Kaleidoscope effect

Leaf branch matte gold tone brooch. 5.5 cm. 1990s. Atout Moment vintage costume jewelry

Atout Moment vintage costume jewelry
French jewelry brand Atout Moment, founded in 1994, has a rather short history, no more than ten years. It was the second brand launched by the Ca Commence Comme Ca jewelry company based in Gallardon, northern France. The company was owned by Monsieur Didier Thébaud, a French jewelry designer who created fashionable jewelry under his own name since 1978.
When his son Denis Michel Thebaud joined the family business, the company launched two jewelry brands. In particular, “Il Etait Une Fois” (“Once upon a time”) and “Atout Moment” (“Anytime”). Initially, the designer signed his jewelry with his full name Didier Thebaud. However, since 1994, the maker’s mark included the “Atout Moment” logo in a moon and sun square, or “Il Etait Une Fois”, or even both markings.
Traditionally, the designer used gold, brass, bronze, copper and silver. Made by hand, his collections are diverse in style and design – from ethnic to modern, from minimalism to geometric. Although Ca Commence Comme Ca, located at 1 rue de la Porte de Chartres, 28 320 Gallardon, ceased to exist in 2019, they stopped making jewelry in the early 2000s.
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Cat fishing in a bowl brooch. Gold plated, rhinestones, lucite, art glass. Patented in 1947. Anthony Originals vintage costume jewelry

Anthony Originals vintage costume jewelry
Born in Naples around 1907, the future jeweler Antonio Aquilino emigrated with his family to New York in the 1920s. Honing his skills in various jewelry workshops in New York, including Coro, he decided to start his own business. To implement original ideas under his own name, he and his family moved to the jewelry capital of the United States, Providence in 1940.
When he founded Anthony Originals in 1945, it became an instant success. The very next year, his first collection of dress clips entered the most fashionable jewelry catalogs. In 1945 and May 1946, Antonio applied for patents for his unique jewelry designs. Among them, in particular, were a dress clip and earrings “Cascade” and Peacock brooch, featured in Harper Bazaar in 1947, and “Cat fishing in a bowl” iconic brooch.
The second collection of 1948 was dedicated to refined and demanding ladies, who immediately bought it out. The collection included a special box made of thick cardboard imitating wood, and thus was more affordable than wood. In addition, the box with a mechanical lock had three levels for permanent storage of jewelry, as well as a powder case with a mirror. Upholstered in natural shimmering satin, embellished with gold leaf on a hand-applied ornament, the box was released in just two tones, with emerald green and pink jewelry glass. There is no doubt that such boxes were a valuable acquisition and a welcome gift for post-war women.
Unfortunately, Anthony Aquilino did not have time to enjoy the success and realize all his creative ideas, as he died in 1948, at the age of just over 40 years.
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Daisy flower and bee brooch. Sterling silver, enamel. Margot De Taxco silver jewelry

Margot De Taxco silver jewelry (1948-1974)
Born in New Orleans, Margot van Voorhees Carr (1896–1985) first came to Mexico in 1937. Shortly thereafter, she married the famous jeweler Don Antonio Castillo of Los Castillo. As an artist, she designed jewelry for his firm Taller de Las Delicias for 10 years, until their divorce.
In 1948, she established her own workshop in Taxco and became known as Margot de Taxco, a talented jeweler who created unique designs inspired by Art Deco, Mayan culture and Japanese art.
Thanks to Margot, many of the jewelers she taught went on to become famous silversmiths. Among them, in particular, Geronimo Fuentes, Hilario Lopez, Miguel Arias, Jaime Quiroz, Miguel Melendez and Melecio Rodgiguez.
Her clients included movie stars such as Lana Turner and John Wayne.
The company was very successful, but after a fire in the early 1960s, Margot de Taxco faced the financial difficulties and had to to sell her workshop in 1974.
The company’s craftsmen traditionally used hand-painted enamel on silver necklaces, brooches and earrings based on Margo’s watercolor drawings. Notably, she gave permission to use her design drawings after her death to several silversmiths and enamellers. She died in 1985 at the age of 89.
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Clown head 14 K gold pendant. 1980s. Signed MA vintage gold jewelry

