Vintage jewelry brings bling within reach. Mom’s Coro brooches, and Hobe clip earrings bring good prices at antique fairs as well as online. Italian jewelry designer Annarita Vitali collects vintage pieces and beads and baubles to craft her own jewelry. Here, Annarita’s daughter, Chiara, wears a garland of flowers handmade from a range of materials, but as fresh as the real thing.

Chiara Veratti, Annarita’s daughter, at work in the studio surrounded by the faux jewels and enamels that characterize her and her mother’s work. Luce the studio cat looks on. The enterprise is very much a family affair and Chiara’s brother, Francesco Veratti has created a virtual boutique online. Visit it at www.annaritavitali.com [1] to view a complete catalog.

Although violas and violets are a recurring motif—and a constant passion— Annarita does not limit herself to these flowers. Annarita says of her jewelry creations, "Ever since I was a child I’ve carried a world of sensations, love and imagination with me, and that is what I try to express in my jewelry."

Fantasy, dreams and imagination are recurring themes for costume jewelry mavens. Perhaps it brings back memories of playing Princess and dressing up with pieces from Mom’s jewelry box.

Annarita’s cuff bracelets are andcrafted from seedbeads and semi-precious and faux stones. Annarita stitches these onto a tulle backing lined with grosgrain satin. It’s a look that says "flapper" and recalls the fashion jewelry of the early 1900s.

Brooches are making a comeback, and fanciful bouquets like this are a Vitali specialty, charmingly whimsical but a definite fashion statement. Bright and glittery, these brooches are just the sort of thing to set off a faux fur stole for evening glam or lightens-up a workday suit, and to add an sense of movie-star haute couture.