About Post 1950's Vintage Jewelry

What we call “vintage” jewelry doesn’t actually have an exact vintage—generally speaking, they’re the pieces that are too young to be antiques (less than 100 years old), or that can’t be attributed precisely to a single era. But the group of groovy gems made alongside the rise of the counterculture in the second half of the last century isn’t easily categorized into a single jewelry period, just as their bohemian-minded makers wanted. And while our collection tends to emphasize early-20th century gems , we rely on these swingin’ pieces to remind us that after the lavishness of the 1950s, the times they were a changin’.

No jewelry genre packs a punch to the establishment look as much as vintage rings, whose experimental designs definitely think outside the band and solitaire. Like miniature sculptures for your fingers, these pieces use diverse and diverting materials to challenge traditional shapes while still thoroughly enjoying themselves.

A wide variety of cool stones found homes in vintage pieces that blend styles and eras. Nephrite jade, moonstone, tiger’s eye, lapis, peridot, and so many more explore an assortment of forms. Gold nugget jewelry, with a nod to the Victorians as well as California Gold Rush history, hit pay dirt once again in the 1960s-1970s. Of course, diamonds and other precious gems never go out of fashion, but we also love pieces that make use of more unorthodox materials.

Pins may seem classic and traditional now, but many of our favorites over the years don’t take themselves too seriously. Creative designs rendered in interesting materials and fun, fanciful flora and fauna totally contradict the idea of the brooch as a stuffy lapel-duster—which we never agreed with, anyway!

Dig these these groovy gems or expand your mind to include a wider category of “vintage.” However you define it, we’re bound to have some prime examples in our extensive collection.