Become your own vintage costume jewellery hunter

Got your eye on granny's brooch?

Sold all your gold at those trendy home parties an have some cash to burn?

Itching to create a spring style statement that will transcend the accessory du jour and pack a powerful fashion punch?

Then you simply must check out the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale this Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens, William Lea Room (free admission and parking; or take bus north from Donlands subway and you're there in a jiff).

As you probably know if you drop in to Grunge Queen regularly, I'm a vintage costume jewellery junkie and I normally find my bling at thrift shops, antique markets and church sales. I look for styles I like (mostly 1960s-80s), a good weight, a sturdy clasp and designer signatures or maker stamps.

But Patricia Gostick, long-time collector and seller and founder/president of the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club, recently gave me some pointers on how to find the good stuff.

I found all of these huge vintage cocktail rings at thrift shops or garage sales.

Gostick also recommends checking out antique malls and markets, consignment shops and even online - though she says to exercise caution online as there are lots of fakes and reproductions on the market. It's often better to touch and feel a piece in your hands to get a sense of what it is and its value.

The club is all about education, so the more you educate yourself the better you will be able to identify pieces. Gostick says to ask dealers questions, and read books on the subject. An internet search for books on "costume jewelry" (note spelling) will yield the best results, she says.

Buy what you like, she suggests, and start to develop a signature look with a few outstanding pieces, like huge cocktail rings, unique bracelets (worn all together) or piles of pearls.

My particular penchant: statement piece necklaces from the 70s, and cocktail rings from the same era.

Investing in a good jeweller's loupe (not the crappy magnifying glass I picked up at the dollar store) is another idea, she says, as it will help you to identify signed pieces.

It's good to look for signed pieces but they are not always an indicator of value, Gostick says.

Companies like Trifari and Coro developed higher-end and and lower end pieces, both of which are signed.

Canadian designer Gustave Sherman is said by some to have signed all his pieces, though there is a debate raging in the collectors world that he perhaps didn't sign everything.

Lastly, Gostick says you should patronize reputable dealers who specialize in vintage costume jewellery.

Some antique dealers are generalists and may not have the detailed knowledge a specialist may.

Gostick amazes me with her breadth of knowledge, as do the other ladies in the club. I sure do look forward to learning more in the months that come.


The sale this weekend, just so you know, will have collectible pieces for several hundred bucks, but there will be lots of affordable items in the $20-$30 range.

I will be there in a PR capacity (not selling), so if you're game for a shop and a gander, please drop by and introduce yourself!

If you're interested in the club, please contact me by emailing me here or email tvcjclub@hotmail.com. We don't have a web page yet but I am hoping to work on that soon enough.

Happy hunting!!!

For a recent newspaper article I wrote on Patricia Gostick, click here

PHOTOS BY Joey Cee taken at the Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Toronto.