When you are looking to buy vintage costume jewellery you will notice the term 'jelly belly' used to describe anything from coloured cabouchons to moonstones, hopefully by the end of this you will be a bit wiser.

A jelly belly is a clear lucite (thermoplastic acrylic resin) shape often set in sterling silver or metal. The first 'jelly bellys' were produced from 1938-39, but the maximum production was from 1943-45. Sterling was rationed and very expensive,so adding a piece of lucite to the design made producing large eyecatching designs a reality. Many costume jewellery manufacturers used the jelly bellys, but most famous are the Trifari and Corocraft sterling designs, which incorporated fantastic design with breathtaking quality of materials and craftsmanship.