When someone searches for jewelry online, they come across a wide range of terms: antique, vintage, pre-owned, retro, trinkets, collectibles… They all sound familiar, but they don't all mean the same thing. Knowing how to differentiate them not only helps you buy wisely, it also allows you to better understand the value of each piece.

Contemporary jewelry: the most current

These are pieces of jewelry designed and manufactured in the last 20 years. They represent recent production, sometimes designer pieces and sometimes major brands. They may be new or secondhand, but they are always contemporary in style and techniques.
If you're looking for high-quality manufactured pieces with attention to materials or craftsmanship, you should know that these requirements aren't always met in contemporary jewelry.

Second-hand jewelry: with another previous life

The important thing here isn't age, but rather use. A secondhand piece of jewelry could be a ring from two years ago or a necklace from 80 years ago. The key is that it has belonged to someone before.

Second-hand jewelry: the commercial term

It's used in jewelry stores to refer to secondhand pieces sold at a lower price than the original. It could be a contemporary ring or an antique brooch: what defines this term is the purchasing opportunity.

Retro: new design, past inspiration

Retro jewelry doesn't have to be antique. They're recent pieces that reproduce styles from previous decades, like a necklace made today with a '70s feel.
Although many people confuse the term with vintage, they are not the same: retro is a recreation, vintage is authentic by age.

Vintage: between 20 and 100 years of history

The most commonly used term in online jewelry. A piece is considered vintage when it's at least two decades old, but not yet a century old. Earrings from the 1950s, necklaces from the 1980s, or rings from the 1990s fall into this category.
There is some confusion: it is often said that “vintage” only covers pieces that are 20–30 years old, but in professional usage it extends up to 100 years old. Although it is often used incorrectly, this is the most widely accepted definition.

Old: more than a century

Here we're talking about authentic antiques: jewelry that's over 100 years old, such as Victorian brooches, modernist pieces, or early 20th-century rings. Their value lies in their history, rarity, and craftsmanship.
It's a dynamic term: every year, pieces that were vintage become antiques. What is considered a vintage necklace from the 1980s today will be an antique in 2080.

Vintage Jewelry: Style and Context

This term doesn't always depend on age, but rather on the artistic movement and historical period in which they are framed. Pieces are referred to as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, or 1950s because they represent a recognizable aesthetic and a specific cultural context.

Jewelry: the classic word

A traditional term used to refer to jewelry in general. It's no longer used today, but it still appears in literary texts or in long-established businesses.

Costume jewelry: non-precious materials

Includes pieces made of base metals, glass, resin, or plastics, rather than precious materials such as gold, silver, platinum, or precious gems.
Some may be vintage or even antique, such as Art Deco jewelry from the 1930s, which is highly valued among collectors.

Collectible jewelry: rarity and signature

Age isn't always what determines value. A piece of jewelry can be considered a collectible because of its design, because it's a limited edition, because it bears the signature of a major house, or simply because of its rarity.

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Conclusion

Differentiating between antique, vintage, retro, or pre-owned jewelry is more than just a play on words. It's the key to understanding the origin, value, and history of each piece. The next time you search for jewelry online, you'll know what what you're reading really means.