It goes hand and hand with the current fashions of the day.
The executives and designers traveled to Europe to see the latest fine jewelry styles just like designers today “shop Europe.” They ate in the best restaurants to see the jewelry the socialites were wearing to lunch. The highest quality stones were used, the plating was as thick as possible, and this is why so much of it has held up so beautifully decades later even though that was never the intention. Smaller high end firms such as Boucher, DuJay, Pennino, Mazer and DeRosa were located in New York City. The big costume jewelers had state of the art factories in Providence, R.I. These companies made the best of the best in our collectible jewelry world. And frankly, the companies didn’t want to advertise their best designers to their competitors for fear of having them stolen away. No names other than the company were plastered on the jewelry. There were no “superstar” designers as there are today. Many of their names are lost to posterity, but they came from the fine jewelry world such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston and other jewelry houses. Ladies would remark, “Oh, is that the latest Trifari brooch you’re wearing that I saw advertised in Harper’s Bazaar?” The high-end companies invested in the designers they hired along with many freelancers. In the golden age of costume jewelry, a brand name stood for something just as it still does today. Photo and Jewelry Courtesy of The Robin Deutsch Collection. To see an exquisite example of Chanel Gripoix jewelry see Angie Gordon’s Twentieth Century Costume Jewelry, p. These are molded glass versions of Chanel’s Gripoix jewelry but they are NOT poured glass as they are commonly referenced. She wore is as an extension of her wardrobe.īut if the materials used are all the same, what is the difference between a high end or low-end piece? And why this need to copy these well known, expensive and famous designs?īrands Meant Something, and So Did Design and Quality Many wealthy women wore costume jewelry, and not because she couldn’t afford the real thing. It is made out of base metal (or sterling silver) with glass or other artificial stones (and occasionally semi-precious stones). No gold, platinum, diamonds or other precious gemstones are used.
#Clipmate duette pin marked trifari 1936 alfred philippe movie#
When a woman looked at the photo of a socialite in Vogue (the “supermodels” of their day) or up on the silver screen to the movie stars they idolized to see their exquisite clothes and jewels they wore (many times the jewelry was made of precious metals and gemstones and belonged to the stars themselves, but then there was Joseff of Hollywood who created some of the most wonderful jewelry for films, and in turn, designed lines that were sold in department stores) they wanted to own those pieces and fulfill their fantasies.Ĭostume jewelry is made of non-precious materials. Lucille Ball wearing a large Joseff of Hollywood brooch.
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