Joseph Wiesner vintage costume jewelry

Joseph Wiesner vintage costume jewelry
Born in Germany, Jewish jeweler Luther Joseph Wiesner emigrated to the United States during the WWII, in the early 1940s. After settling in New York, Joe established contacts with local jewelers, and fulfilled orders for famous jewelry companies of the time.
However, one of the deals (in 1949), according to which he was supposed to make gold items for Genuth, led to fatal consequences. Weisner was charged with violating the Gold Reserve Act of 1934 and even fraud. Lawsuits that lasted from 1952 to 1954, ended with a two-thousand-dollar fine and even the arrest of Joseph. The successful costume jewelry business, which began at Fifth Avenue of New York City in the 1940s, ceased to exist in November 1954 in connection with the arrest of Wiesner.
Wiesner’s pieces are distinguished by their exquisite classic design, an abundance of sparkling Austrian crystals, reminiscent of Eisenberg’s pieces and are highly collectible. The maker’s marks include “Wiesner”, “Joseph Wiesner”, “Joseph Wiesner, N.Y.”, and later «Astra». Lux class handcrafted costume jewelry was sold in gift cases with silk lining, like expensive fine jewelry.

Joseph Wiesner vintage costume jewelry