Kaleidoscope effect

Jewellery kaleidoscope

Category Archive: Vintage

Stanley Hagler Jewelry designer Ian St. Gielar

Stanley Hagler Jewelry designer Ian St Gielar

Red coral starfish brooch. Work by Stanley Hagler Jewelry designer Ian St Gielar

Stanley Hagler Jewelry designer Ian St Gielar
Most jewelry experts associate Hagler’s company with the names of three great designers. In particular, Stanley Hagler himself (since the 1950s), Mark Mercy (since 1979) and Ian St. Gielar (since 1989). In 1983 Stanley Hagler moved his company to Florida and Mark Mercy followed with him. In 1989, the talented designer Ian St. Gielar joined and stayed with them until 1993.
Meanwhile, Stanley Hagler himself continued to create until 1994, but had to retire for health reasons. Up until the death of Hagler in 1996, it was Florida based jewelry designer Ian St. Gielar who worked as the chief designer at Stanley Hagler.
Later, he founded his own company and produced jewelry both under his own name and under the trademark “Stanley Hagler NY.”
Meanwhile, after the death of Hagler, his assistants Mark Mercy and Ian St. Gielar began to fight for the company, slandering each other. Of course, there were many stories, rumors, gossips and mutual accusations. Until now, there are two, not similar to each other, histories of the creation and development of the brand, told by opponents.
More »

H. Pomerantz Co NY vintage costume jewellery

H Pomerantz Co NY vintage costume jewellery

Gold and Faux Pearl Figural Insect Brooch. H Pomerantz Co NY vintage costume jewellery

H Pomerantz Co NY vintage costume jewellery
Born in 1901, Herman Pomerantz entered the business in the 1920s, and for some time worked with his partner Max Silverman. In fact, Pomerantz designed jewelry until 1953, although the renewed company continued making jewelry until the 1960s. Herman Pomerantz passed away in 1967 at the age of 66.
In addition to costume jewelry, H. Pomerantz Co NY produced metal belts and buckles. The jeweler used a variety of materials, including bakelite. Besides, the company produced beautiful buttons, including women’s cuff buttons.
All ornaments, mostly brooches, labeled “H. Pomerantz & Co. N.Y.,” “H. Pomerantz Inc. N.Y.,” “H. Pomerantz Co.” and “H. Pomerantz” – are the rarest to date. According to other sources, H. Pomerantz Co, NY was in business between 1880 and 1940. Most likely, they mean the eponymous company, which existed even before the birth of Herman Pomerantz.
Noteworthy, the auction value for some of the works of this jewelry company now already reaches more than thousand dollars !!! Undoubtedly, the brooch studded with clear rhinestones, made by H. Pomerantz Co is a luxurious gift for a woman of any age with the most demanding taste.

More »

Arnold Isaacs Scaasi costume jewellery

Arnold Isaacs Scaasi costume jewellery

Gold plated emerald green rhinestone cocktail ring. Arnold Isaacs Scaasi costume jewellery

Arnold Isaacs Scaasi costume jewellery
Born in 1930, the future fashion and jewelry designer Arnold Isaacs (May 8, 1930 – August 3, 2015) grew up in a furrier’s family. Of course, the boy often helped his father in his workshop. However, Arnold decided to become a designer after his trip to Australia to his aunt, who was a great fashionista.
Isaacs graduated from the School of Design in his native Montreal, and then enrolled in the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (Syndicate of High Fashion) in Paris. Having worked at Paquin House, he finally moved to New York, at the invitation of the legendary designer Charles James.
Noteworthy, his clients were ex-first ladies Mami Eisenhower, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, Ivanka Trump and Princess Yasmine Aga Khan. Also, such actresses as Barbara Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve and Joan Crawford. To the admirers of his talent, Arnold dedicated the book “Women I Have Dressed (and Undressed!)”. According to the designer, clothes with jewelry decorations look more interesting.
More »

Masterpieces of Alice Caviness Costume Jewelry

Masterpieces of Alice Caviness Costume Jewelry

Brooch – textured metal of gold tone, artificial rubies. 1960’s. Masterpieces of Alice Caviness Costume Jewelry

