Kaleidoscope effect

Bird wreath circle pin. Aressa for JC Penney. Gold tone, rhinestones. 1970s. JCPenney vintage costume jewelry

JCPenney vintage costume jewelry
The history of JCPenney jewelry trademark began 50 years ago, in 1971. However, the JCPenney department store chain has been known since 1902. Its founder was James Cash Penney Jr. (September 16, 1875 – February 12, 1971) – American businessman and entrepreneur. Penney began his business in partnership with William Henry McManus.
The business was very successful and the company developed rapidly and dynamically. So, already in 1928, at the height of the Great Depression, they owned 1000 department stores, and in 1941, 1600 department stores. Gradually, independent boutiques of famous brands such as Sephora, Nike and Adidas appeared inside JCPenney department stores. Also, the department stores had jewelry boutiques, including Liz Claiborne, which sells jewelry exclusively in JCPenney.
Noteworthy, many jewelry workshops created jewelry for JCPenney. In this case, the marking on such products or tags consisted of two words. For example, “Aressa for JCPenney”. The company also registered its own costume jewelry trademark in 1971. Production of costume jewelry began in the late 1970s and continued until the 2000s. Most notable were button covers created in various designs. Popular in the 1980s, as well as now, button covers replaced brooches or pins, and adorned any clothing, giving it a special look.
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Abstract design pink thermoplastic gold tone clip on earrings. 2.5 cm. 1950s. Claudette vintage costume jewelry

Claudette vintage costume jewelry
The history of vintage jewelry with the Claudette label spans a fairly short period, about a decade. The trademark belonged to the American company Premier Jewelry Co. Inc. based in New York. The first products of this brand appeared in December 1945 and were produced until the mid-1950s. Accordingly, it is quite difficult to find Claudette marked jewelry.
Traditionally, Claudette are handcrafted, exquisite jewelry pieces made of multicolor thermoplastic (synonymous with Bakelite). Also, gold and silver tone alloys and Aurora Borealis rhinestones. Thermoplastic with a special moon glow in various colors and shades is the most characteristic feature of this brand’s jewelry. In addition, the most typical are sets of two or three items – brooches and bracelets, clips and necklaces. The costume jewelry of this brand is highly collectible.
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Leaf design 18 K gold plated pendant. 1980s. Revlon vintage costume jewelry

Revlon vintage costume jewelry

Founded 90 years ago in New York, Revlon Inc is an internationally renowned cosmetics and perfumery company. Its founders, brothers Charles and Joseph Revson, in collaboration with chemist Charles Lachman, began with the production of multi-color nail enamel. Although this was the time of the Great Depression, the company enjoyed great success – already in 1938 it became a multimillion-dollar corporation.
The corporation expanded, and since 1955, the subsidiaries of Revlon Inc. appeared in Delaware, New Jersey, Arizona, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, California and other states. Also, Revlon branches have appeared in Mexico City, London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney.
The range of products has expanded incredibly – from manicure products and perfumes, to clothes and even accessories for dolls. Among the thousands of Revlon trademarks, there were six jewellery brands. In particular, Revlon, Little Miss Revlon, Charlie (1992), Unforgettable, Jean Nate and Almay (1993). Noteworthy, all jewelry brands ceased to exist in the early 2000s.
In fact, the company began producing exquisite perfume lockets, perfume bottle brooches in the early 1970s. Very often, such jewelry advertised and promoted brand’s perfumes and cosmetics.
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Amber cabochon 12 K gold filled clip on earrings. 1960s. Signed LSP vintage costume jewelry

Signed LSP vintage costume jewelry (1939-1975)

The history of the L.S.P. jewelry brand began nearly ninety years ago in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Founded by a partnership between Henry A. Peterson and Lester S. Peterson “L.S. Peterson Co Inc” began its activity in the late 1930s. According to all sources, the company began operations at least in 1939. Thus, the Official Gazette of the US Patent Office registered a patent for a bracelet made by the company in 1940. In addition, company managers took part in hearings on the use of silver for war purposes in the US Congress in 1941.
The company made jewelry from silver and gold using natural stones – moss agate, turquoise, tiger’s eye, quartz, hematite and others. The marking on the back side of each decoration includes initials “LSP Co” and “sterling”, or gold purity. The local Navajo silversmiths hired by the company worked in accordance with the creative traditions of Native Americans.
In 1975, Ronald W. Bolivar took over the business and renamed the company to RWB. The head office address of the company changed to 5 Fox Meadow Lane, Wayland, MA, 01778. Noteworthy, RWB Inc. ceased to exist in 1985.
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Nickel sterling silver brooch. 1988. Work by American jewelry designer Tony Papp (1961-1991)