Signed MA vintage gold jewelry
The history of the Michael Anthony Jewelers company began in 1976, when two brothers founded their own jewelry company in New York. Michael Paolerecio (b. 1951) became the company’s president and chief executive officer, and his younger brother Anthony Paolerecio (b. 1952) became chief operating officer.
The company very quickly became successful, with multi-million dollar profits and business expansion. As early as 1987, the company was manufacturing and selling its products throughout the United States. Over 10,000 retail outlets sold handmade 14K gold jewelry, mostly amulets and pendants, but also rings. Jewelry designs included religious symbols, sports, animals, zodiac signs, initials, abstract and figurative artwork.
A characteristic feature of jewelry marked with stylized letters MA was the use of diamond cut gold, giving it a sparkling effect.
The brothers sold Michael Anthony Jewelers in the late 1990s, and went into the real estate and construction business.
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Endangered species collections. Ferret. Gold plated silver pendant necklace. 1972. American jewelry designer Eugene Bertolli (1923 – 2015)

American jewelry designer Eugene Bertolli (1923 – 2015)
The Endangered Species series, created in the early 1970s, is undoubtedly one of the most significant works of the renowned jewelry designer Eugene E. Bertolli. The collection, in particular, included figurative images of animals in the thickets of the forest – an elephant, a fox, an otter, a lynx, a ferret and a mountain lion, made of sterling silver and gilding. This collection shows Eugene Bertolli as a talented artist, sculptor, jewelry designer and nature lover.
Another significant early 1970s jewelry collection was “The Dynasty”, designed by Bertolli for Napier prior to President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. Notably, Nixon was the first American president to visit mainland China. The collection included traditional Chinese symbols, from dragons to meaningful Chinese characters. This collection shows Bertolli not only as a talented designer and artist, but also as a well-educated person who graduated with honors from Latin School and College in his native Boston.
These same qualities allowed Bertolli to make a successful career in the iconic jewelry company Napier, in which he worked for almost 40 years. Joining Napier in the late 1940s, he began working under Frederick Rettenmeyer guidance, then as a chief designer, senior vice president, and finally, director of the company.
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Sun face crampled gold clip. 5 cm. 1980s. French jewelry designer Robert Goossens (30 January 1927 – 7 January 2016)

French jewelry designer Robert Goossens (30 January 1927 – 7 January 2016)

Born 30 January 1927 in Paris, Robert Goossens became a 20th century jewelry fashion icon, best known as Monsieur Bijou. He received this nickname thanks to his sparkling jewelry made of rock crystal, artificial and semi-precious stones, which he successfully combined in design. In post-war Paris, the future designer successfully studied the methods of casting, engraving, chasing, processing semi-precious and artificial stones, working with gold and silver. While honing his skills in jewelry design, he often visited museums, inspired by the works of the Renaissance, the art of Byzantium and Malta. In addition, Goossens traveled a lot, bringing various natural stones from his trips, especially preferring rock crystal.
Gabrielle Chanel noticed the talented young designer in 1953. Thus began a fruitful collaboration with the Chanel fashion house, for which he created jewelry throughout his life. Goossens himself wrote that he spent a lot of time talking with Mademoiselle Chanel. She supported his desire for experimentation, and it was she who inspired Robert to work with interior design. So, Chanel was the first for whom Robert created interior items: mirrors, chandeliers and tables – including the famous table made of sheaves of wheat (he later repeated this design for Yves Saint Laurent in gilded bronze), as well as a crystal ball on a pedestal with three lions, which can still be seen in Chanel’s apartment on rue Cambon.
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Art Deco butterfly pendant. Multicolor rhinestones, resin, gold tone. 1980s. Frank Usher vintage costume jewelry

Frank Usher vintage costume jewelry
Founded in 1942, Frank Usher brand gained its notoriety when Anne Bruh (b. October 1922) and Max Bruh (17 August 1906 – 29 January, 1994) bought it in 1944. Accordingly, the brand name Frank Usher does not mean a specific person. Undoubtedly, buying a ready-made brand was a wise decision, as it allowed its owners to remain anonymous and not start their brand from scratch.
The dramatic life story of Anne and her husband Max, refugees from Nazi Germany, is worthy of a separate story, writing a book or making a film.
The Bruh family has made a significant contribution to the British fashion industry, making the company iconic and internationally renowned, with offices around the world.
Like most fashion houses, Frank Usher Limited began to create various accessories – scarves, ties and costume jewelry in the early 1980-90s. To create costume jewelry, the designers of the fashion house developed their own jewelry designs for certain collections, collaborating with jewelry companies and jewelers of that time. Traditionally, they used gold, metal alloys, faux enamel, resin, crystals and rhinestones. They sold jewelry in velvet pouches and with paper tags with printed Frank Usher logo on them.
In 1991, Max fell seriously ill and three years before Max’s death, Anne took over the fashion house, which she ran until 2000. She retired at the age of 78.
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