Colco vintage costume jewelry

Colco vintage costume jewelry
Currently rare, Colco was a line of jewelry produced by the famous New York City company, Selro Corporation. The owner of the company, the Russian-born emigrant Paul Selenger (15 August 1911 – 16 December 1990). The uniqueness of Selenger’s jewelry is not only in artisan performance, but also in non-trivial design inspired by Chinese philosophy. For example, this large hand crafted brooch “Asian Gods of Fortune”, created in the late 1940s – early 1950s. The images of the eastern gods, in shape and color, resemble netsuke figurines, carved from ivory. Traditionally, they were talismans that brought good luck and prosperity to their owner. Very delicate work and artisan execution evoke the most positive emotions. The frame of the brooch is made in the form of bamboo branches, and covered with gilding. Also, applied to the figurines polymer resin allowed the designer to draw the smallest details.
Noteworthy, the brooch is unmarked, like most of the early jewelry of Selro Corporation. The company began labeling its products around the mid-1950s.
Produced in 1940-1960s, Colco jewelry has become a book piece rarity mentioned in vintage costume jewelry catalogs.

Colco vintage costume jewelry