Designer Costume jewel

Designer Costume jewelry

Designer Costume jewelry

Har was one of the manufacturers at the forefront of costume jewellery design in the 1950s. Vet the company's background is wreathed in mystery—as intangible as the fabulous, green-hued designs for which the firm is known

The accepted belief was that Har was a Californian company, in production for a short period from 1955. However, jewelry historian Roberto Brunialti recently found information in the copyright files of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, revealing that Har was owned by Hargo Creations of New York City. In fact, the company was founded in 1955 by a husband-and-wife team, Joseph Heibronner and Edith Levitt. 

Jewelry historian Susan Klein researched the pair, discovering that 1 leibronner was born in 1893 in Munich, Germany. 1 le became a US citizen in 1948 and married Levitt in 1952. It is known that I leibronner died in 1968, and no further records of the company were found after 1967.

 Research has also shown that some of the most desirable Har pieces, such as the "Dragon" designs and the "Genie" set, can be dated to April 1959, according to U.S. copyright records.

Designer Costume jewelry

At some point after 1955, the Har company was renamed "Art," presumably when it changed hands. Consequently, there are many designs by Har that have been found signed "Art," where existing designs were revisited by the new owners.

With its unusual and distinctive metalwork, the company's pieces, stamped "Har," often take fantastical and exotic forms—dragons, snakes, genies, and oriental and African figures, sometimes with a matte antique finish. As with much 1950s costume jewelry design, great use was made of the "aurora borealis" crystal produced by Swarovski. Its rainbow gleam gave a mystical air to 1 lar's fabulous creations. The company also excelled at enameling, especially on figural pieces such as its "Monkey" pin.

Designer Costume jewelry

Har jewelry is highly collectible. The small production runs and extraordinary, exotic designs, combined with the company's mysterious provenance, mean that Har pieces can fetch staggering prices today. 

Designer Costume jewelry

Desirable pieces and parures, such as the "Dragon" design, with its gold-toned, green-enameled, sinuous form, set with iridescent stones to fantastical effect, are much sought after andcollectors will pay many thousands of dollars for them. Other pieces of 1 lar jewelry, in good condition, also command high sums, including "Cobra" pieces; Oriental figures with faux ivory faces; and "Arabian Nights Genie" pieces.

Designer Costume jewelry

Designer Costume jewelry

Novelty pieces such as fruits, vegetables, leaves, flowers, and whimsical figures are gaining in popularity and are increasingly sought after by collectors. More traditional, classical jewelry designs w ith rhinestones and pearls, faux turquoise, and coral, are also desirable. Distinctive pieces also feature large, iridescent, irregularly shaped stones.

The metal Har used to make the bodies of its pieces is soft and can crack, so collectors should check items for damage and repairs. Similarly, the enameling can wear, affecting value.

Art Jewelry

Art Jewelry

Art Jewelry

Fahrncr is one of the most desirable names in European eostume jewelry. The German company is known for its stunning Art Deco work, but it produced pieces in many other design styles.

Art Jewelry

Founded in 1855 in Pforzheim, southwest Germany, by Georg Seeger and Theodor Fahrner, the company originally made rings that reflected the contemporary interest in historicism. When Fahrner died in 1883, his son, also called Theodor, took over the company, expanding its output to cover all jewelry types and, more significantly, artistic styles.

Art Jewelry

Born in 1859, young Theodor Fahrner was a talented draftsman and designer who specialized in steel engraving at Pforzheim Art Academy.


 Innovative as well as highly creative, this pioneering industrialist joined the aesthetic reform movement known as Jugendstil, the German equivalent of Art Nouveau, and commissioned artists to create "modern" jewelry as the stock he had inherited from his father diminished.


 His intention was to raise the artistic quality of industrially or part-industrially made pieces to the level of art jewelry. Fahrner gave his designers great artistic freedom, as is revealed by the huge range of styles and techniques seen in the company's output.

Art Jewelry

 His ground-breaking use of the best artists to design mass-produced pieces w as welcomed within the famed artists' community of Darmstadt, which provided many of the company's enthusiastic designers.

