MARIAN BARBA...
Knows a good thing when she sees it WRITTEN BY GERALDINE FREEDMAN
“I’ve been collecting costume jewelry for 25 years,” she said. “And my experience has taught me to recognize a designer’s style. I have a very good eye for quality.” The costume jewelry Barba collects is not those strings of plastic beads or $2 earrings you can find at flea markets. And you won’t find diamonds, emeralds or rubies in the mix. Rather, the stones are non-precious such as amethyst, topaz or aquamarine. “Costume jewelry is for wannabees–those ladies who can’t afford the gems,” Barba said. Where she finds this jewelry–she prefers vintage–is all part of the charm: garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, some estate sales, even yard sales–and all within a ten-mile radius of her home in Ballston Spa. “The most I spend for a piece is never more than $5,” Barba said, laughing. Educated at the Parsons School of Design in New York City to become a fashion designer, she worked for a time in community theater and summer stock before becoming an art teacher in the middle school in the Ballston Spa School district. A chance perusal of art books in Soave Faire yielded one on plastic jewelry. And that, as they say, started it all. “I thought who’d wear plastic jewelry. But then I realized I could get interested in it,” she said. “I’d always loved jewelry.” Barba also discovered that there were designers, including high fashion designers like Christian Dior and Chanel that designed costume jewelry. In the 1990s, even movie star Elizabeth Taylor designed jewelry for Avon. Most signed them on the back of the piece. Barba educated herself through reading and constantly visiting sales and came to appreciate the individuality and unique qualities of the jewelry. Many of the better pieces can sell for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. “There was a phase of copper jewelry, or that made of bakelite,” she said. “You can’t put a price tag on design.” A chance listing of herself as a dealer brought requests from editors who were compiling books on costume jewelry collections. Seventy-two of her pieces were so noteworthy that they are included in thirteen books, including “Costume Jewelry” (DK Publishing, 2000). Along the way, Barba also discovered a knack for repair and re-design by putting together pieces from various objects to create something different. Her latest (pictured here) include two pendants that became earrings, a metal necklace with a glued-on ornament that had been a pin; and a ring ornamented with a fake rock crystal. Barba has always consigned and in the last ten years has donated thousands of dollars to local charities. Now, she’d like to sell much of her collection. If interested, give her a call at 518.885.7397. SS 74 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | MARCH/APRIL 2018
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