Kaleidoscope effect

Musical cats collection. Ripple resins. 6.4 cm. 2010s. Erstwilder vintage style costume jewelry

Erstwilder vintage style costume jewelry
The plastic jewelry of based in Melbourne Australian company resembles retro celluloid pins popular in the 1930s, or vintage Bakelite brooches by French designer Lea Stein of the 1960s. This is probably why, very often the owners of these brooches mistakenly indicate the years of manufacture 1980-1990s and materials – bakelite or lucite. Actually, these high quality resin brooches, which design ranges from Michael Jackson-like cats to Gatsby girls, are not more than a decade.
According to the company’s history, “Erstwilder” began its activity in 2011. And it was Louisa Camille, an artist, vintage lover, animal admirer, and fashion designer who first created the sketches of future pins. According to her designs, she drew inspiration from the Art Deco era and the animal world.
Traditionally, the few craftsmen of this company use layered resin, metal alloys, hard enamel, hand-painting each piece, which makes this piece unique. Noteworthy, there are over 500 different designs and each is produced in limited quantities.

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Abstract design athlete man vintage brooch pin. Acrylic handpainted resin, gold plated wire. 1980s. Yossi Steinberg vintage costume jewelry

Yossi Steinberg vintage costume jewelry
Jewelry created by Israeli artist Yossi Steinberg attracts jewelry lovers with its bright colors, quirky designs and absolute uniqueness. Indeed, no two brooches are alike in this designer’s rich collection. The history of these handcrafted pins spans not more than three decades, from the mid-1980s to the 2010s.
Born in Israel, Yossef Steinberg was a professional artist who graduated from the Hebrew University and the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem. After graduation, he became interested in enamel and jewelry design, working in his workshop in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv, until his death. Creating jewelry, mainly brooches, the master used multicolor acrylic, resin, Austrian crystals, freshwater pearls, silver-plated or gilded wire, as well as hypoallergenic metals. Traditionally, products labeled Yossi were sold on branded cards in boutiques in Israel and other countries.

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Circle of the crane filigree brooch. Sterling silver, pearl, zircon crystals. 4.8 cm. 1960s. Yasushi Irikura vintage costume jewelry

Yasushi Irikura vintage costume jewelry
Any jewelry piece handcrafted in the 1950s by distinguished Tokyo master jeweler Yasushi Irikura is highly collectible. Many well-known jewelry companies in Japan reproduce his “crane” and “swan” designs. In particular, Mikimoto, Saitama and Tasaki. Irikura rarely marked his products, but the author’s technique of rigid openwork silver filigree allows to identify his jewelry. Noteworthy, “Tsurumaru” (Japanese for “circle of the crane”) became the prototype for the famous JAL logo. The open wings of the crane are a very old heraldic sign of the Japanese samurai clans, symbolizing loyalty, strength, nobility, immortality and heavenly blessing. Traditionally, the Japanese craftsman used freshwater pearls and natural zircon crystals, which he valued very highly.
Born in Tokyo in 1934, Irikura is a hereditary jeweler who studied metal art from childhood. Irikura opened his own workshop when he was a little over 20 years old. He was the chairman of the Japan Jewelry Association and has worked as an artist-designer and artistic director with many Japanese jewelry companies including Mikimoto, Para, Saitama and Tasaki. For his contribution to the development of the national jewelry art, the Government of Japan repeatedly awarded him.
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Theater mask pewter pin. 1990s. Jim Clift vintage lapel pins

Jim Clift vintage lapel pins

This year for Jim Clift Design, Inc. became a 40-year jubilee. Coventry, Rhode Island based jewelry company Jim Clift Design, Inc. began its activity in January 1981. The president of the company is a talented jeweler, artist and designer James R. Clift (born 31 January 1956). In fact, it is the private business of his family – wife Lynn, two daughters, and Jim’s grandchildren. In addition to handcrafted high-quality lapel pins, pendants and bracelets, they make accessories, push pins and various gifts. Traditionally made from fine pewter, each piece is marked with “Jim Clift”, and pewter.
Created in Rhode Island studio, Jim Clift wearable art consists of more than four hundred designs, from medical and scientific to household and holiday. According to the company’s motto, they create sculpture to wear.
Undoubtedly, carefully crafted, detailed lapel pin or any JC item can be an excellent memorable gift, or a personal present suitable for any occasion.
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Swirl design sterling silver brooch. 1960s. Erik Granit vintage silver jewelry

