Kaleidoscope effect

Fallen Leaf brooch. Rhinestones, jewelry alloy of gold tone. Celebrity NY vintage costume jewelry

Celebrity NY vintage costume jewelry
The American jewelry brand Celebrity N.Y. has existed for a short period of time, from the mid-1950s to early 1970s in New York. However, the approximate time and exact place of creation of the brand are almost the only facts we know about it. It is absolutely clear that because of this, the opinions of experts also differ in the estimates of Celebrity jewelry.
So, Celebrity designers created bright jewelry, usually choosing rhinestones that are as close as possible to natural stones: amethyst, emerald, and ruby. As well as beads, almost indistinguishable from real pearls. According to the authors of the book “Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry”, all decorations made by Celebrity – handmade. Craftsmen manually inserted rhinestones and artificial pearls into intricate metal frames.
However, the “jewelry” origin of Celebrity jewelry is very mythical. Some of the products of this brand were indeed coated with gold or silver, but they were never precisely smelted from precious metals.
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New York Skyline brooch pin. Marcasite, Sterling Silver. Judith Jack JJ vintage costume jewelry

Judith Jack JJ vintage costume jewelry
Founded over 35 years ago by Judith and Jack Rosenberg, the American jewelry company Judith Jack has gained recognition among collectors of costume jewelry.
Since the very first day the company jewelers have made decorations exclusively from semi-precious stones, natural pearls, silver, and marcasites of special cut. For all Judith Jack jewelry is characteristic laconic design, strict geometric shapes, and sustained color range. Noteworthy, all Judith Jack jewels – handmade. Also, JJ masters make particular attention to the polishing, the smallest silver bead-filigree frames and contour ornaments. Similar attention to detail and workshop with silver, pearls and marcasite is the corporate style of Judith Jack. As a result, over the years of the company’s existence, Judith Jack jewelry has gained recognition of a huge number of jewelry lovers.
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Antique flower brooch. Gold filled, faux pearl. Amco vintage costume jewelry

Amco vintage costume jewelry
A. Micallef and Company (AMCO) was founded in Providence, RI, the USA in 1919. However, the signature “AMCO” first appeared on jewelry in 1935. The company produced costume jewellery of amazing beauty made of gold, or gold filled and silver products: rings, cameos, brooches, pendants, bracelets, and earrings. Traditionally, AMCO jewelry has a stunning design, and is of high quality, comparable to such brands as Van Dell and Krementz. The company ceased to exist in the 1970s, so now these vintage items are of high value and continue to grow in value.
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Pansy Flower brooch. Silver, gilding, central decorative oval – guilloche enamel. 3.5 cm. Late XIX century. Norwegian Art Nouveau – Marius Hammer jewelry

Norwegian Art Nouveau – Marius Hammer jewelry
Marius Hammer was one of the rather famous masters of the Scandinavian Art Nouveau. He lived in Bergen and belonged to a family of hereditary Norwegian jewelers, many generations of which have preserved the traditions of northern goldsmithing. However, Marius himself, whose life years (1847 – 1927) occurred in a turbulently innovative period in decorative and applied art, experimented with traditional and new styles. Terefore, his decorations have a unique author’s look. This is undoubtedly modern, but the Hammer style is radically different from the typical Scandinavian modern style, with its simple lines and cool range of enamels. Marius Hummer usually filled the simple and symmetrical outer contour of the frame with filigree and additional decorative elements.
In his jewelry, he used the motifs of traditional Viking ornaments, but creatively transformed them, and, at the same time, managed to preserve the harmony of the ornament in his transformations. Undoubtedly, this testifies the master’s great talent and impressive knowledge in jewelry.
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The colors of the autumn leaf perfectly conveyed by garnets of different shades, as well as green and yellow diamonds. On the reverse side there is a tiny snail made from sapphire and diamonds. Japanese jewellery brand Gimel

Japanese jewellery brand Gimel
Talented Japanese designer Kaoru Kay Akihara founded her firm “Gimel” in 1992. She received an excellent education, studying, along with the economy, jewelry design and painting. In addition, studied the traditional Japanese art of ikebana and the laws of the tea ceremony. The latter clearly had an impact on the design of products of the firm “Gimel”. With the inherent subtlety of Japanese art, they embody elusive moments of the changing seasons, where ephemeral features of seasonal changes are noticeable. So, delicate pink spring buds, rich yellow tones of summer flowers, purple autumn leaves turn into jewelry with the help of carefully selected gems. According to Kaoru Kay Akihara, “history should be behind the decoration,” and many of her works are decorated with tiny details, for example, a small snail crawling on the inside of the brooch leaf – a secret that the jewelery owner can possess. Thanks to such details, Gimel products are unique and very special.
Japan’s natural beauty is a source of inspiration for Gimel masters. Someone wonders what is unusual in these familiar images: a leaf, a flower, a frog, a bird … The answer lies in the details – amazing precision and charm. Noteworthy, Akihara herself selects the smallest pebbles, because paints and shades are very important for her. With her work, she tries to capture the beauty of nature at its best moments, while the fire of life burns in it. The jeweler uses gems as a palette.
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Beautiful Angel Brooch. Silver tone metal, rhinestones, enamel. Kenneth Cole KC vintage costume jewelry

Kenneth Cole KC vintage costume jewelry
The American company Kenneth Cole KC appeared in 1982 named after its creator, Kenneth Cole, a brilliant American businessman and designer. Although Kenneth Cole deals mainly with clothes and footwear, but sometimes it pleases customers with new lines of costume jewelry. The main themes are Christmas, Halloween, St. Valentine’s, Independence and Thanksgiving Day. In addition, angels – one of the favorite stories of past collections. The main materials in his costume jewelery are jewelry alloy of silver and gold tone, pearlish enamel, as well as multicolor crystals and art glass.
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Natural stones, carved bone pendant-brooch. 1980s. Unique handmade Sajen costume jewelry

Unique handmade Sajen costume jewelry
In the mid-1980s, American jewelers Richard and Marianne Jacobs, inspired by Indonesian and Balinese ethnic ornaments, created their own Sajen line of jewelry. Translated from Indonesian, “Sajen” means “offer”. An amazing brand of jewelery, Sajen has grown into a whole stylistic direction, combining the European vintage style and aesthetics of Indonesia.
Jewelry is completely different from what was done in the 1980s. No cheap chic, plastic and pompous. Yes, the decorations are all rather massive, but the masters use only natural stones, and both stones and their combinations are quite rare. Also, beautiful cut and author drawings, and engravings. Everything together gives a feeling of something lunar, alien, and at the same time very organically accepted here on Earth.
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