Kaleidoscope effect

Nymph Art Nouveau sterling silver brooch. Early 1900s. William Kerr antique silver jewelry

William Kerr antique silver jewelry
The history of William B. Kerr Co, one of the oldest American silver manufacturers, began 166 years ago in Newark, New Jersey. Founded in 1855, the company, along with flatware and hollow-ware produced silver and gold jewelry and accessories. Most often, these were buckles, brooches, pins and pendants with images of angels, flowers and Art Nouveau women. Antique silver items of this brand are kept in museums in the USA as an example of Art Nouveau jewelry art.
From about 1855 to 1892, markings included their trademark medieval ax logo, later a hammer and three X’s, followed by the words sterling and the mold number. Noteworthy, the company ceased to exist in 1927, absorbed by the largest silver brand Gorham Manufacturing Company. Gorham owned the company for 40 years and then sold it to the Textron Corporation.
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Filigree maple leaf brooch. Sterling silver, gold plated. 4.4 cm. 1980s. Signed Birks vintage costume jewelry

Signed Birks vintage costume jewelry
The history of the Birks jewelry brand began in 1879, when Henry Birks opened his jewelry boutique in downtown Montreal, Canada. What started as a family business with a small store on St. James Street, has become an iconic Canadian brand known throughout the world.
Since 1893, when William, John and Gerald, the sons of Henry Birks worked for the company, it was already “Henry Birks and Sons”. The business was successful and the company expanded and opened new boutiques and stores throughout Canada.
Sometimes, the company incorporated local jewelry companies into its business, adding the word Birks to their name. For example, Birks-Ryrie (Toronto), or Birks-Dingwall (Winnipeg). In addition to the jewelry companies, Birx acquired some silverware companies. Among them, Hendery & Leslie in 1897, and Roden Bros. Ltd in 1953. From 2004 to 2013, Birks Group Inc. is a large corporation formed as a result of the merger of the Canadian and American companies Henry Birks and Sons and Mayors Jewelers Inc.
Along with jewelry – rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings, buttons and key rings, the company produces other products. In particular, Christmas tree decorations, clocks and chronometers, tea sets and candelabra, ice buckets and silver decanters, knife stands and much more.
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Modernist design brooch. Sterling silver, gold, copper, ruby, amethyst, tourmaline. 1970s. American jewelry designer Earl Pardon (1926 – 1991)

American jewelry designer Earl Pardon (1926 – 1991)

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Earl Pardon was a painter, sculptor, jeweler and educator. With nearly forty years of experience in teaching, he raised a galaxy of talented jewelers. Having entered the Memphis Academy of Arts in 1951, he began teaching jewelry at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. In addition, from 1954-1955 Pardon worked as Assistant Director of Design for Towle Silversmiths. At the same time, he created unique jewelry, experimenting with enamels, colors, textures and metals. The uniqueness of his jewelry is in the fact that each element can exist on its own. And his brooches resemble framed in metal paintings. Thus, the artist confirms that jewelry design is an art. According to Earl, the painting of Cézanne and Picasso, the art of African tribes, and the philosophy of Zen had a strong influence on his work.
Noteworthy, his son Todd also became a jeweler, working in a similar technique. That’s why his work is sometimes confused with his father’s.
Art professor, Earl Pardon retired in 1989, and died in Boston, MA in 1991. The same year, E. Blauer in his book “Contemporary American Jewelry Design” devoted some pages to Earl’s work.
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Guggenheim Museum Picasso Woman sterling silver brooch. 1980s. Museum Replica vintage costume jewelry

Vintage Museum Replica costume jewelry
Over the past decades, since about the 1970s, it has become a good tradition for large museums to create jewelry. Traditionally, these are replicas of old jewelry, paintings and botanical illustrations from the museum’s funds. Classified as costume jewelry, these pieces have markings of these museums and are highly sought after. So, among the museums – manufacturers of high quality jewelry – MFA (Museum of Fine Arts), MMA (Metropolitan museum of art), NGA (National gallery of Art), VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), MAD (Museum of Arts and Design), and others. However, the jewelry pieces of other museums are rare, but also highly valued. Among them are the Concord Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Mark Twain Museum, Shelburne museum, Vermont, North Carolina Museum of History, and more.

Artfully handcrafted with gilding, metal alloys, high quality enamels and art glass, this replica jewelry is a work of art in itself.
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Gold, Demantoid Garnet and Sapphire Marlin Brooch. 1940s. Trabert Hoeffer Mauboussin vintage jewelry

Trabert Hoeffer Mauboussin vintage jewelry
The history of Trabert Hoeffer & Mauboussin jewelry began in 1936 and lasted until 1953. The name of the brand itself speaks of the collaboration between the American company Trabert & Hoeffer and the Parisian house Mauboussin.
Founded in 1926 by Randolph Trabert and William Howard Hoffer, the company was named after the founders – Trabert & Hoeffer, Inc. Based in New York, the jewelry company went through the hard times of the Great Depression and World War II with great success. At a time when many New York jewelry firms went out of business, Trabert & Hoeffer, Inc. flourished and expanded.
After the death of Randolph Trabert in 1930, Hoeffer began working with the Parisian jeweler Pierre Mauboussin, understanding the influence of French fashion in the world. For Pierre Mauboussin, this was also a good decision, as he gained access to the American market. The American-French collaboration led to the creation of the successful T & H-M company, which operated for 17 years.
The most famous innovative collection of this company is Reflection, with its interchangeable jewelry. The company met its customers halfway by supplying expensive jewelry made of sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and rubies to celebrities, as well as selling more affordable jewelry throughout the country.
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Gold tone bow cameo pendant. 1980s. Verducci vintage costume jewelry

Verducci vintage costume jewelry
Incorporated in October 1977 at the address 862 Charles Street North Providence, Rhode Island, “Verducci Creations, Inc” ceased to exist in 2002. It was a family business of Henry A. Verducci Sr. and his wife Jean Verducci (1937-2018). Innovative jewelry designer, Henry A. Verducci, Sr. has some patents registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Since 2002 he has owned Verducci Enterprises LLC jewelry company in Providence.
Fashionable handcrafted jewelry marked “Verducci” is made from gold-tone metal alloy, multicolor enamel and art glass. Most notable has become “The Verducci Designer Collection” consisting of interchangeable clips with multicolor art glass imitating natural stones. Popular in the 1980s, interchangeable jewelry has not lost its relevance today. Indeed, instead of buying several sets of ear clips, it is more convenient to change the inserts matching the color of outfit.
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B-Fox England. Anchor brooch. Sterling silver, enamel. 7 cm. 1960s. Little Known Vintage Costume Jewelry Brands

Little Known Vintage Costume Jewelry Brands
In the middle of the 20th century, the jewelry industry experienced a real boom. The Second World War, which consumed the reserves of metals, was over. The companies for the production of costume jewelry appeared one after another. However, due to the great competition, many companies quickly ceased to exist, and the short period of their existence is the main reason for their little-knownness.
Another boom in costume jewelry took place in the 1980s, when even perfume manufacturers made costume jewelry to advertise their perfume. All fashion houses, especially European ones, produced costume jewelry which became the queen of the catwalks. Among trendsetters who have shattered all snobbery about costume jewelry was Coco Chanel. According to her, stylish people wear bijoux and everyone else has to wear gold.

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