American jewelry designer Tony Papp
The life of the talented jewelry designer Anthony Papp was bright but tragic. Born into the family of renowned theater producer and director Joseph Papp (1921 – 1991), he died very young, at the age of 29, and the same year as his 70-year-old father. The cause of his death was AIDS. Having lived a short life, he nevertheless managed to enter the history of jewelry design. This year the designer would have turned 60 and one can only imagine how many jewelry masterpieces he would have been able to create if he had not died so early.
A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Anthony opened his gallery in the prestigious Trump Tower shopping district in 1986. Noteworthy, the first visitors to the opening were Donald Trump and the famous father of the designer.
Along with his works, Anthony Papp exhibited works by famous and emerging jewelers. However, due to high competition and financial difficulties, the gallery existed for only 2 years. Papp’s modernist metal designs were unable to withstand the brilliant sheen of the famous brands.
During his short life, he managed to teach at art schools and create unique jewelry exhibited in major galleries in his native New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Traditionally, Papp used several metals that created some play in his flowing, three-dimensional geometric designs. According to the designer himself, Russian constructivists inspired him most of all, and he was a constructivist at heart.
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Filigree sterling silver porcelain brooch and earrings. 1950s. Delft vintage porcelain jewelry

Delft vintage porcelain jewelry
Dutch porcelain handpainted in blue and white is known all over the world, and its production originated in the 17th century in the city of Delft. Traditionally, craftsmen decorated items with floral ornaments, landscapes, biblical stories, and folklore scenes. A special feature of Delft porcelain is its repeated glazing with transparent lead glaze and final firing at low temperatures. Such production makes products similar to faience.

A symbol of the city and a popular souvenir, blue and white Delft porcelain is embodied in jewelry. Framed with filigree silver patterns, pendants, brooches, earrings and bracelets have similar themes, and mostly windmills. However, the workshops that create these jewelry pieces are located not only in Delft, but also in other towns. Among them in particular, Tholen (Plateelbakkerij Delft), Amsterdam (Plateelbakkerij Delft), Milsbeek (Wijnhoven’s En Franken Aardewerkfabriken), Gouderak (Montagne Aardewerkfabriek), and many others. The list of companies and workshops making Delft porcelain now or in the past is very long. Also, many companies are a family owned businesses, employing several generations of craftsmen.
Noteworthy, the production of jewelry began at the end of the 19th century, and the real boom in jewelry production began after the Second World War. Tourists visiting the Netherlands gladly bought blue and white jewelry as a memory of the trip. Yet, the most popular Delft porcelain items are decorative plates and wall panels. The design of these products is based on famous paintings by Dutch Golden Age painters.
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Stylized Bird brooch. Gold plated textured metal, glass cabochons, crystals. 7 cm. 1980s. Signed SAL vintage costume jewelry

Signed SAL vintage costume jewelry
The trademarks of the world famous Austrian brand Swarovski have been registered in several countries. First, in France (1900), then in England (1933), and in the USA (1955).
In fact, the oldest company Swarovski U.S. Holding Limited, located in Cranston, Rhode Island, and incorporated on 31 Jan 1955, is still active. As the company has gone through several changes of owners, mergers and formations of subsidiaries, there are several alternative names in its history. In particular, Swarovski North America Limited, Swarovski America Limited, Jewel Company of America, Inc. and Jewel MFG. Co.

In fact, the history of S.A.L. trademark lasted for two decades – launched in 1986, it ceased to exist in 2007. The trademark’s owner registered in Cranston, Rhode Island was Swarovski North America Limited. Previous company names included Swarovski Consumer Goods Limited, Swarovski Jewelry U.S. Limited, and Swarovski America Limited (president Michael Gentes). The corporation ceased to exist in August 2007. However, this was not the end of the history of the Swarovski trademark in the United States.
Noteworthy, the markings of costume jewelry produced at different times also differed. So, the earliest products (1970-90s), which are now collectible, were marked with the abbreviation S.A.L. and a copyright sign. Later decorations, which were part of the mass production of costume jewelry, had the symbolic swan stamp.
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