Why Vintage Costume Jewelry Is Having Its Moment

MDVII and founder Susie Hoimes were featured in Gem + Jewel's look at why vintage costume jewelry is having a major collecting moment.

The article traces how costume jewelry, once dismissed as disposable, has become one of the most talked-about categories in the market. Writer Bella Neyman points to a standout auction year, a new Taschen reference book, and a well-attended NYC Jewelry Week exhibition as signs of the shift, along with two deeper drivers: a growing appetite for sustainable, secondhand fashion and a soaring gold price that makes fine jewelry feel out of reach.

MDVII sits squarely in that story. In November, Christie's offered the Susie Hoimes Collection: The Art of Costume Jewellery as part of its Handbags Online: The New York Edit. Susie is described as a couture costume jewelry expert and the proprietor of MDVII, the San Francisco shop she ran from 1990 to 2021, specializing in runway couture pieces.

The sale's standout was an extremely rare 1930s demi-parure attributed to Chanel, a blue and green Gripoix glass, strass crystal, and faux pearl necklace and brooch. It brought $20,320 against an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000, and the brooch had once belonged to Iris Apfel. The sale also featured work by Miriam Haskell and Pierre Cardin.

While MDVII no longer keeps a physical space, its curated couture pieces and unsigned gems live on through the website and Instagram.

Read the full article at Gem + Jewel: https://gemandjewel.substack.com/p/in-the-know-vintage-costume-jewelry