I know I have bought costume jewelry pieces for prices that would make a non-collector blanch. For me, it’s a combination of materials, the look, rarity, vintage of the piece and perhaps provenance.

Given the high gold prices of the past few years, even contemporary costume jewellers have had to contend with rising prices for things that were once (rightly or not) seen as “junk jewelry.” More to my taste, these were fashion pieces that could be inexpensively bought and shelved or disposed of when new trends came along.

So I struggle with the high prices for costume pieces like this necklace by Aurelie Bidermann. I know it costs more to plate the metal and that those costs will be passed on to the consumer. But for the USD $1,310 being asked for this Lunada Bay Leaf collar … I just don’t know if I would be able to pull the trigger, though it’s a classic design and would likely see a lot of wear over the years. Available from Barneys.