Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

The bright, bold, often extravagant designs of Kenneth Jay Lane embody his love of glamor and the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930, and started working in the fashion world in the mid-1950s, first in the art department at Vogue, then designing shoes for Christian Dior and shoes and jewelry for Arnold Scaasi, before establishing his own business in 1963.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Lane's design career blossomed under the patronage of Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar who became editor in chief of Vogue magazine in 1963.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 His high-impact designs spoke to Vreeland and she featured them in Vogue, where they had similar appeal to the fashionable women of the time. Lane's bold and brilliant work attracted an elite clientele, including Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, and Jackie Kennedy.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Wealth was not necessarily an issue, however, as Lane's prices have always been accessible to most.

Taking inspiration from the Renaissance and Egypt as well as Roman, Oriental, Asian, and Medieval styles, Lane favored the bright, the bold, and the colorful.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 His work played on many of the trends of the time, especially the interest in Asian and Oriental mysticism and religion. Preferred figural motifs include gods and goddesses, snakes, dancers, and religious figures such as the Buddhiu.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Pieces were innovatively designed and well made using good quality materials. Gilt base-metal pieces with intricate ethnic designs were encrusted with faux cabochons emulating semi-precious stones. Maharajah-style earrings, pins, and pendants were huge and pendulous and all his designs spoke of Lane's interest in Asian imagery.






 However, Lane did not draw solely on ethnic sources for his designs: the "Big Cats" pins from the 1960s were inspired by the "Panther" pieces Carder's Jeanne Toussaint had designed for the Duchess of Windsor a decade earlier.

Hollywood Jewelry

Hollywood   Jewelry



Eugene Joseff's bold designs were made for Hollywood, and Hollywood made him. He designed "the jewelry of the stars," taking inspiration from historical precedents and reinterpreting them, larger than life, to be clearly seen on the silver screen.

Hollywood   Jewelry

Born in Chicago in 1905, Eugene Joseff worked as a graphic artist in an advertising agency in the early 1920s, designing jewelry in his spare time. By 1927, he was training as a jewelry designer while working in Los Angeles to escape the Great Depression that was gripping the rest of the country.

It was during a discussion w ith Walter Plunkett, an established costume designer, that Joseff was challenged to start designing for the movie studios. When Joseff criticized 




The Affairs of Cellini, in which Constance Bennett's costume was accurately styled to the 16th century but her jewelry was 20th-century, Plunkett told him: "Well, if you're so smart, let's see what you can do."

Hollywood   Jewelry

Joseff's career took off in 1931 with the production of one-off, historically accurate pieces for Hollywood studios, made in his own workshops.




 Astutely, he rented these pieces to the studios, allowing for potential re-hire and amassing an archive of over three million pieces, which is still owned by the Joseff family today. In 1935, he opened a

store, Sunset Jewelry, in Hollywood and founded a new company, Joseff of Hollywood. Joseff supplied historically accurate pieces for films including .4 Star is Bom in 1936; Mane Antoinette in 1938;





The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind in 1939; and Casablanca in 1942.

Hollywood   Jewelry

Inspired by Hollywood goddesses such as Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe wearing the studio jewels off-screen, in 1937 Joseff began to produce replicas of the cinema originals for retail. Moviegoers could buy a little piece of film-star glamor, and Hollywood held such influence over the public that the replicas were a huge success. Sold through the finest stores in the United States at the time, these pieces are highly sought after by collectors today.

Hollywood   Jewelry

Through the 1940s, Joseff was the major costume jeweler  Hollywood Jewelry  producing most of the pieces seen in historical films. In the February 1948 issue of Movie Show magazine, he gave his advice on styling and accessorizing: "Remember, gold can be worn with more things than silver and topaz is a good stone that looks smart with almost every type of costume." Joseff died in a plane crash in September that same year. The company continued under the aegis of his widow, Joan Castle Joseff (died 2010) and is still family run today.

Hollywood   Jewelry

SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC

Tn the 1930s and 40s, perhaps as a result of the uncertainties Acaused by the Great Depression, Americans became fascinated by astrology and the "secrets" it could reveal. Inspired by this, Joseff of Hollywood created a series of Signs of the Zodiac pins and earrings which have proved to be perennially popular. Of the twelves designs, the Leo examples have become the most valuable with collectors today because they are considered to be "cuter" than the others. The pin, which features a friendly lion, can fetch $450 (£300) —more than twice the value of those for other symbols.

Hollywood   Jewelry

The key feature of Joseffs work is the semi-matte Russian gold- plating, a finish he developed specifically to overcome the problem of viewing highly reflective jewelry under strong studio lighting. This finish acquires a dark patina over time.

Joseff s work embraces a huge range of styles. He was inspired by history and drew on the spectrum of influences that had gone before, from Art Deco to Oriental styles, and he studied fine art to select motifs, such as the seashcll inspired by Botticelli's Birt/i of Venus.

