Opinions on modern reproduction?

[Pinkmartini87]

Hi all,

Thought I'd pop over here and ask you folks what are your feelings re modern reproductions of antique and vintage jewelry? I tend to be a purist and would usually only buy antique and/or vintage pieces, but yesterday bought a pair of emerald earrings set in sterling silver made by a company called "Trufili" (NOT Trifari); apparently this company makes affordable reproductions in less expensive materials (i.e. Sterling silver instead of platinum, and lower grade/small stones like the quite light colored and very included emeralds in my piece. The earrings were very affordable at $160 (although to be honest if based on materials alone I likely overpaid, but I liked the look of it so bought it anyway).

Has anyone else bought similar items? @stracci2000 I wonder if your lovely goodwill Art Deco sterling silver bracelet might also be of a similar vein? (Trufili also makes Deco style filigree bracelets as per their website)

I have a few actual Art Deco pieces and on inspection one can visibly tell the difference (i.e. the milgrain on the modern reproductions are too uniform and not as fine, implying machine/printing rather than by hand), never mind the less expensive materials. I've previously frowned upon modern reproductions as "copycats", but now find myself on the fence. After all, a real pair of Art Deco platinum and emerald earrings would typically set me back several thousands, instead of the $160 I paid for the imitation, although I'm not sure how I feel ultimately about supporting a business that makes "copycats"--although Trufili admits these are reproductions, I'm afraid that a less experienced buyer of antiques may be misled by certain unscrupulous secondhand dealers hawking these reproductions as the real deal.

 

[stracci2000]

@Pinkmartini87, I love those earrings. And emeralds, too! They are true to deco style.
Certainly, authentic jewelry is more desirable, in my opinion. But since antique jewelry is hard to find these days, I don't see anything wrong with reproductions.

My bracelet is sterling with glass stones. It mimics platinum and was a lower cost item. You didn't have to be wealthy to have nice things! The crazy clasp was broken, but I fixed it. Based on the stamp and the weird clasp, I'm certain that it is from the 20s-30s

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Pretty earrings!

I have an Art Deco style necklace that I bought from Lord and Taylor five years ago, it looks really authentic and it was $80, I got a ton of compliments on it.

Wear what you love! So what if it's a reproduction, as long as you are good with it that's all that matters. Some of the reproduction jewelry is very well made and can easily pass for the real deal.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Correction it was from Macy's lol!

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@Pinkmartini87, I love those earrings. And emeralds, too! They are true to deco style.
Certainly, authentic jewelry is more desirable, in my opinion. But since antique jewelry is hard to find these days, I don't see anything wrong with reproductions.

My bracelet is sterling with glass stones. It mimics platinum and was a lower cost item. You didn't have to be wealthy to have nice things! The crazy clasp was broken, but I fixed it. Based on the stamp and the weird clasp, I'm certain that it is from the 20s-30s

@stracci2000 I love it, all the incredible details; what a wonderful find! Thanks for sharing more photos!

 

[Pinkmartini87]

Correction it was from Macy's lol!

@StephanieLynn Wow I did not know Macy's carry such items! Do they still?

Yes, it's very lovely, thank you for sharing! They did a great job with it! I agree with you that as long as we love the piece, know what we are buying, and it's a fair price for what it is, in the end perhaps antique vs reproduction is of secondary concern. In some ways it's also nice to have a not too expensive piece and not feel like I have to baby it, but to wear it all I want!

Now if I can only tag along with you and @stracci2000 on your bargain hunts! You all find some great hidden gems for amazing prices! I'm afraid I'm not much of a bargain hunter! I love seeing what you two find! Please do continue to share!

 

[Bron357]

I love Art Deco jewellery and have a few authentic pieces but being almost 100 years old there is significant wear to the settings and I’ve lost two wee diamonds out (expensive tonrepair / replace) out of a ring I have so it’s now strictly “rare occasion wearing”.
My engagement ring I chose to reset in the Art Deco style. It actually was a genuine Art Deco ring but upon purchase it had to be remade. I went with a plain bezel setting for the 3 emerald shapes ie sort of modern but the subsequent reset was hack to a definite Art decomstyle.
I just bought a similar Sterling ring with CZ and synthetic rubies and I love it.
The quality is obviously “cast” and not hand crafted but it has the look I love.
I have no problem with quality reproductions, such an ionic styling deserves to be repeated again and again.
I love being able to get “the look” for fun pieces for a very modest outlay compared to the cost of authentic Art Deco pieces which if worn or damaged are extremely diffficult / expensive to restore.
My “repro” ring, a genuine Art Deco Watch (set into a handbag) and my engagement ring in the Art Deco style.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Pinkmartini87 I'm not sure if Macy's still carries this line but it might be worth a look, I wish I could remember the name of the designer!

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@Bron357 I love your style and the idea of converting the handbag watch is so clever! Your engagement ring is a knockout! Thanks for sharing! Would love to see more of your Deco pieces if you have the time!!!

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@Bron357 Also, do you sketch your own jewelry designs and take them to the jeweler? Or do you find that jewelers typically have ready to go casts/molds that they can then tweak to the customer's specifications? Are most jewelers up to the task or do you use a specific jeweler? Is it typically a long process getting a Deco reproduction piece made from start to finish?