Editor’s Note
This article provides a basic overview of costume jewelry, detailing its common materials and broad appeal. For a more complete analysis, including market trends and the economic factors driving its popularity, please refer to the full version.
Costume jewelry, a type of jewelry, is made from inexpensive materials as compared to valuable materials like diamonds, gold, platinum, and others like gems and pearls. Costume jewelry is also known as fake jewelry. It is made with raw materials such as pearls, metals, glass, synthetic stones, ivory, plastic, and semi-precious stones, among others. Other raw materials used in the manufacture of costume jewelry are brackets, pins, and manufactured metals. Pearls and semi-precious metals such as brass, silver, and aluminum are also used in making costume jewelry. Costume jewelry is particularly popular with women, corporate employees, and teenagers. Currently, the urban population is made up of young people and workers, including many working women. Due to the change in the economic situation, the lifestyle of the people has changed completely. They are influenced by social media, TV shows, fashion bloggers, and others, which is why wearing clothes with accessories is becoming one of the emerging trends in the market.
The global costume jewelry market was valued at USD 38.85 billion in 2024. The global market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2025 to 2033 and be worth USD 79.62 billion by 2033 from USD 42.07 billion in 2025.
The growing population with high disposable income and the excessive increase in spending on fashion accessories are some of the factors driving the growth of the costume jewelry market. The availability of costume jewelry in too many models and in different materials to suit individual pockets also explains its high demand. The large-scale manufacture of high-quality costume jewelry is a global business from raw material sourcing, design, manufacturing, distribution, sales and operations in the costume jewelry market span across geographies. The raw material for costume jewelry is mainly sourced from Africa, Australia, and Canada, is made in China and India and is sold on a large scale in North America and Europe. The penetration of cable television among the masses of emerging economies has greatly influenced the clothing and style of the people, and this has indirectly boosted jewelry sales. People of all classes, even those with low financial backgrounds, tend to spend considerable sums on affordable costume jewelry to mimic characters from popular soap operas.
The fluctuation of the price of gold and the increase in the price of gold, diamonds, and other precious materials are propelling the global costume jewelry market. The increasing adoption of Western culture and the surge in the disposable income of consumers are likely to drive the global costume jewelry business over the envisioned period. In addition, the availability of trendy colored stone jewelry and various types of inexpensive costume jewelry is supposed to drive the demand for business worldwide in the coming years. Costume jewelry requires low maintenance costs and can be transported safely, which is not the case with real jewelry. Furthermore, lifestyle changes and people’s inclination towards artistic appearance are expected to drive the growth of the global costume jewelry market. Nonetheless, costume jewelry, due to its low manufacturing cost, is likely to create significant opportunities for market players in the coming years.
The major restraining factor for the costume jewelry market is its durability. The costume jewelry is made up of non-precious or semi-precious metals, which have very little durability. This jewelry could not withstand wear and tear when compared with jewelry made with precious metals and also has less life. Stringent rules and regulations by government authorities keep us updated on the launch of new costume jewelry, as there are risks associated with the metals used to make the ornaments. The US government has imposed strict regulations over the use of cadmium in jewelry making that can cause kidney, lung, and bone damage. Growing awareness among people about the selection of prominent costume jewelry that is effective and manufactured with safe metals is ascribed to hindering the growth rate of the market. In addition, stringent rules and regulations over the exports and imports of costume goods worldwide are additionally to impede the market share. Many authorities have imposed strict rules to promote only safer metal usage in the making of jewelry. For instance, the EU is focusing on completely restricting the use of nickel for people’s safety as it is intended to cause various side effects when it comes into contact with the skin. Therefore, stringent rules over the exports and imports of any kind of costume jewelry have been hampering the market’s value for the past few years.
