Gray Kingsburg vintage costume jewelry
Gray Kingsburg vintage costume jewelry
New York-based jewelry designer Gray Kingsburg worked between WWI and WWII, including the Great Depression, 1920-40. Accordingly, the style of his jewelry has undergone many changes in a short period. At the beginning of his career, these were decorations in the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles, with the use of natural stones and gold plating. Already in the 1930s, due to a downturn in the economy and limited use of precious metals, the designer used brass, copper and alloys of gold and silver tones to compensate for the shortage of gold and silver. Also, the designer used multi-colored art glass imitating precious stones. A distinctive feature of his designs is exquisite filigree handwork, embodied in bracelets, brooches, necklaces, buckles, and dress clips.
Gray Kingsburg, like many other jewelers of the period, drew inspiration from exhibits in various museums and vaults around the world, creating a line of jewelry with Buddhist and Indian motives. Kingsburg’s exquisite filigree jewelry is a collectible rarity in the vintage jewelry market.