Erik Granit vintage silver jewelry
Born in 1930 in Helsinki, Erik Granit was only twenty-four years old when he founded his own company and opened his store in the capital of Finland. For more than three decades of his activity he has created hundreds of innovative minimalist, abstract, geometric and modernist designs. Traditionally, Granit himself and other designers who worked for the company handcrafted jewelry models (mostly rings), with the use of sterling silver.
Noteworthy, the marking on the jewelry pieces included various small stamps. In particular, Erik Granit (or EG), 925H (or 925 Sterling) for silver purity, Helsinki stamp, Crown, or Boat, or Turku. Also, the marking included a letter and a number (for the year of production) – for example, S7 for 1971.
Unfortunately, the talented designer Erik Granit died in the prime of his creative powers, at the age of 58. Due to this, his once successful jewelry company ceased to exist in 1988. Jewelry pieces created in 1950-80s continue to be popular with vintage jewelry collectors today.
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Leaf brooch of gold tone. 1980s. Signed FO Inc vintage costume jewelry

Signed FO Inc vintage costume jewelry
The history of “FO Inc.” jewelry trademark began in the jewelry capital of the USA – Providence, Rhode Island. Registered in 1974 by a hereditary jeweler Fernando Ronci, his private company “Fernando Originals Inc”, located in North Providence, ceased to exist in 1996.
Traditionally, the craftsmen of the company handcrafted exquisite high quality costume jewelry. Most often, they produced clip on earrings, and less often pendants, necklaces and pins. Their abstract and haute couture style, so popular in the 1980s, brought fame to the company. Noteworthy, FO craftsmen used gold tone metal and enamel, and didn’t use rhinestones. Also, they labeled their products with the acronym “FO Inc” and a copyright sign, without a frame.
Today Fernando Originals has become collectible vintage.
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Abstract design gold tone brooch. 1970s. Signed FO vintage costume jewelry

Signed FO vintage costume jewelry
The history of FO jewelry trademark spans three decades. Owned by Chelsea Massachusetts based corporation Town & Country Fine Jewelry Group, FO jewelry trademark (active since 1975) ceased to exist in 2006. Town & Country Corporation began its history in 1955, and soon became one of the nation’s largest jewelry producers in the United States.
In collaboration with Erwin Pearl, Swank (cufflinks), and other jewelry designers FO created high quality costume jewelry. The company’s craftsmen used brushed and high polished gold tone alloy, or gold plating, enamel, lucite, and faux pearls. Traditionally, the Massachusetts-based company labeled its products with two capital letters in a rectangular frame.

Noteworthy, there was a similar jewelry company located in North Providence, Rhode Island – “Fernando Originals Inc”, which marked its jewelry with FO Inc. Registered in 1974 by Fernando Ronci, the privately owned company ceased to exist in 1996. The craftsmen of this company created costume jewelry of similar style, materials and design. No wonder, the products of these companies are often confused. Yet, the maker’s mark of these two companies is different. Specifically, Fernando Originals Inc labeled its products with the acronym “FO Inc” without a frame.

According to some sources, New York based company “Feature Enterprises Inc.” also labeled its jewelry pieces with FO, but this is not true. In fact, the company called Feature Enterprises Inc. has registered 14 jewelry trademarks since 1946, and no FO among them. Among them – Feature-Flash (1940-2007), Feature Lock (1946-2009), Heart Lock (1948-2001), GWR (1967-2008), Gotham (1967-2009), Gotham Gold (1967-2009), Love Link (1969-2002), GW (1970-2002), Trios of Love (1980-2003), Trubrilliant (1985-2006), Secur Lok (1985-2006), Status 1 (1986-1993), GD BK (1991-1993), and Grand Boutique (1991-1993).
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