The beauty of vintage jewellery

Here at Kikulu we have a passion for all things vintage – from clothes to decor and furniture. We can learn so much from looking at the styles and designs from the past and we often find that design tastes change in a cyclical way as old styles come back and are appreciated once more.

Vintage costume jewellery provides a fascinating view on to the different periods and often reflects the social values, economic and political circumstances of the time. The impact of war or depressions on the materials used to create jewellery or dramatic changes in style tell us many stories. This is why we love vintage jewellery. It tells us the stories of individuals as well as whole communities or even countries.

A Victorian pinchbeck love knot brooch – an alternative to gold which made jewellery accessible to the masses in the UK

A fun plastic brooch which conjures up the 1950s with a pink and baby blue straw hat

Wear vintage jewellery to prevent waste

Collecting and wearing vintage jewellery is a truly ecologically sound way to make sure that products from the past are not left to add to the mountain of waste we produce as a society. So we know that we should not have taken the coral from the sea to adorn ourselves – in a very selfish and shallow way. So what do we do when we find an old coral necklace – should we shun it and leave it to sit around unused? Or does reviving it and wearing it again at least make use of something that is otherwise a waste. We have problems at Kikulu with issues like this as we care for our environment. Should we sell vintage coral or not. We are still undecided, although we have collected some through our purchase of larger collections. We would welcome your thoughts on this…

We have a similar dilemma with plastic jewellery – but we want to celebrate the range of plastic jewellery – from early plastics like celluloid and bakelite through to the Hong Kong plastic earrings from the 60s and 70s. Again if we reuse it we prevent it being left on a trash heap, and they are often fun and amusing to wear.

Celebrate the styles of the past

One of the great things about wearing vintage jewellery is that it is often not too expensive and you can mix and match pieces from different eras in a unique style of your own. Vintage pieces that have survived over the years tend to be of a higher quality in terms of workmanship and this really shows – the quality of the rhinestones or the faux pearls shows n the sheen and the shine. Modernist styles have a class and authority all of their own. Whatever your style you can dress up or dress down a piece a vintage jewellery. Wear a sparkly brooch on a denim jacket or attach it to a hat or bag.