The Complete Handbook of Pretend Jewelry

Finally, a book that treats costume jewelry like a technical subject and not a craft project. I run a mid-size rental house and the chapter on maintenance alone paid for the book—the repair section on re-seating stones is exactly what my team needed. It's dense but well organized, and I've already dog-eared half the pages.

I've been buying bulk costume jewelry for our school's theater program for years, mostly guessing on quality. This handbook gave me a proper spec sheet to hand to our suppliers and the cost-per-use formula is something I'll use every season. It's dry in places, but that's why it's so useful. No fluff, just facts.

As a vintage seller, I thought I knew materials, but the chapter on differentiating between glass and acrylic under magnification was a genuine eye-opener. The glossary has become a permanent reference on my desk. It's written for people who actually have to handle this stuff, and it shows. I've already recommended it to two other dealers.

It's a solid reference, but I'm not sure it needed to be a full book. The first half on materials and specifications is genuinely useful and I appreciated the concrete numbers. But the business opportunities chapter felt a little generic—it described some things I already know how to do. Fine for someone starting from scratch, just not for me.

The sourcing advice is what I needed most. I was buying costume jewelry at craft stores and paying too much for inconsistent quality. The sections on evaluating wholesale lots and understanding the difference between zinc alloy and brass castings were great. I just wish there had been a few more photos or diagrams of the construction types mentioned.

Good information, but the organization is a bit quirky. I was expecting more on styling and matching pieces to eras, but the book is firmly about materials and the supply chain. It does that well—the toxicity and regulation section was very helpful for our church's kids program. Just be aware it's a reference manual, not a design book.

The most useful feature is how it breaks down the economics. I own a small party supply business, and the cost-per-wear analysis for the rental inventory was a game-changer for my pricing. It's a thorough reference—the troubleshooting section on tarnishing prevention was a direct fix for a complaint we kept getting. A few more photographs would make it 5 stars.