Kaleidoscope effect

Oval shaped Black enamel gold plated knight brooch. 1980s. Burberrys London vintage costume jewelry (1982-1990)

Burberrys London vintage costume jewelry
An English manufacturer of luxury apparel, accessories and perfumery, the Burberry’s brand has a long and illustrious history. The founder of the brand was 21 year-old Thomas Burberry, the inventor of gabardine, who registered his company in 1856. Originally, the company produced clothing, footwear and headgear.
Burberry’s Limited Liability Company first registered their trademark “Burberrys’ B Prorsum” with the Equestrian Knight Logo in 1909. The Latin word “Prorsum” means “forwards”, the equestrian stands for purity, nobleness and honor, and the shield visualizes protection. The black color on the Burberry logo represents strength and durability.
Noteworthy, the company began manufacturing pocket watches, costume jewelry, bracelets, cufflinks and tie pins only in 1982. The craftsmen traditionally signed their pieces with “Burberrys” and sold them on original Burberrys cards with the same Equestrian Knight Logo. Produced until 1990, these jewelry pieces are no longer available in stores. The new brand name “Burberry” (without “s”) appeared in 1999, and Fabien Baron, the company’s art director, has designed a new logo.
Read more »

Cowgirl dancer vintage brooch. Sterling silver, faux pearl face, rhinestones. 1940s. DeWees vintage costume jewelry

DeWees vintage costume jewelry
Traditionally, DeWees craftsmen made unique jewelry by hand using sterling silver, gold plating, faux pearls, crystals, rhinestones and art glass. Jewelry markings included DeWees NY and Sterling, or simply DeWees. A former designer of the iconic jewelry company Trifari, DeWees lasted no more than a decade, between the 1930s and 40s. During the Second World War, when there were restrictions on the use of precious and semi-precious metals, many small jewelry companies were closed. DeWees also ceased to exist and its founder returned to Trifari, where he worked until his retirement in the 1960s. According to other sources, DeWees produced costume jewelry in the 1950s and 60s.
Undoubtedly, the exquisite jewelry of this mystic and rare brand is desirable for any collector or a connoisseur of vintage jewelry.
Many collectors believe that Trifari jewelry of the 1930s and 1960s, is one of the finest jewelry ever made. The company, where Alfred Philippe was the chief designer for many years, also employed other top-notch designers. In particular, Alfred Spaney, Norman BelGeddes, Bennetto Panetta, Joseph Wuyts, Marcella Saltz, Diane Love, Jean Paris, and later designers. One of these designers was the founder of Dewees, but to find it out is very difficult, since there is no evidence of company registration or DeWees patents.
Read more »

Rose bud leaf brooch. Natural flower, silver, 24 K gold plated. 5 cm. 1970. Brodrene Bjorklund BrdrB silver jewelry

Brodrene Bjorklund BrdrB silver jewelry
Undoubtedly, Danish silverware is famous for its beauty and grace. Many of the most remarkable silversmiths, whose names are widely known in the world, created jewelry worthy of museums. Among them are Bernhard Hertz (1834-1909), Hans Hansen (1884-1940), Volmer Bahner (1912-1995), Henning Kopel (1918-1981), Georg Jensen (1866-1935), and many others. The Brødrene Bjorklund (Brdr.B) workshop, founded by the trained silversmiths, also contributed to the development of Danish silverwork. By the way, brødrene from Danish is “brothers”.

Traditionally, jewelers hand-crafted jewelry in an innovative modernist style using sterling silver, enamel, mother of pearl, and semi-precious stones. The Brodrene Bjorklund workshop, opened in Copenhagen in 1961, ceased to exist in 1971. Naturally, the quality products of this company are highly collectible.