Hollywood   Jewelry

The company's designs worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film Cleopatra were based on pieces found at Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt.

'typically, Joseff produced demi parures of a necklace or pin with earrings. His designs were unusual in costume jewelry at the time— plain metal pieces or pieces featuring neutrally colored pastes or faux pearls, used sparingly. Black, ivory, or Bakelite examples of his work also exist. However, like other designers of costume jewelry of the time, he maintained a deliberately "faux" impact.

Hollywood   Jewelry

 Forms were taken from nature: flowers, animals, and shells were favorite themes. A recurring form for necklaces was a decorative chain from which several large, repeating pendants were suspended, usually presented with matching earrings. Movement often featured in the form of stones on jump rings, or in undulating forms within the design.

Key pieces include the "Sun God" and "Moon God" pins, and the Elephant-head necklace and earrings parure, which is probably the most valuable of his designs.

Hollywood   Jewelry

According to family sources, Joseffs earliest pieces are marked  "Joseff Hollywood" in block capitals. From 1950 onward, the mark gradually became "Joseff in script, on an oval plate soldered to the back of the piece, but the overlap between marks was long, so this is not an accurate way of dating pieces. Joseff of Hollywood Jewelry  work has been faked, and fakes may be identified by their more highly polished gold-plating. Stills of film stars wearing the original piece may contribute to the buyer's interest.

In the last decade or so, new pieces have been assembled from original Joseff components. As they use the limited stock of original material, they are not reproductions and arc self-limiting, but prices have dropped slightly because of these pieces.

Copper Jewelry

Copper Jewelry

copper jewelry

Renoir, and later Matisse, specialized in hand-worked, solid copper jewelry, made in the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century and early 20th century, but in more modern geometric or abstract forms and patterns.

The company—Renoir of Hollywood—was founded in 1946 by Jerry Fels (born 1917), who had trained at the Art Students' League and at the National Academy of Design in New York, along with Curt Freiler and Nat Zausner.

copper jewelry

The company's name was changed in about 1948 to Renoir of California. Some time later, Renoir turned to mass production, but the high-quality copper finish, for which the company had become known, was never compromised.



 The most popular Renoir necklace is probably the graduated fringe design. A cuff bracelet, available in various designs using swirls, loops, and geometric shapes, is also extremely collectable. Designs are typically linear and geometric, some inspired by primitive art. Some pieces may be complemented with black enamel.

Matisse Ltd was established as a subsidiary company in 1952. The pieces produced under this name were also made from copper, but decoratcd with colourful enamels.

copper jewelry

Many pieces, particularly the pins, were created in more naturalistic forms, such as leaves and artists' palettes. Of these, the red, green, or white maple leaf pin isLike the Cartier panther, Lane often created replicas of classic designs by the great jewelers such as Bulgari and Cartier.



 His creations are pieces of unbelievable opulence and magnificence, re­created in non-precious materials, yet they remain stunningly beautiful.



These pieces were instrumental in persuading the jet set that costume jewelry was en vogue. Through the 1980s, when Lane started designing for Avon, and the 1990s, when he re-issued his "Jewels of India" line for sale via television shopping channel QVC, he continued to have a huge impact on the costume jewelry market.

copper jewelry

His "Big Cats" pins are highly collectible today. Similarly sought after are other figural pieces, such as the ram's head, the walrus, the mermaid, and the chameleon. 











Enameled figural work is also especially desirable. Lane's classic pieces, which include chandelier earrings and opulent paste necklaces such as the one shown above, are also av idly collected.

Lane's designs dating from before the 1970s are marked "K.J.L." and arc highly collectible.

copper jewelry

 After the late 1970s, they are signed "Kenneth Jay Lane" one of the most famous and collectible. Other designs incorporated atomic or space themes, such as the Polaris pin.






 Renoir's pieces had largely been inexpensive (selling generally below the $10 |£5] mark), but Matisse jewellery was more costly, because of the enameling process. Many pieces are signed (some with both company names), and these are likely to be more desirable than unsigned pieces.

copper jewelry

Gradually, the pieces produced by both companies became more abstract and streamlined, until production of both ceased in 1964.

The early  fashion for simple, A-line dresses, worn with elaborate jewelry, may have contributed to the decline in popularity for the firm's designs.

However, some of the Matisse ideals were continued in Curtis Jere, a company founded in the late 1950s by Pels and Frelier (the name being a contraction of their first names).



 At their California studio, Artisan House, they designed and hand-made wall sculptures and household accessories, many of which were in copper.



 Continuing the high standard of their art  Copper Jewelry  Curtis Jere aimed to produce "gallery quality art for the masses." In 1972 they sold the company, which continues to produce sculptures.

Pieces were typically signed "Renoir" or "Matisse Renoir" and a copyright symbol was added after 1955.

Jewelry Manufacturers

Jewelry Manufacturers

Jewelry Manufacturers

DeLizza & Elster produced pieces for many of the big names of 20th-centurv costume jewelry, but it is becoming increasingly well-known for the "Juliana" range it created for just two years.