In 1900, the company won a silver medal at the Paris World's Fair for its Kiinstlerschmurk (artists' jewelry). This international recognition helped establish the company as the main manufacturer of Jugendstil

artifacts in Germany.

Art Jewelry

 The "TF" trademark was introduced in 1901, and Fahrner began to export to England through Murrle, Bennet is: Co., an Anglo-German agency with offices in both countries.

Fahrner's work for Murrle, Bennet & Co. was often abstract, geometric, or organic, featuring elements such as stylized plants or birds. Pieces were marked with both companies' stamps.

Art Jewelry

In the early years of the 20th century, Fahrncr w as a leading figure in jewelry design, enabling, as he saw it, the "democratization of luxury."



 A selection of highly influential designers worked for the firm, including Georg Kleeman, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Franz Bocrcs, Rudolf Bosselt, Max Joseph Gradl, Hermann Haussler, Patriz Hubcr, Ferdinand Moraw e, and others. Identifying the work of each specific designer can be problematic, however, because of the wide range of objects made and the broad selection of materials with which they worked. In addition, all archived information was lost when the Fahrner factory w as bombed in 1945.



Art Jewelry

When Theodor Fahrner died in 1919, the company was sold to Gustav Braendle and renamed Gustav Bracndle-Theodor Fahrner Nachfolger (German for "successors"), using the "Fahrner Schmuck" trademark.

In 1922, Braendle's new collections featured enamel and marcasite jew elry, combined with semi-precious stones. The enameling, done in-house and often with a matte finish, gave a distinctive edge to the work. The company's fabulous Art Deco pieces brought it much acclaim.

Art Jewelry

The powerful geometric designs encapsulated the essence of the Jazz Age and the Art Deco movement, exemplified by the geometric creations of designers such as Viennese painter Anton Kling. These pieces often employed more expensive materials, typically marcasite, semi-precious stones, coral, and pearls, which lead to the high prices Fahrncr "art jewelry" commands today. Black enamel and green agate, combined with coral and onyx, became signature colors for Fahrncr and for the Art Deco period.

Braendle developed and launched Fahrner's filigree jewelry range in 1932, which became a hallmark of the company.

Art Jewelry

Unfortunately, German politics had an impact on the company's design freedom. More sumptuous pieces were exported to England and the United States, while the home market w as encouraged to seek plainer styles. In 1933, the sample design catalogues featured sketches for swastika designs. Wartime production was reduced and labor was transferred to technical products.

Art Jewelry

The company never regained its pre-war standing. Gustav Braendle died in 1952 and his son Hubert took over, leading the company through the 1950s, when it produced an enormous variety of designs and objects. The 1960s saw the introduction of modern silver pieces with semi-precious stones, as well as the "Antique Art" collection, featuring gold or silver pieces inspired by Egyptian and Roman designs. However, production ceased in 1979.


Art Jewelry

Fahrner's pieces arc well marked, either "TF" or "TF Germany" or "TF ORIGINAL." There are unmarked pieces on the market; however, the lack of mark will reduce the value of a piece by as much as 75 per cent. Pieces made for Murrle, Bennet & Co have both "TF" and "MBC" marks. Part2  theodor

50s Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

The late 1950s and the l960s saw ornate and voluptuous beaded jewelry become the height of fashion. The company at the forefront of this trend was Coppola e Toppo.

Jewelry designer Lyda Toppo established her costume jewelry company in Milan, Italy, in 1946.

50s   Jewelry

 She worked with her brother, Bruno Coppola. The duo's early pieces, often multi-stranded strings of beads, were characterized by locally sourced beads of Murano glass and Austrian crystal, and by the exquisite use of graduated colored beads, which became a signature of the company. They also favored faceted glass rhinestones, plastic beads, faux pearls, and imitation seed pearls. These were set into gold-plated metal or tightly strung on brass wire. Coppola e Toppo's designs made the clasp integral to the overall look of the piece.



