, how costume jewellery became a symbol of empowerment

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A new book by jewellery editor Carol Woolton explores how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned themselves

A new book by jewellery editor Carol Woolton explores how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned themselves