A lot of the costume jewelry that was popular at the time featured larger imitation gems or cheap crystals (real jewelry also tended to feature larger gems at the time as well). Most of today’s jewelry (costume or real) features smaller gems or imitation gems. In the old costume jewelry, it also wasn’t uncommon for the flat backside of a false gem to be silvered (like a mirror). I expect the type of set lighting used back then may also be a factor. Costume jewelry of the era also often featured gilt paint over a cheap metal or composite material and silver gilt is shiny AF.
Source: inherited a large collection of 40s-50s costume jewelry and quite a few real pieces from that era as well.
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