When I was a little girl, I thought that “costume jewelry” was the jewelry that you use to play dress-up.

Burberry Faceted Necklace in Blue, $495 at neimanmarcus.com.

I wasn’t that far off. But instead of dressing up like a princess, the idea is more to dress up like a fashionista.

Dictionary.com defines costume jewelry as “jewelry made of nonprecious metals, sometimes gold-plated or silver-plated, often set with imitation or semiprecious stones.” This is what separates it from fine jewelry, which uses precious metals and precious stones.

There used to be a bigger distinction between precious and semiprecious stones back in the day, but the line between the two have gotten fuzzier in recent days.

Jose & Maria Triple Drop Earrings, $315 at neimanmarcus.com.

Since the materials used to make costume jewelry are less expensive, costume jewelry is a great way to keep up with a trend without breaking the bank.

Much of the jewelry we’ve featured in our Trend Watch has been costume jewelry. It’s the best way to get the trends on the cheap!

One of my favorite places to go for good costume jewelry is Neiman Marcus. They’ve got an excellent selection by a variety of top designers.

I love this Kenneth Jay Lane pavé crystal cuff! It’s the look of pavé diamonds (a trend that we recently covered) at a fraction of the cost!

Kenneth Jay Lane Leaf Hinge Cuff, $500 at neimanmarcus.com

I used to have a chemistry teacher whose motto was: “Work smarter, not harder.” And when it comes to finding great jewelry, I think what Mrs. O’Donnell said totally applies.

Smartly,
Olivia

Posted on 29.December 2008 at 05:37 in Trend Watch, WooU. Trackback-Url for this Article.