avon jewelry vintage

8 Vintage Avon Jewelry: Guide On How to Identify

Avon may be best known for its cosmetics and fragrances, but collectors are quite interested in the jewellery they produced, particularly from the mid-1970s through the late 1990s.

As a result of their rarity and high value, items intended for particular collections, like those by Kenneth Jay Lane and Elizabeth Taylor, are highly expensive.

When AVON was first established in 1886, it only made cosmetics and fragrances. A few decades later, in 1963, the first jewellery line was made available for purchase.

It had its start with pendants and precious stones. Prior to growing to produce necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and a variety of other items (in 1970).

The fact that antique Avon jewellery was scarce is one factor in its increased desirability. Never was there an oversupply of a certain product or line on the market.

They were routinely stopped. Another point is that the jewellery sector of the Avon company was quite tiny. You’ve had a highly fruitful search if you can find something from the 1960s!

How To Identify AVON Jewelry

Some initials are only a way for a firm to identify who made the item inside.

Initials used are: SH, MR, LYK, BW, WN, and SP

Because Avon jewellery has so few different types of trademark logos, it is simple to recognise. One has the word “AVON” alone, whereas the other has the same word with an oval drawn around it.

You may now evaluate AVON vintage jewellery using its brand and markings. To help date your results is the next action to take. In this manner, you may get a decent understanding of the worth of their goods in the current marketplace.

How To trace when your AVON jewellery was made

Here are Three ways to go about this process:

Examine The Markings

Looking for marks is an excellent place to start. This can indicate joint involvement with other businesses or artists. Most jewellery with the AVON logo matches this criterion.

And it makes it quite evident that your AVON jewellery was probably produced in the 1970s.

Your AVON was presumably created not long after the jewellery line (1963) debuted if there were to be little or no marks. which normally falls between 1963 and 1970 (AVON jewellery was given out as gifts during this Era).

Material Of the Jewelry

Observing the substance of your jewellery can also help you determine when it was manufactured. For instance, materials like gemstones and exotic polymers like resin, lucite, and thermosets were often employed between 1963 and 1970.

Other components, including diamonds and pearls, were first presented with the formal sale of AVON jewellery.

Colour Or Tone

The colour tone of your AVON jewellery may be used to determine when it was manufactured. In the early years of the AVON jewellery line, gold, as well as vibrant and pastel hues from rhinestones/gemstones, were relatively prevalent designs.

Most Valuable Rare Vintage AVON Jewelry

Elizabeth Taylor was a gifted actress who adored jewels, and this is no secret. She had amassed more magnificent fine jewellery by the time she was in her mid-30s than most of us can ever begin to fathom.

She was the caretaker of an incredible variety of jewellery, including pieces from Bulgari, Cartier, and antique pieces from the Belle Époque and Art Deco periods.

But after establishing her White Diamonds fragrance line in 1991, Taylor showed off her commercial acumen even more by collaborating with Avon (yep, the “Avon Lady” firm) to develop her own line of costume jewellery.

Since the launch of their jewellery line, AVON has produced hundreds of pieces of jewellery. It’s hard to fit them all into a short list of only ten things.

Here, though, are a few highlights we’ve provided for you. They’ll provide you with a solid sense of how AVON item pricing functions in the market.

Black Woman Cameo Necklace & Earrings

  • Price: $150
  • Year: 1994
avon jewelry vintage

This item comprises a necklace with a covered strap, a pendant, several earrings, and gold metal accents. This does have Coreen Simpson’s emblem on its logo (which is the face of a woman).

Related Post: Know About 12 Precious Japanese Figurines

“Little Chick In The Egg” Brooch

  • Price: $45
  • Year: 1980
avon jewelry vintage

Avon offered a wide variety of brooches. One of AVON’s most distinctively designed and rarest pieces of jewellery is this little chick-in-egg brooch. You may get it for $50 or a little less ($45). This represents a wide pricing range for many kinds of brooches.

Gold-Tone Bell Flowers Clip-On Earrings

  • Price: $45 – $50.
avon jewelry vintage

Another unusual item is shown here: a set of distinctively designed clip-on earrings. Since the pattern is made up of bell-shaped flowers. Typically, they go between $45 and $50.

Vintage Gold-Tone Crystal Pendant Necklace  

  • Price: $60
avon jewelry vintage

Due to its gold-coloured metal chain, which is holding numerous precious stones, this AVON necklace has a sleek appearance. In the current marketplace, it costs about $60.

Vintage Sterling Silver Starburst Pin Brooch

avon jewelry vintage

The Starburst pin brooch has a distinctive style. This is composed of several blue, white, and silver stone specks that have been permanently attached to the jewellery to convey the sun-like pattern of the brooch frame.

Due to its extraordinary rarity, It costs $100 for each unit.

Golden Vintage CollectorBottle Perfume

  • Year- 1960 to 1970
avon jewelry vintage

This antique object, which was presumably created between 1960 and 1970, is pretty ancient. since AVON jewellery was distributed to clients during that era in exchange for perfume purchases.

Given that the pendant is made to resemble a collector’s bottle, it is obvious that the item will probably be less costly.

However, the Louis Féraud Collector’s bottle perfume costs just $45, because of the rarity of the antique market.

