Carole Tanenbaum offers a unique but underutilized service to the film and advertising world. She is the proprietor of Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, offering period costume jewelry to add a bit of authentic spice to her clients’ work.

She began collecting jewelry 20 years ago, amassing vintage pieces for her own wardrobe. When she hit the 1,000-item mark, she decided it was time to share with those in need.

"I started collecting because I thought the pieces had great integrity," says Tanenbaum. "I developed a very large collection and I didn’t think it was fair for me to have it all in drawers and not use it."

Tanenbaum has jewelry dating from the Victorian era up to the 1960s. She has the pieces both color- and concept-coded so renters know exactly where to look for the compact, bracelet, necklace or essentially whatever they need.

"It’s very easy for them. They come in looking for something for a blue dress and they either go to a drawer that has a color that is complementary to it, or if they have a concept of tinge, they go to the tinge drawer," she explains. "It is very easily accessible for these people who usually only have about three minutes to look for it."

Pieces in Tanenbaum’s collection range in value from $150 to $5,000. She recently rented out some items to a very retro-looking Kitchen Aid spot, and says her "classier" pieces do well in the more arty and surreal fragrance print ads and TV spots.

"I oftentimes give bracelets for cosmetics ads because they often use the hands," she says. "Earrings as well, because they often use a side profile."

Although Tanenbaum’s collection is used primarily for print ads, she is hoping the jewelry will pop up more during TV commercial breaks.

"Commercials are an area that I’ve always wanted to develop, but I think the commercial people are the people who know me the least in the industry," says Tanenbaum. "Of course I want to pursue it. I do love to see the pieces used that way because they really are adornments."

Of her favorites in the collection: "I still love the ’30s Chanel pieces, the poured glass necklaces. They’re timeless. Today you could put on pieces like that and they look like they were meant to be for the outfits today."

Since her collection first started to take shape, Tanenbaum has been monitoring the prices of vintage costume jewelry. And what she’s seeing is the period pieces are becoming very competitive, price-wise, with fine jewelry.

"The business is really growing now," says Tanenbaum. "There is a very high consciousness for vintage custom jewelry. The auction houses are starting to have major auctions so often that people today are choosing vintage over fine jewelry."

Some vintage pieces now go for upwards of $20,000, despite the fact they are "obviously faux gems," she says. They are "bought for the design and the outrageous gems that were used and not the fact that they look real."

Tanenbaum believes glamour is not something you can find in a mall jewelry store, making her collection something to behold for people with a keen eye for detail.

"Anybody can wear diamonds, but to get the great designs in costume, that is culture," says Tanenbaum. "It’s kind of a piece of the past and I think that is what people are getting." *