Antique jewelry is any piece of jewelry that is about 100 years old or older. Many art deco pieces from the 1920s are now considered antique, especially those made in the earlier part of the decade.

Sometimes the use of the term “estate” can be a reproduction indicator. It is safe to assume that whenever a dealer says “estate” without any other mention of the item’s age, that piece of jewelry is not very old at all. Jewelry has to be at least 20 to 30 years old to be considered vintage. This could be anything made during the 1990s or earlier.