Old is new

Who doesn't like a little sparkle around the neck or dazzle on the earlobes?- If you're going to wear it, let it be seen.

It's is all about complementing a simple outfit with a dynamic piece of jewelry, a chunky choker or long ropes of beads.

This is the age of costume jewelry. It's the perfect choice for those of us who can't afford expensive jewels.

Admirers dazzled by a bold conversation piece will be even more impressed when you reveal its $50, $20 or $10 price.

"Jewelry is a means of expression,'' said jewelry collector Shelley Osborne, of Vintagejewelryonline.com.

"However comfortable you are in your own body determines how flamboyant your style's going to be.''

Osborne says that vintage jewelry has emerged in the mainstream since magazines, movie stars and designers started accessorizing with older pieces.

"People can pull out costume jewelry from high school and college,'' she said.

"I think the reason people look at vintage is because it has a certain sense of nostalgia ... It's all about making a statement.''

That's how Karen Dingle shops for pieces to display in her store, Jaxis Boutique, in Sarasota, Fla.

Vintage-inspired jewelry can be trendy and inexpensive. "It looks so real, no one has to know,'' Dingle said.

Vintage designs in crystal, beading, gemstone and semiprecious stone are fun and offer a variety of looks.

Zoe DuFour, a jewelry designer based in Los Angeles, said anything with a large centerpiece or large brooch is in.

"It's fun to take something funky and dramatic and incorporate it with wood beads or dyed-mother-of-pearl,'' DuFour said.

Carole Tanenbaum, author of "Fabulous Fakes'' (Artisan, $35), suggests layering strings of beaded necklaces. "Beading can be so elaborate and beautiful in glass,'' she said. "It makes for a beautiful single necklace; that's an inexpensive way to get a look of a great collar.''

Tanenbaum's book, which highlights the history of costume jewelry from the Victorian era of 1837-1914 to today, features hundreds of pieces of costume jewelry from her private collection of 3,500 pieces.

She suggests that vintage-jewelry lovers shop flea markets because pieces "don't have to be high-end.''

"If you're buying these for accessorizing, it's a creative comment on personalized dressing.''

Mary Awosika writes for the Herald-Tribune in Sarasota, Fla.