Read more »

Bird Peace dove brooch. Hand carved Mother-of-pearl. 3 cm. 1970s. Signed Bethlehem mother-of-pearl jewelry

Signed Bethlehem mother-of-pearl jewelry
This stunning brooch is an example of the traditional Palestinian art of mother-of-pearl carving dating back to the 14th century. Hand carved by highly skilled artisans of Bethlehem, this 1970s brooch is marked “Beth-lehem”.
Today, mother-of-pearl is used in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes to make iridescent handmade items, such as crosses, souvenirs and jewelry. One of the most famous mother-of-pearl carvers and jewelry designers of the mid-century was Gregory Zugby, whose workshop ceased to exist in 1973.
Undoubtedly, mined in coastal waters, mother-of-pearl was a cheap, affordable and beautiful material for creating cult objects, souvenirs and jewelry. A school of mother-of-pearl carving was opened in Jerusalem in the middle of the 19th century. Pilgrimage literature describes bazaars and workshops where the locals created and sold magnificent examples of church arts and crafts. Over the next 100 years, the industry has developed to provide pilgrimage and tourist markets with rosary beads, crosses, small icons, boxes, holy book covers, and jewelry.
Read more »

Two frogs gold tone, rhinestones brooch. 6 cm. 1980s. Judith Mullen vintage costume jewelry

Judith Mullen vintage costume jewelry
Born in New Jersey in 1938, Judith Woracek is a talented New York-based illustrator, writer, anthropologist, and jewelry designer.
In 1959, Judith graduated from Vassar College, where she studied anthropology. An artist by vocation, she has always been interested in painting, creativity, and jewelry. After graduating from college, she worked in a variety of roles, from art director to magazine illustrator.
Her first husband, Thomas Donald Barry (1936 – 2014), with whom she had lived for ten years, was a writer and publicist. She was then known as Judith Woracek Barry. The second marriage to documentary film editor and maker John P. Mullen lasted from 1976 until his death in 2008. In the 1980s, a mother of four children, Judith began creating her author’s costume jewelry under the name Judith Woracek Mullen. Her company Judith W Mullen Designs, was located at 224 West 35th Street 805 New York, NY 10001. Decorations created in the 1980s are museum-worthy pieces of art. Handicraft, unique design, high quality workmanship and limited quantity make these vintage pieces highly collectible.
Read more »

Peacock feather enameled cuff bracelet and pierced earrings. 1980s. David Kuo vintage costume jewelry

David Kuo vintage costume jewelry
Los Angeles, California based renowned enamel artist and owner of Kuos Jewelry, David D. Kuo (born 1950), created unique handmade jewelry from the 1980s and 1990s. Wearable art, his products were sold in expensive department stores, high end boutiques, and art galleries, such as the Smithsonian Museum. Traditionally, the designer marked his bracelets, earrings and necklaces with “Champleve David Kuo” scrawled on the back.
Based on cloisonné enamel, his “Champleve” enameling technique is innovative. Foil is placed under the translucent enamel, which gives the product an iridescent shine. The designer learned this technique from his father, renowned artist Ming Kuo (b. 1918). The Kuo family has perfected and modernized ancient techniques to create their own unique designs and colors. Also, for necklaces the designer used natural stones and art glass. Noteworthy, each piece of David Kuo jewelry is unique, where no two pieces of jewelry are exactly the same. Kuo’s jewelry is very popular with fans and vintage jewelry collectors all over the world.

Read more »

Angel and lady brooch. 18 K gold, diamonds, pearls. 1993. Doris Panos DP fine jewelry

Doris Panos DP fine jewelry
Established in Melville, New York, fine jewelry company “DP Doris Panos Designs, LTD” was active from 1993 until 2016. Noteworthy, registered by her one more jewelry company “Doris Panos” at Port Washington, NY 11050, is still active.
As a schoolgirl, Panos began studying jewelry making at her relative’s factory. Next, she studied business and marketing at New York’s St. John’s University. While a student, she became interested in gemmology, the science dealing with natural gemstone. Also, she expanded her knowledge of the gemstone market and retail, which became useful in her future business.
In the mid-1980s, she worked at Saks Fifth Avenue, giving seminars and training for salespeople. A few years later, in 1993, she founded her own company, Doris Panos Designs, Ltd. Her first boutique on Long Island appeared in 2007, followed by several boutiques around the world. Panos’s designer collections, which use diamonds, precious and semi-precious stones, have been appreciated. So, in 1997 and 1998 she received the JA Jewel award, in 1999 the AGTA award and the Town & Country / Harper’s Bazaar Couture 1999 for the best pearl design.
According to Doris, her creations are for “The Woman Who Dares to Be Different”.
Read more »