Simple way by which you can identify antique jewelry is to first check for hallmarks. Hallmarks are a good way of identifying the age of the jewelry and also the purity of gold. Many of the hallmarks are organized by time period with some covering a particular jewelry era only.

Examples of Alfred Philippe Creations Crown Trifari brooch pins are enhanced by brilliantly colored cabochons or dazzling clear rhinestones. Crown Trifari jewelry became so popular that Trifari added a crown to its signature mark, sometime around 1937. Today, vintage Crown Trifari is a sought-after treasure.

In 2000, the company was sold to Liz Claiborne and production was moved overseas. Since then, lesser quality jewelry has been mass produced and sold on Trifari cards without any stamps on the jewelry. Recently, some necklaces have been produced overseas with a new Trifari hang tag, but these are not vintage pieces.

One of the most popular and sought-after vintage jewelry brands, Trifari was known for its high quality and fashion forward costume jewelry designs. Highly respected, Trifari had a loyal client base, from celebrities to the everyday woman. Here’s a look at an evergreen brand that made fashion waves in its day.

At this time, Trifari made pieces that had the look of diamonds. They called these pieces “Diamante” and the designs were set in metals that looked like gold, platinum, and silver. After the war, Trifari returned to the use of cheaper metals for its costume jewelry designs in the 1950s.

If the gemstones on your gold jewelry are real, they could be worth a substantial sum when sold separately from the gold itself. On the other hand, certain vintage (older than 25 years) or antique (older than 100 years) pieces could have greater value when sold intact.

Alfred Philippe
They renamed the Company Trifari, Krussman and Fishel which is where the signature mark “KTF” derived. Early 1930 Alfred Philippe joined as head designer, he’s considered a top master craftsman in fine jewellery for Cartier and Van Cleef and Arples.

Trifari Costume Jewelry is the namesake of its founder, Gustavo Trifari. A native of Naples, Italy, Gustavo Trifari was born to a family of goldsmiths. He established the Trifari firm in 1910. In the early part of that decade, Trifari worked with his uncle under the company name of Trifari and Trifari.

sterling silver
925 is the standard hallmark for sterling silver, and sterling silver is one of the most common places you’ll see it. The other way to read 925 is 92.5. It shows that the piece of sterling silver is 92.5 % pure silver and 7.5 % alloys. That is an acceptable quality of sterling silver.

In 1999, a new format of English hallmarking on objects of Sterling Silver was initiated consisting of a maker’s mark, the assay office insignia and a 925 symbol.