Faking Vintage Jewelry, A Big No-No

Having discussed what cagework beadery is and directing you to vintage volumes for examples, my conscience is pinging me to make this post as well.

It is NOT COOL to buy vintage parts and try to fake a legitimate vintage piece.

Opportunists have done this frequently over the years, and it's created trouble in the collecting market.  I have to tell you, though, collectors have gotten wise.   There is little they haven't seen.  They know an incorrect clasp, even an incorrect jump ring.  They know an incorrect technique.   Even when some have found signature tags from the old warehouses and placed them on recently-fabricated work, a real collector will  still figure it out.

In the Haskell book by Gordon and Pamfiloff, it shows pieces that have been faked.  The techniques might still be useful in craft, for you to view.  But it shows how smart collectors are.

So if you thought, hey, maybe I could fake a Haskell, think twice.   Your work might be as good ANY DAY....it might even be better.   But build pride and value in your *own* maker's mark by good marketing and good business practices.   Don't hide behind another company's name for the sake of a quick buck.

You're better than that.  ;-)