Double take

1920s Art Deco 10K white gold diamond ring || 1920s Art Deco sterling silver, rhinestone and enamel ring

1920s style mount with 1900s European cut diamond || 1920s brass, rhinestone and enamel ring

1930s Art Deco 18K aquamarine ring || 1930s Art Deco sterling silver blue glass ring

1900s Art Nouveau gold signet ring || 1930s gold plated signet ring

I recently bought several great Art Deco (ca. 1920s-1930s) costume rings for the shop and, just for fun, I went looking for their fine jewelry equivalents. It is amazing to me how skillfully crafted the costume versions are, and how closely they resemble the originals. The main differences are usually metal type (platinum vs. sterling) and stones (diamonds vs. rhinestones), which account for the great difference in value. Often, the level of craftsmanship and the intricacy of the costume pieces are almost on par with the originals. I wish we could say the same for costume jewelry today! Here are four examples that I found. The rings pictured on the left come from one of my absolute favorite shops, The Three Graces, and the rings on the right are in the shop.