Kaleidoscope effect

1950s Art Deco Style Marcasite brooch. Kigu costume jewelry

English vintage Kigu costume jewelry

Hungarian hereditary jeweler Gustav Kiashek, the son the famous master goldsmith Josef Kiashek, lived in Budapest. Initially, he produced compacts in his own workshop. Gustav had three sons – Charles, Paul and George. The eldest son, Charles moved to London and successfully worked as a goldsmith. Meanwhile, the youngest son, George moved to London where he founded his own jewelry company in 1939. He named it Kigu after his father Gustav Kiashek having used the first two letters of his surname and forename. For about half a century, Kigu produced costume quality pieces that have stood the test of time. However, in the 1980s another famous company, known for their compact and dressing table trinkets, as well as their brooches, bought Kigu.
Traditionally, Kigu jewelers created high quality costume decorations with lots of design and filigree details, marcasite, rich gold plating, rhinestones and stunning gems.
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Bird of Paradise brooch pin. Gold tone, enamel, crystals. Jay Strongwater vintage costume jewelry

Jay Strongwater vintage costume jewelry
The American company “Jay Strongwater” creates unique jewelry and luxurious interior accessories. Highly qualified designers follow the main principle “Luxury is a special attention to details”.
A graduate of Rhode Island Design School, Strongwater began his career as a jeweler. In 1981, he created a small collection of jewelry. Oscar de la Renta almost immediately noticed the young designer, and the very next year, jewelry marked Jay Strongwater appeared in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. This allowed him to open his first studio in New York, and his jewelry began its ascent to world catwalks.
However, gradually the fashion shows began to do without the use of jewelry at all, or couturiers prefer cheaper versions of jewelry. Understanding this, in 1994 Jay Strongwater created a collection of … photo frames! Noteworthy, for the first time in his work, he uses jewelry techniques: jewelry alloys of tin, bronze and copper, coated with colored enamel using the Faberge technique and inlaid with semiprecious stones and Swarovski crystals. He pays equal attention to both the front and back of the products, which subsequently becomes his quality mark and business card.
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Seal enameled brooch decorated with rhinestones. 7 cm. Guy Laroche vintage costume jewelry

Guy Laroche vintage costume jewelry
Laroche is a luxury brand with a high price level, justified by the highest quality products and the exclusivity of production. Founded in the heyday of Haute couture in 1957, it is still the benchmark in the fashion world. The first Guy Laroche jewelry collection appeared at the end of the 20th century. Laroche jewelry is a real work of art, created in accordance with the main values ​​of the French elegance, grace and seduction. Classic, sometimes somewhat conservative, sometimes – emphasized glamorous and creative.
Due to fidelity to the traditions and courage of the designers, jewelry of this brand can be worn with a business suit and evening dress. Indeed, you will look equally appropriate during a business meeting, business lunch or a visit to the theater and restaurant.
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Rudolph Reindeer Christmas brooch of gold tone. Lia Sophia vintage costume jewelry

Lia Sophia vintage costume jewelry
Vintage jewelry is always exquisite and beautiful. Antique jewelry embodies something special, it only wins over time. Vintage brooches, necklaces, rings or earrings, despite their image, never go out of fashion, no matter how paradoxical this sounds.

Costume jewelry marked Lia Sophia have been produced for more than 45 years – from 1971 to 2015. Lia Sophia manufactured high quality, superbly designed, fashion jewelry at reasonable prices. According to Chicago Tribune, the sole member of Lia Sophia, a Delaware corporation Kiam Equities, the husband-wife team Tory Kiam and creative director Elena Kiam ran Lia Sophia before it closed in 2014. The New York based couple took over the fashion jewelry business from Tory Kiam’s father, Victor Kiam. His son renamed it Lia Sophia, in honor of two of his daughters, in 2004. In fact, the company sold its jewelry mostly at home parties in a business model similar to Avon. Noteworthy, at its peak, Lia Sophia had more than 30,000 sales representatives. Although the direct sales business closed at the end of December 2014, they are still selling their products online.
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Grape brooch. Gold tone metal, enamel, faux pearls, Swarovski crystals. Valentino Garavani vintage costume jewelry

Valentino Garavani vintage costume jewelry
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani is a legendary Italian couturier. His design works – brilliant jewelry, feminine and luxurious dresses became symbols of glamor and bohemian life of aristocrats, movie stars and celebrities.
An artist by vocation, for more than forty years, he has been inventing outfits, accessories and jewelry that appeal to people of delicate taste.
In 1967 Atelier turns into a respectable Fashion House. Valentino dresses style icons such as Jacqueline de Ribes and Babe Paley, the maestro transfers seasonal fashion shows from Florence to Rome and receives the Neiman Marcus Award in Dallas, one of the most prestigious in the fashion industry.
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Flower brooch. Sterling silver, gold gilt, enamel. David Andersen vintage silver jewelry

David Andersen vintage silver jewelry
Norwegian jeweler David Andersen is the founder of the eponymous jewelry company based in Oslo. Andersen founded the company in 1876, in the city of Christiania (now called Oslo). Soon he expanded his production and began to make decorations and kitchen accessories, for example, cutlery and tongs. Besides, the best Norwegian designers worked with Andersen. In particular, Bjorn Sgurd Oster, Sinnove Korsson, Milli Beherns, Konrad Mejus, Nora Gulbrandsen and others. His works sometimes appear at various auctions and in private collections. Noteworthy, the company worked only with silver, and enamel. Also, all products have always had markings with the name of the brand – David Andersen.
This Scandinavian company still produces high-quality silver items with an elegant design, often with beautiful enamel work.
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Funny faces bronze bracelet. Hungarian artist Percz Janos jewelry art

Percz Janos jewelry art
Born in Budapest in 1920, Percz Janos studied at the Hungarian School of Fine Arts (1940–1946). In addition, he studied painting and graphic design under the guidance of such famous masters as Varga Nandor, Loiosh, Bori Yeno, Sidley Ferenc, and others. Janos began his career as a graphic artist, but already at that time several of his wood carved works became well known.
Between 1948-1960, he taught art design at the school of design and at the same time began to master metal work.
In the 1960s, Perz Janos showed himself as a pioneer of Hungarian metal jewelry art. So, he revised the boundaries of the use of metal structures from the point of view of art, developed it, and changed attitude to sculpture. The gallery of his works is extensive – jewelry, vases, candlesticks, ashtrays, masks, wall applications and more. All products testify to liberated and expressive imagination, and a mature approach to shaping.
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