Masterpieces of Alice Caviness Costume Jewelry
American jewelry designer Alice Caviness started making jewelry right after the Second World War. Based in Long Island, New York, her company continued production after her death in 1983.
For the production of jewelry she used high-quality materials and crystals of unusual colors. Labeled “Alice Caviness”, her jewelry pieces are rare and very popular among collectors.
Noteworthy, on the design and production of jewellery worked Caviness herself and Millie Petronzio who worked for Caviness until 1982. However, at that time Millie Petronzio became head designer for Miriam Haskell.
More »

MGM Queen jewellery lover Norma Shearer

MGM Queen jewellery lover Norma Shearer

Marie Antoinette played by MGM Queen, jewellery lover Norma Shearer

MGM Queen jewellery lover Norma Shearer
Hollywood diva Norma Shearer loved and wore lots of jewellery, both in life and in films. Thus, in the Collection of Academy Award winning actress Norma Shearer was a gold, platinum and diamond necklace (est. $150/200,000). Retailed by famed Hollywood jeweler Flato, the necklace is a wonderful example of Flato at his best and most dramatic days. In fact, Shearer bought it around 1941 when both she and the designer were in their heyday. Created by Flato’s talented designer George Headley as a cascade of flowers, diamond-set leaves and a bow, this jewel decorated a 1941 edition of Vogue magazine.
Born in 1902 in Montreal, Norma Shearer grew in the family of a businessman. Since childhood she dreamed of becoming an actress. Already at the age of nine she decided to become an actress. However, her mother was very skeptical, because she understood that her chubby shorty with strabismus will be difficult to get on the screen. But time showed that she was wrong.
More »

Art Nouveau jeweler Lucien Gaillard

Art Nouveau jeweler Lucien Gaillard

Stunning Dragonflies hair comb. Diamonds, emeralds, citrine, enamel. 1904. Art Nouveau jeweler Lucien Gaillard

Art Nouveau jeweler Lucien Gaillard

One of the most distinguished jewelers of his time, Lucien Gaillard (1861 – 1942) was a jeweler in the third generation, working in Art Nouveau style. The skill of the jeweler with the use of a minimum of funds and a subtle sense of material are worthy of admiration. Besides, he became known for his work with exotic materials, such as horn, and unsurpassed art with the use of enamels. In particular, refined brooches, hairpins, combs, rings, and perfume bottles strike with their beauty and sophisticated work. His original products were laconic and modest.
Meanwhile, in the late 60-ies of the 19th century, a general fascination with Japanese art began in Paris. Thus, invited Japanese masters gave lectures on the art of the East and conducted master classes. Accordingly, on the wave of this interest in the art of jewelry began to appear “Japanese motifs.”
Designers of jewelry no longer used precious stones, but tried to pay more attention to the beauty of the product and its meaning. Instead, they used carving on the horn, enamel and mother of pearl. In fact, the idea was the following: to oppose the real art to mass production of ornaments in factories.
More »

French Art Nouveau jeweler Gabriel Argy-Rousseau

Belt buckle. Brass, three stone blue cameos with crabs. 1905. Gabriel Argy-Rousseau jewellery

Belt buckle. Brass, three stone blue cameos with crabs. 1905. Gabriel Argy-Rousseau jewellery

French Art Nouveau jeweler Gabriel Argy-Rousseau

Born in 1885 in Meslay-le-Vidame, France, Joseph Gabriel Rousseau (1885-1953) became known to the world as a sculptor, ceramist and master of glass. In 1913 he married the Greek Marianne Argyriadis and began to sign his works Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, in honor of his wife. Already the next year, in 1914, Argy-Rousseau first exhibited his projects in the Pate de Verre and won immediate success in the Salon du Des Artistes Français. Critics reacted with enthusiasm, “Such successful forms, such amazing patterns of gold, copper, cobalt, uranium and oxides, such a beautiful mixture of colors!”. Meanwhile, the focus of Argy-Rousseau’s experiments were various methods for achieving the Pate de Verre effects.
However, the main passion was jewelry. Gabriel Argy-Rousseau created magnificent pendants and brooches with stylized forms of fruits, flowers, butterflies and figurines of mythological plots.
More »