Costume jewelry refers to decorative jewelry made without precious metals or gemstones.

Emerging in the 1920s, it grew from the idea that true value lies in design—a belief championed by Coco Chanel.

This page shares why whoopie roux proudly embraces the name “costume jewelry.”

At whoopie roux, every piece of costume jewelry is handcrafted.

Although the term costume jewelry may be unfamiliar to some, it refers to decorative jewelry made without precious metals or gemstones, in contrast to fine jewelry.

Its story began in the 1920s, as women in Europe and America gained greater freedom and modern fashion began to replace restrictive styles such as corsets. Costume jewelry emerged as a more accessible form of adornment, offering beauty through design rather than material value. (The name is also said to have originated from jewelry created for theatrical costumes.)

Free from the cost of precious materials, costume jewelry allowed for bold forms and expressive designs that would have been difficult to achieve in fine jewelry. Coco Chanel, one of its earliest pioneers, believed that while fine jewelry represented material wealth, true beauty for fashion lay in design rather than the value of stones or metals.

During the 1930s, economic hardship, war, and increased taxes on luxury goods further encouraged the growth of costume jewelry, making it an increasingly familiar part of everyday fashion.

My first encounter with costume jewelry came through vintage pieces from the 1950s to the 1970s.

What drew me to them was the quiet sense of contrast they carried—expressing softness through metal, and shaping forms from nature with a material often seen as hard and inorganic.

There is also something about handcrafted objects that cannot be found in mass-produced pieces.

A beautiful sense of imperfection—a balanced asymmetry, and the warmth of a surface shaped by hand. These subtle qualities have always held a special fascination for me.

I carefully select and source vintage glass stones crafted by European artisans of the time, one by one. Each piece begins with the stones themselves: considering how best to bring out their character, sketching the design, and hand-carving every original model.

Soft curves. Beautiful asymmetry. Unexpected details.

At whoopie roux, animals, flowers, and the universe are expressed in metal through hand-carved originals.

Material choices matter, too. Silver925 remains at the heart of the collection, chosen for its longevity with simple care and the rich patina it develops over time, while the brand continues to explore more sustainable approaches to making.

In a world overflowing with things, every piece is created with an extraordinary amount of time and care—from the first sketch to the final finish.

The hope is that, when worn, these pieces become a gentle reminder to care for yourself.

The terms “fake” or “imitation” are sometimes used to describe costume jewelry. Personally, I don’t believe they reflect its true purpose or value. Costume jewelry was never created simply to imitate fine jewelry; it exists as a form of design with its own history, intention, and identity. (This does not refer to counterfeit or parody products.)