Double Logo button design gold tone brooch. 1980s. Ted Lapidus vintage costume jewelry

Ted Lapidus vintage costume jewelry
Born into a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Edmond Lapidus (23 June 1929 – 29 December 2008) is the renowned French perfumer and legendary fashion designer. The son of a tailor, he joined the fashion world from childhood. Although after graduation he studied at the Technical College of Japan, and then at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, but soon changed his mind.
Ted began his tailoring career at Christian Dior’s fashion house. With the support of his friend Charles Aznavour, and the family of his brother Bernard, he opened an atelier under his own name in 1951. A member of the Parisian haute couture syndicate since 1963, he collaborated with major department stores, supplying collections of dresses, suits, bags and accessories under his own name.
However, his greatest success as a perfumer was when he launched the first fragrance under his own name with L’Oréal in 1970.
Noteworthy, the designer’s costume jewelry was an addition not only to his costumes and dresses, but also to perfumes. Officially registered in 1975, the Ted Lapidus jewelry brand was established in late 1960s. Ted created costume jewelry designs until the 1990, even after he transferred the family business to his son Olivier in 1982.
The designer died a year before his 80th birthday. On the day of his departure, France mourned. Even Nicolas Sarkozy in his speech could not adhere to protocol and stated that “Lapidus was a true poet of French fashion, one who democratized French elegance and classicism and made fashion accessible to men and women on the street.”
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Aztec sterling silver brooch. 1980s. Vintage silver jewelry signed Citlali

Vintage silver jewelry signed Citlali
The history of handcrafted jewelry made by the Mexican studio-workshop Citlali began in 1968 in Guadalajara. Its founder is a hereditary silversmith Francisco Sanchez Sahagun. The small family business not only survived the Mexican silver crisis of the 1970s, but also became widely known outside Guadalajara. This became possible thanks to the highly artistic, original and time-consuming designs that Francisco embodied in his jewelry.
Already in the mid-1980s, Citlali (the word means “Star”) began to appear at international jewelry exhibitions and boutiques in Europe. As a result, his collections recieved many prestigious design awards.
Since 2010, Francisco has been collaborating with the Madrid fashion house L’atelier de Minerva. Francisco Sanchez Sahagun now runs the family-owned company Citlali with his daughter Rosana Sánchez, a certified jewelry designer.
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Framed Rose flower sterling silver pendant. 1960s. Signed K & L vintage costume jewelry (1963-2004)

The history of antique jewelry brand K & L began in 1884 in the jewelry capital in southwest Germany, the city of Pforzheim. Kordes & Lichtenfels manufactured high quality pieces which have become highly collectible and sought after.
Traditionally, the craftsmen used the term “Amerikaner” for gold filled. In fact, ‘Amerikaner’ refers to a technique of heavy gold plating and it was more durable than existing gold plating techniques. So, Amerikaner means gold rolled jewelry. Noteworthy, at the beginning of the 20th century the company moved to Providence, Rhode Island and became known as Speidel Company. That’s why some pieces signed “Amerikaner” sometimes have marking SP for Speidel, or K&L for Kordes & Lichtenfels GmbH & Co. KG.
The K & L jewelry trademark registered in 1963 and owned by Kordes & Lichtenfels GmbH & Co. KG, ceased to exist in 2004.

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Royal man crowned person brooch pin. Metal alloy, enamel. 7 cm. 1990s. Happy Fingers vintage costume jewelry

Happy Fingers vintage costume jewelry
Undoubtedly, such high-end fantasy costume jewelry proves its belonging to arts. It seems to have descended from the pages of children’s drawings, or illustrations of fairy tales for children. Made over a short period of the 1990s by the creative artists Thierry and Nathalie Faucher, these pieces are now very rare and highly collectible. Created exclusively in Paris, each piece has a distinctive marking “Happy Fingers” on an oval backing, without a copyright sign.
Traditionally, the artists handcrafted these unique brooches, earrings, pendants and bracelets in limited quantities, with the use of pewter, metal alloys and multicolor enamels.
Unfortunately, there is almost no information about the French brand “Happy Fingers” and the creators of these originalities that you will not find elsewhere.
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Yin Yang black and white clip on earrings. Gold tone metal, rhinestones. 3.8 cm. 1970s. Richard Kerr vintage costume jewelry

Richard Kerr vintage costume jewelry
The history of costume jewelry brand Richard Kerr began in 1946 when WWII veteran, US Navy Lieutenant Richard S. Kerr (January 23, 1920 – September 24, 2016) joined his father’s business. Richard graduated from the University of Illinois in 1943, and married Nancy Rebecca in 1948, with whom they later had two sons and a daughter. The jewelry company, owned by his father Walter H. Kerr (1889-1966), was based in Streator, Illinois. Following his father’s death in 1966, Richard took over and directed the company until his retirement in 1983.
Traditionally, to create a stunning sparkling effect, the company’s craftsmen used Austrian crystals, the number of which in one piece could be more than a thousand. It is hard to imagine how much labor and patience one had to have to manually insert each crystal. The marking on the back side of each item includes “Richard Kerr” on an oval cartouche.
The brand’s high quality, handcrafted products (mostly earrings) which were produced from 1946 to 1983, are highly collectible today.
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Oval modernist design sterling silver ring. Lisa Jenks vintage costume jewelry

Lisa Jenks vintage costume jewelry

The history of Brooklyn, New York City based jewelry company Lisa Jenks Ltd began in 1987. Lisa Jenks graduated from Parsons School of Design, and today she is a many awarded silversmith, including “Jewelry Designer of 2006”. Among 19 trademarks registered by Jenks, there were 6 jewelry trademarks, for example, Lisa Jenks Garland (2004-2007), Lisa Jenks (1999-2011), and more.
In addition to jewelry, Jenks designed tableware, frames, mirrors, handbags, wallets, briefcases, purses, belts, backpacks, and many more. However, it was her modernist style, New York City inspired sterling silver jewelry brought her fame. Handcrafted amulet pendants, necklaces, bracelets have become collectible and highly appreciated by jewelry lovers. According to Jenks, she used to create two-three collections a year with about seventy pieces.
Noteworthy, Lisa Jenks has stopped creating jewelry since 2011, and today the status of all her jewelry trademarks is – cancelled.
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Gold plated brooch with Interchangeable magnetic cabochons. 1950s. Lady Ellen vintage costume jewelry

Lady Ellen vintage costume jewelry
Veteran of WWII, fighter pilot, Czech-American jewelry manufacturer Henry B. Lederer (1920-2013) founded Lederer Brothers in 1946. The New York City based company became known for their high-quality pearl and interchangeable gem jewelry. In 1955 Henry B. Lederer invented earrings with interchangeable precious, semi-precious, or artificial stones. His invention was patented as Magnetic Earrings With Inter – Changeable Ornaments. Thanks to the attached magnetic elements, the wearer could easily change the color, quickly remove and replace stone to match wearer’s dress, or the occasion.

Marked “Lady Ellen”, the jewelry was traditionally sold in the original boxes.
Noteworthy, there is a similar jewelry brand on the vintage jewelry market, but it does not belong to Lederer. In particular, the Lady Ellen brand, owned by Los Angeles, California-based Kaynar Manufacturing Co. The Lady Ellen jewelry brand, incorporated in 1948, ceased to exist in 1992.
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