Antiques: Summer's costume jewelry

Eye-catching, chunky, and colorful, vintage summer jewelry offers the perfect accent for swimsuits and sundresses. Bright-plastic bangles, pins, and rings show you are decorating the beach, not training for the Olympics.

If the contents of your jewelry box look oh-so-boring, search out collectible Bakelite and Lucite pieces to wear during these warmer months. Find them at shows, auctions, flea markets, and online sites.

Fine jewelry traditionally came out for special occasions, but faux pieces made sense for a trip to the Jersey Shore. Philadelphians once could pick from a wide selection of costume jewelry at stores like Wanamakers. Many of these treasures are still tucked away in family trunks, waiting to be rediscovered.

Fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbank is an expert on completing an outfit. Of her last book, The Couture Accessory, she says, "It focused on all the different kinds of things that haute couturiers use to make their clothes look great. It included top-of-the-line costume jewelry."

Her newest work with Amy Fine Collins, Resort Fashion: Style in Sun-Drenched Climates, will be available in November from Rizzoli. Its pages are filled with wonderful period photos of elegant people walking the shore, standing on yacht decks, and lounging by the pool. Styles date from the 1930s to the latter decades of the 20th century.

Famous fashion models pose in exotic settings, while other images capture the rich and famous - Kennedy couples strolling, or young George and Alana Hamilton working on their tans. While glamorous destinations may be out of reach, vintage style can be collected on a budget.

The "summer jewelry" seen in the photos took many forms - floral motifs, bright white accents, and nautical themes were common. Many of the pieces are whimsical and oversize.

Brass, glass, and wood were used, but jewelry of colored plastics and clear Lucite was particularly lightweight and comfortable to wear. Designs range from hippie naturalism to space-age sleek.

As a consultant to Doyle in New York, Milbank is putting together a "High Society" auction Nov. 3 that will include costume jewelry, accessories, luxury travel gear including luggage, and travel posters. The firm has been having appraisal days to gather good stuff for the auction. Check www.doylenewyork.com for more information.

"Resort jewelry will be one of the categories in the High Society auction," Milbank explains. "One of the things that did well in last year's sale was vintage Kenneth Jay Lane, before he became more mass-market. We have some outstanding examples of that from late 1960s, turn of the 1970s. The kind of thing you can imagine Liz Taylor wearing."

The expert already has gathered some exceptional pieces for the sale - a necklace chain with a red plastic anchor, a set of Miriam Haskell jewelry in red, white, and blue. The "Bohemian Rhapsody" section has long necklaces with tassels; the "Jet Set" group has an enameled sterling belt meant to be worn around tanned hips.

Cuff-like bangles were the rage in the '60s and '70s. Some intriguing examples are made of clear Lucite with surprises captured inside. "We have one set of those that are embedded with insects," says Milbank. "Another set is embedded with tiny starfish.

"There's one lot in the upcoming sale - a very large necklace and earrings with faux angelskin coral made of plastic - and believe it or not, it belonged to Truman Capote," she said. The Kenneth Jay Lane set, circa 1970, is estimated to bring $700 to $900.

The trick for collectors is finding choice pieces before they reach the auction block in New York. Not all jewelry worn in the summer was plastic, but the emphasis on color makes it a good choice.

Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide by collector/dealer Leigh Leshner is bursting with dramatic pieces in juicy-fruit reds, greens, and yellow perfect for the season. Her guide includes both vintage material and recently created art jewelry by such designers as Judy Clarke and Karen and Howard Kronimus.

"The more common pieces are easy to find," Leshner said. "The bangles and large pins - the more unusual pieces - are harder to find." Her current stock can be viewed at her "Thanks for the Memories" Web site, www.tias.com/stores/memories.

Leshner's book includes a valuable discussion of various plastics, their composition, and when they were introduced, as well as suggestions for care and preservation.

Bakelite, introduced in the first decade of the 20th century, is probably the best-known man-made material for jewelry. This plastic was produced in a wide range of striking dark and light colors and was used for radios, buttons, and game pieces, as well as jewelry. Bakelite has been highly sought-after by collectors for at least 25 years.

The best pieces, those with elaborate carving or complex attachments, bring prices in the hundreds. Learn more about the subject before you buy. Another informative reference with great photography is The Bakelite Jewelry Book by Corinne Davidov, Ginny Redington Dawes, Stephen Mark Needham, and Tom Dawes.

Adventurous collectors willing to hunt can find better bargains in more recent jewelry. Look for pieces from the 1950s to 1980s made from less-expensive plastics, including Lucite and acrylics, at garage and estate sales.

Perfect for tropical outfits are earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made of small plastic fruit and leaves, imitating Venetian glass. Versatile Lucite bangles were set with rhinestones or embedded with charms and natural materials. Plastic often could imitate semiprecious stones like coral, jade, and turquoise.

Collecting such fun-in-the-sun jewelry will brighten the summer months.

The introduction to the coming book on resort fashion can easily be applied to these accessories: "Resort fashions beguile because they were originally designed with no ulterior motive: they were truly made for fun. . . . Wearing a little bit of resort can give even an armchair traveler an instant lift. Resort fashion's escapist allure is indomitable."