How to Spot Antique and Vintage Jewellery: A Buyer’s Primer

There is a moment every jewellery buyer eventually has: a brooch in a cabinet, a ring at a car-boot sale, a pendant listed online — and the question, “is this actually antique, or just old?” Telling genuine period pieces from later copies, revival styles and optimistic descriptions is a skill, and like most skills it comes down to knowing what to look for. This primer walks you through the definitions, the great design periods, and the physical clues that separate a true survivor from a clever imitation.