The company was founded by Harold Elster and Guillermo (William) deLizza in New York City in 1947. 

A year later Guillermo's sons Frank and Anthony joined the company, working in the sales and production departments respectively.

Jewelry Manufacturers

The company became renowned for its use of high-quality art glass stones, three-dimensional designs and quality settings. Its pieces were unmarked and can be difficult to identify unless they have their original hangtags, which are typically marked "Juliana," or "Tara" or "Gloria," which were DeLizza & Elster's two other main jewelry lines. 

However, a number of online identification sites have been set up by enthusiastic collectors, and these offer tips on how to spot DeLizza & Elster pieces. Frank DeLizza contributes to these sites and is said to verify up to 100 pieces a week.

Jewelry Manufacturers

The company, which had a showroom on Fifth Avenue in New- York City, made thousands of different designs. It also produced pieces for a number of companies including Alice Caviness, Coro (cl950), Kramer, Weiss, Hattie Carnegie, Joan Rivers, and Kenneth Jay Lane.

Jewelry Manufacturers

Guillermo was the main designer; later Frank's daughter Judy worked as designer too.

In the early years the company produced buckles, buttons, and jewelry hand-set with rhincstones and simulated pearls. After 1953 styles became increasingly complex and colorful and typically used different shapes and types of high-quality art glass stones in each piece.

Jewelry Manufacturers

The Juliana line—which was only produced in 1967 and 1968— was named after Frank and Anthony's mother Julia, and Anthony's mother-in-law Anna. Its creators were shrouded in secrecy until 2003 when Vintage Fashion and Costume Jewelry magazine revealed their true names.

Jewelry Manufacturers

DeLizza & Elster jewelry features gold-tone, silver-tone, or japanned backings with prong-set or glue-set stones. Typically open- backed—though foiled and closed-backed examples are also known—these stones include a mixture of rhinestones, aurora borcalis, and distinctive center stones made from art glass. Elongated navette-cut rhinestones arc typical.

The company ceased production in 1990 but Frank DeLizza is currently releasing new versions of original designs through a firm in Brooklyn, New York City.

Lea Stein

 Lea Stein

 Lea Stein

When the 1960s floated in on a cloud of flower-powered anti- establishment optimism, along with its vision for a new world that included futuristic materials in psychedelic colours, Lea Stein was poised and ready.

Stein was born in Paris in 1931 and trained as an artist. In 1957, she established her own textile design company and, from 1965, began to design and make buttons for the fashion industry. In 1967, she moved to a new process of button-making, which used laminated rhodoid.

The process was developed by Stein's chemist husband, Fernand Steinberger, using a material—similar to Bakelite—which consisted of layers of colored cellulose acetate bake-bonded together. Stein adapted this process to the manufacture of costume jewelry in 1969, adding fabric, lace, metallic inclusions, or even straw between the layers to vary the color and texture of each piece. The composition was pressed, baked, stenciled, cut, and shaped, producing high- impact, polychrome "plastic" jewelry. As a result of the manufacturing process, each piece is unique.

The material was used to make pins, rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and even jewelry boxes. Although Lea Stein experimented with Art Deco-style geometric designs to great effect, figural pins dominated production. Favorite motifs included animals, birds, insects, children, cars, stars, hearts, rainbows, and eyes.

 Lea Stein

 The process even allowed for rare portrait pins, and pins of Joan Crawford and Elvis Presley were made. Possibly the most famous and highly sought-after is the "Scarlett O'Hara" ballerina pin, its voluptuous red skirt reminiscent of Vivien Leigh's sumptuous costumes in Gone with the wind

However, Stein's signature piece is the "Fox" pin. Due to a clever use of perspective, the fox, with its sweeping tail, appears to be jumping. Further detail is added using fabric or metallic inclusions in the laminate, the variation in texture and color enhancing the three- dimensional quality of each piece. A huge range of finishes is available, including glitter and snakeskin.

 Lea Stein

For collectors, the prize object is a pin from the "L'Tle aux Fnfants" range. Based on characters from a French children's television series, the Casimir, Calimero, and Tiffins designs are charming and, since they were only produced in 1975, very rare. Early vintage pieces, such as the "Tennis Lady," Rolls-Royce, "French Sailor," and saxophone are also avidly collected.

In 1981, the company, which in its heyday had employed 50 people, closed down, and the remaining stock was sold to a dealer. When these pieces reached the United States, Lea Stein's work started to achieve recognition for the first time outside France tfhd her designs became a worldwide phenomenon.

 Lea Stein

Lea Stein began designing again in 1988. Her work is in great demand by collectors, and the limited range of new designs she produces each year is eagerly anticipated.

Designs are marked "Lea Stein Paris." On pins this mark can be found on the distinctive V-shaped clasp. It is difficult to identify pieces to the first or second phase of production, so it is a good idea to contact a rep