 Highly ornamental and often heart- shaped, clasps were worn asymmetrically or displayed in low-backed dresses. Famously, their designs adorned the whole neck, not just the front. The company's style was classical and tailored, creating a distinctive look that encapsulated the glamour of la dolcevita. Early pieces dating from the late 1940s and early 1950s were marked "Mikey," after their pet dog.

50s   Jewelry

The company soon came to the attention of major fashion houses Balenciaga and Christian Dior, who commissioned pieces for fashion shows and retail—relationships which lasted through the 1950s. Elsa Schiaparelli also commissioned Coppola e Toppo to create a line called "Bijoux Voyages" using faux coral beads, which was hugely successful and catapulted the firm to center stage in the late 1950s. Coincidentally, the company's prominence was also fuelled by its hometown taking over from Paris as the world's fashion capital.




50s   Jewelry

In the 1960s, beads enjoyed a resurgence in Western fashion unseen since Edwardian times. Design influences were drawn from India, Africa, and South America. Beads were "in" during the Swinging Sixties, diamante and faux pearls were out. Notably, Coppola e Toppo's work for Emilio Pucci, the "Prince of Prints,"

50s   Jewelry

often utilized in-vogue plastic beads. In 1962, the company also began making belts with crystal beads for Pucci's silk dresses. Extravagant and beautiful, Coppola e Toppo's 1960s beaded crystal bib necklaces are extremely valuable today. The quality of the work means that many pieces have survived.

Italian couturier Valentino, the "King of Fashion" who boasted such clients as Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor, provided many lucrative commissions during the 1960s. This work enabled Coppola e Toppo to create more pieces under their own mark—"Made in Italy by Coppola e Toppo"—in the 1960s and 70s.



50s   Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

Key features to look out for in Coppola e Toppo's work include necklaces and bracelets with elaborate, multi-stranded designs featuring the exquisite use of beads, often Swarovski crystal, Murano glass, or plastic, and with the company's signature bead-encrusted heart-shaped clasp.

Look for the mark "Made in Italy by Coppola e Toppo" from the 1950s onward. Earrings were usually marked with a cut-out star on the clip. Coppola c Toppo pieces are highly sought after and very expensive: Doyle in New York sold a collar and two-bracelet demi- parure for $11,400 (£7,200) in 2006.

In 1972, the company was bought out by a larger Italian firm, and production continued until 1986.

Schreiner

Schreiner

Schreiner

Henry Schreiner began his working life as a blacksmith in Bavaria, Germany. After immigrating to the United States in 1923, he used his metalwork skills to find employment in the thriving shoe buckle industry.

In 1939, Schreiner started making costume jewellery

Schreiner

on a small scale, using high-quality colored crystal stones of unusual cuts.




 He established his own company in the early 1940s.


His talent was spotted by Christian Dior, who gave him several commissions in the ite 1940s and early 1950s. His work drew the attention of the fashion world and he went on to design pieces for American fashion designers Pauline Trigere and Normal Norell., making belts, buckles, and buttons in addition to his costume jewellery.

Schreiner became known for highly creative and elaborate designs, beloved of stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis.


 Despite his growing reputation, Schreiner took the decision to keep the company small. Consequently, his exclusive designs were beautifully set and finished by hand..

Schreiner

 His work typically used paste, rhinestones, and top-quality diamante and crystal in unconventional colour combinations, to stunning effect .



'He commissioned the unusually shaped and colored crystals he preferred from manufacturers in Czechoslovakia and Germany.

Many designs were abstract, featuring unique paste stones in extraordinary settings. A characteristic of Schreiner's work w as the inverted-set stone, where the pointed back of the stone was presented uppermost in the setting, with the fiat front set face down.

Schreiner

The idea was to pick up the color of the garment being worn and to add sparkle. He also played w ith different cuts and subtle but unusual colour  combinations, favouring smoky greys, light browns, pale yellows, and soft greens.



