As antiques appraiser Dr. Lori Verderame, Ph.D. says, “Most people collect [vintage jewelry] to recall memories, like Mom wearing her best earrings for a night out or borrowing a vintage string of pearls from Grandma to wear on your wedding day.”Then there are also the imagined backgrounds that come with vintage jewelry. Amy Roseveare, creator of The Curated Jewelry Box, a curated selection of estate jewelry available to purchase on Instagram, and founder of The Curated Shopper, explains that vintage jewelry falls under the broader category of estate jewelry, meaning previously owned jewelry. “The rule of thumb is that vintage jewelry is 50 to 100 years old, and then antique jewelry is over 100 years old,” she says. Books, the Internet, talking to knowledgeable sellers—all these avenues add up to an education in vintage jewelry. Martinez says that you’ll want to make sure that any vintage jewelry sellers you work with are ethical in their business dealings.