Ian's Collectibles

What is a Collectible?

Ian St. Gielar
Costume Jewelry Designer
for Stanley Hagler NYC

Long before the first cities were built, or the first nuggets of gold were turned into coveted jewels, humans were transforming the natural objects of the earth into artifacts to wear.  The urge for self adornment has resulted in a legacy of jewelry that stretches back thousands of years.  Much is made from precious materials, but far more is fashioned from everyday organic matter for sheer visual pleasure. *

The earliest pieces played a dual role, as both decoration and as an amulet to ward off evil spirits.  Much of the designs imitated nature from flower motifs to female faces and small animals and insects all paying homage to the natural world.

Each discovery of material, techniques in handling those materials and contributions from each culture has added to the evolution of the designs.  Some designs have proved to be more popular and enduring than others and are revived time and again by societies.  The value is in finding a piece you love.  Follow your heart.

*ref: A Collector's Guide to Costume Jewelry - Key styles and how to recognize them by Tracy Tolkien and Henrietta Wilkinson
Published by Firefly Books Ltd., 3680 Victoria Park Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario M2H 3K1

Collectibles of the Future

"What will tomorrow's collectible be?" is the question that every lover of costume jewellery asks.  Much of it is cheaply made to reflect the passing fads of fashion - worn for a short time, and then thrown away.  Better pieces, in terms of design and technique, will probably rise in value over the next few decades and should be kept.  As with most future antiques, collectable potential is most often tied to the original sale price, so top-of-the-line items will be the best investment.  One certainty is that the potential of costume jewellery as a collectable is increasing all the time.  The proliferation of books and specialist periodicals, enthusiasts' conventions and the widely publicized sales of important collections, as well as the new possibilities offered by the internet, ensure that costume jewellery will long continue to give pleasure, and sometimes profit, to the wearer.

ref: pg. 58 ~ Collectables of the future
published in the U.K.

Newer Collectibles

Many antique jewelry collectors often overlook the many sensational jewelry items being offered for sale.  In the 1980s there was a boom in the costume jewelry industry.  Many of the companies and designers that offered imaginative and beautiful jewelry in the 1980's were short lived and have become increasingly collectible.  Many collectors had the foresight to purchase these items and have seen the value increase dramatically in just a few short years.  Many of the 1980s collectibles include but are not limited to Kirk's Folly, Catherine Stein, Laurel Burch, Monet for Yves St. Laurent, Wendy Gell, Les Bernard, J. Gladstone, Butler and Wilson (a British company), as well as many companies who have been around since before the 1980s: Monet, Anne Klein, Napier, Givenchy, Capri, Kenneth J. Lane, Erwin Pearl, Christian Dior, Trifari, Stanley Hagler, Arnold Scaasi and Ciner.

Some of these designers combined the best attributes of the past eras with new and imaginative ideas as well as new materials.  Creative combinations of wood, paper maché, glass, mirrors, wood, and rhinestones were used in the 1980s to make a whole new genre of craft jewelry.

The 1990s:  Many of today's newest collectibles include Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth J. Lane (and his designs for Avon), Princess Michaela, Joan Rivers, Mary Beth Burchardt for Pell and Disney, Elizabeth Taylor for Avon, Ciner, Vivienne Westwood, Arnold Scaasi, Ian St. Gielar, Iradj Moini, Thelma Deutsch, David Mandel, Larry Vrba, Robert Sorrell, Chanel, Isabel Canovas and Nolan Miller.

Ian St. Gielar is a new name to keep an eye on.  The jewelry is tagged and marked with the collector in mind - each jewelry item is signed and numbered. St. Gielar jewelry is considered by collectors and wearers as works of art.  The jewelry is all hand crafted and limited to six items per design.  St. Gielar's jewelry has been seen worn by Whoopi Goldberg and Morgan Fairchild among others.

Ian's creations have appeared on the runways of famous fashion designers and in magazines such as:Vogue, Harpers, Elle and Shine.

ref: pages 218, 219  Collectible Costume Jewelry Identification and Values by Cherri Simonds 
Reprinted with the permission of the publisher.
Collectors Books 
P.O. Box 3009 
Paducah, Kentucky 42002-3009
270-8998-6211
ISBN# 0-89145-762-3

Click on the image to access their web site.
Available at www.collectorbooks.com

 

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Ian's Collectibles