 Stones were often unfoiled so that the wearer's clothes showed through, making pieces more versatile, with each creating a unique effect depending on the outfit being worn. Pewter-colored settings are typically Schreiner, and lie used the less common hook-and-eye construction on necklaces.

Schreiner also made some figural pins. His "ruffle" flower pins present long, tapering, keystone-shaped stones at differing depths that lend each piece a three-dimensional, fluttering quality.


Other figural subjects include a range of flowers such as daisies, geraniums, and sunflowers, as well as acorns, turtles, dragonflics, peas in a pod, pineapples, and carrots.

Schreiner's daughter Terry and her husband Ambrose Albert joined the firm in the early 1950s.

Schreiner

 Although Schreiner died in 1954, the company continued production until the mid-1970s, w hen the dramatic radicalization of fashion led to the decline of many established costume jewelers.

Pieces are marked "Schreiner New York," "Schreiner," or "Schreiner Jewelry" on an oval plate.

Relatively few examples of Schreiner's work arc on the market today, because of his exclusivity at the time, so pieces can fetch high prices.


 The beauty of his work is timeless, the quality of the stones superb, and the styles still appeal to collectors. Huge bib necklaces and parures fetch a premium.

1920S JEWELRY

1920S JEWELRY

1920S JEWELRY












A New York City firm founded in 1927 by the Russian emigre brothers Joseph and Louis Mazer, the company produced mid-range jewelry simulating precious pieces. It quickly gained a reputation for quality and affordability. In the early 1930s, Marcel Boucher began designing for Mazer Brothers, bringing his skills in fine jewelry design to the company and to the field of costume jewelry in general.




1920S JEWELRY
 Early work from Mazer consisted of classic floral or ribbon-and-bow motifs, featuring "Sea-Maze" faux pearls or rhinestones, often in highly worked settings.

1920S JEWELRY

Mazer's production from the 1930s and 1940s was made with the same care, precision, and quality for which the company had become known.



 Sterling silver or vermeil silver was predominant and pieces included lavish cocktail necklace parures and large, square-cut pastes.



The 1930s surreal "Eye" bracelet and earrings set is avidly collected today. An opaque blue cabochon was used for the iris and baguette- cut rhinestones make up the eyelashes. The company also produced "Duette" pins and crown jewel pins, emulating those popularized by Trifari and Coro.

1920S JEWELRY

In 1946, Joseph Mazer went on to establish his own company, Joseph J. Mazer & Co. The name was soon shortened to Jomaz, although it was never registered as such w ith the U.S. Patent Office.

Production from the 1950s included pieces imitative of fine jewelry, including; opulent paste jewels in lavish bib-necklace designs with pendanit earrings.

 Andre Flcuridas produced many of the pieces from the earl'y 1950s, and Adolfo designed some pieces for the company in the 1970s.

1920S JEWELRY

 Designs were innovative and unusual, many reflecting the influence of Marcel Boucher, especially where metals are combined to create a two-tone effect, with irregular outlines and texture. The company maintained a reputation for fine quality and was recognized for its exquisite stone cutting and setting.

1920S JEWELRY

Silver and rhodium-plated bases were used in Jomaz's early work, but gold-plating and gold-metal alloys became a design feature in the 1960s, often with innovative textured finishes and used as a setting for fine Swarovski crystals, pave-sct rhinestones, and brightly colored pastes. Production in the 1970s reflected the market's love of large and exuberantly colored costume jewelry.

Jomaz was run by Joseph Mazer's son in the 1960s, and by his widow for a short time after his death. Louis Mazer left Mazer Brothers in 1951 and the company ended production in 1977. The Jomaz company closed in 1981.

1920S JEWELRY

1920S JEWELRY

Mazer Brothers' large vermeil cuffs and vermeil chunky link bracelets arc sought after, especially if they feature large pastes in aquamarine or amethyst. The heavy 1940s clips and pins still attract good prices for top-end pieces.

Early work is marked "Mazer Bros." Later work from Jomaz has the mark "Mazer," "Joseph Mazer," or "Jomaz."