Gale Grant vintage costume jewelry

Gale Grant vintage costume jewelry
The history of one of the oldest American brands “Gale” began in 1921 in Chicago, Illinois, as a manufacturer of clothing, corsages and brassieres. In 1943, Sears, Roebuck and co of Chicago, Illinois adopted and began using the Gale trademark. In addition, the corporation established Gale Grant Jewelry Ltd (alternative name “By Gale Creations”) to produce fine costume jewelry. The company went through ups and downs, changing directors and addresses – 485 Madison Avenue, 818 Lexington Avenue and 24 West 40th street, New York, NY. Among the directors who ran the company were Gertrude Golden and Paula Gould. The company produced jewelry until the 1980s and ceased to exist in 2011.
Traditionally, Gale designers used high-quality rhinestones, crystals, art glass imitating natural stones, enamel, metal alloys of silver and gold, as well as rhodium plating.
The earliest marking consisted of a stylized word “Gale Grant” printed on paper tags or cards, and later maker’s mark included “By Gale” with a crown over the letters “al”. Noteworthy, jewelry marked “Gale” is rare and collectible.