As a little girl, I fondly remember playing in my Grandmother's costume jewelry with my cousins. She kept all of the pieces she no longer wore in coffee cans for us girls to "masquerade in", as she called it. We would spend hours rummaging through those cans of jewels and playing every dress up game we could conjure up.

I had not given much thought to that in quite a while....no time for reminiscing seems to be penciled into my schedule. However, for a brief moment, I caught myself travelling back in time as I sat browsing through all of the vintage inspired creations Vintage Wedding Jewelry has to offer. It was nice to relive those memories, even if it was just for a moment. Perhaps you have similar memories of your own. Even if you do not, that should not prevent you from appreciating such exquisite works of art.

One of this year's biggest trends in weddings is the return of vintage gowns and overall vintage themes. But what exactly is vintage jewelry?

In the strictest sense of the word,  'vintage' means old, and vintage jewelry can mean anything from a priceless heirloom antique to a retro plastic bauble from the 80's.  When dealing with weddings, it tends to refer to a style that is feminine, and delicate,  with hints of the Victorian era.  (Or at least what we imagine as pre-1900's.)

There is actually a LOT of vintage jewelry out there,  still at very reasonable prices.  Antique shops, thrift stores and Ebay are all great places to pick up a bargain, and with vintage, the look is more important that the value,  so paste and glass 'gems' are acceptable substitutes for diamonds as long as the piece looks clean and fits in with your overall look.  One particular trait of vintage jewellery is necklace length; while most modern necklaces are a standard 18",  many 'vintage' styles are either choker style, multiple strands or extra long strands.

Of course with the popularity of vintage jewelry many artists have been inspired to create their own interpretation of these styles.  Some of these replicas might do very nicely for those of you who are planning to have this type of wedding.  Other jewelers use parts of broken vintage pieces in their own designs, to create a completely new design out of older components.  Search Etsy for 'vintage jewelry' and you might end up spending hours poring over the wide variety of results.

These creative designs can easily be worn by you and your bridal party. Additionally, the prices are affordable for most budgets and you will be able to wear these stunning pieces for many future occasions.