Learn More: What Are The Value Of Antique Cast Iron Bell

White Diamonds Faux Pearl Brooch Pin $100 To $130

  • Year- 1960 to 1970
avon jewelry vintage

Elizabeth Taylor, an actress, created the faux pearl brooch pin for AVON. The brooch is made out of a bow that is attached to a pendant made of pearls.

Its costs range from $100 to $130. owing to its distinct design, artist signature, and current scarcity in circulation.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Royal Jewels Set $350 To $400

avon jewelry vintage

Elizabeth Taylor’s jewellery continues with this item. It’s more of a set, though, with an accompanying necklace, pendant, and pair of earrings.

With its beautiful use of pearls, gemstones, and a gold colour scheme, the design is highly distinctive. It is known that this masterpiece sells for between $350 and $400.

Avon Gold Tone & Beaded Pendant

avon jewelry vintage

The Shaill Jhaveri pendant, which is covered in pearls and jewels, would be a wonderful addition to your collection of AVON jewellery.

One of the factors contributing to its potential price range of $60 to $70 is the fact that it is a sculpture created by the artist Shaill Jhaveri.

Related Post: Know About 12 Precious Japanese Figurines

AVON ‘Parisienne Bloom’ Earrings

avon jewelry vintage

These are a unique set of earrings created by Ungaro, another jewellery design firm. In this pair of hook-wire earrings, a stone in the shape of a teardrop is joined to another gem that is encircled by a floral pattern.

It costs $50 to buy or sell a set.

The majority of Avon jewellery offered through their catalogues is, should we say, uninteresting among collectors of jewellery.

That is not to suggest that it isn’t attractive or that it wasn’t fashionable for the era in which it was created. In fact, many of these items are still worn today.

However, in general, it lacks the distinctive style, edgy appearance, or cachet that the majority of seasoned jewellery connoisseurs like, and values often reflect this.

However, there are always exceptions to the rule when it comes to jewellery collecting, and this is undoubtedly the case with some of the co-branded Avon jewellery items sold through their catalogues in the 1980s and 1990s.

During this time, the business collaborated with fashion-forward jewellery designers like Jose & Maria Barrera and K.J.L. to create pieces that were popular with their clientele.

One K.J.L. collection featured matching evening bags and torsade necklace sets that featured his renowned panther heads inspired by Cartier.

All of these co-branded items cost more than the typical Avon jewellery, and the majority of them are now extremely collectable.

Also well-known was Elizabeth Taylor, who from 1993 to 1997 collaborated with Avon to create and market a line of costume jewellery.

What Is AVON Jewelry Made Of?

Jewellery was given away as a gift of appreciation for making a significant purchase in the early years of the company’s collection release.

Such jewellery was typically made from materials like glass stones, and fancy polymers like resin, thermoset, and Lucite. Avon jewellery is made of the following materials:

  • Lucite
  • Bakelite
  • Thermosets (e.g., silicone and polyurethane)
  • Resin 
  • Acrylic
  • Gold-tone metal
  • Real gold (but rarely)
  • Sterling silver
  • CZ diamonds
  • Rhinestones
  • Cabochons (that simulated precious gems)
  • Glass beads
  • Faux pearls
  • Moonstone
  • Coral
  • Enamel

What Does the Vintage Jewelry AVON Signature Look Like?

The trade mark “AVON” would be visible even in collections created by artists and other jewellery businesses. Jose and Maria Barerra, for instance, have produced a number of jewellery items with Avon.

“Barerra for Avon” would be the mark or stamp shown.

The stamp may occasionally have just initials. comparable to the jewellery created by Kenneth Jay Lane (A world-renowned jewellery designer). It would read “K. J. L.” on the stamp.

Cessation

Avon has created a huge variety of styles ever since the jewellery line was introduced in 1963. Finding your item and comparing it to others to determine its value will thus be difficult.

You should be able to pretty simply track the value of your piece(s) using this post. We’ve spoken about how to date them based on the marks and the materials that were used to make them.

You can determine whether your item was formerly thought of as a gift provided to clients for purchasing Avon fragrances in this method (before 1970). Or perhaps it is an item from a sale made after 1970.

Frequently Asked Question

Q1. What year did Avon start selling jewellery?

When AVON was first established in 1886, it only made cosmetics and fragrances. A few decades later, in 1963, the first jewellery line was made available for purchase.

It had its start with pendants and precious stones. Prior to growing to produce necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and a variety of other items (in 1970).

Q2. Did Avon use Bakelite?

Bakelite’s use swiftly increased as manufacturers understood its potential since it was lightweight, strong, and could be moulded into virtually any shape.

Due to the usage of Bakelite, AVON jewellery is recognised to withstand time far better than conventional jewellery. because their jewellery, including earrings and rings, frequently has an anti-tarnish coating.

Q3. Why did they stop using Bakelite?

Early in the 1940s, when demand for items connected to World War II grew, many businesses abandoned Bakelite. By the end of the War, Bakelite had been rendered obsolete by advancements in plastics technology. The late 1930s until the end of the Art Deco era were the heyday of Bakelite jewellery.

Q4. What does SP mean on Avon jewellery?

These are only corporate codes, not marks. used to indicate the item produced at that specific moment for inventory needs. Some of these indicators, however, may be added to a festive event.

For instance, SP, which stands for Silver Plated, is one of the few pieces of AVON jewellery.