JEWELRY Vintage jewelry helps individualize style

A unique accessory will set off your personal fashion statement.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Anyone worth their fashion sense knows what the season's "it" looks are, but the real challenge is incorporating these key pieces and themes into a special personal style.
Kendall Farr, a fashion editor and writer, offers some tips of the trade in her book "The Pocket Stylist: Behind-the-Scenes Expertise from a Fashion Pro on Creating Your Own Unique Look" (Gotham Books). Farr also has dressed celebrities such as Sigourney Weaver and Andie McDowell.
Jewelry, especially antique, vintage and estate pieces, can really help set one fashionista apart from another, Farr says.
"There simple is no better way to individualize your look than with a unique accessory you won't see on anyone else," she advises.
Seek out unique pieces
Finding these pieces, though, isn't easy, but Farr finds some thrill in the hunt.
She consulted with New York jeweler Melody Rodgers for these tips:
UEstablish your price range. No matter what you spend -- it could be $50 -- look for wearability and have a passion for the pieces.
UAsk a lot of questions. Find out about the age and period of a piece. Does the dealer know anything about the craftsmanship or materials?
UExamine the condition of the stones and the metal fittings holding the stones, and check the back of the piece for any discoloration, which might be a sign of repairs.
UChange the color. If you fall in love with a sterling silver piece but wish it were gold to match your skin tone, you can have it dipped.
UNever rule out costume jewelry. Some early costume pieces have fine craftsmanship, especially handmade pieces from the 1930s and '40s that feature good quality metal and imitation stones.
UAvoid reproduction antiques. When you see more than one of the same piece or if the metals and stones look new, they probably are and, therefore, are less valuable.