Kaleidoscope effect

Rutilated quartz and gold brooch. British jeweler John Donald (b. 1928)

British jeweler John Donald
He never planned to become a jeweler, but conquered this conservative world with his rebellious jewelry in a matter of days. John Donald’s jewelry design has become synonymous with luxury and British chic. The favorite jeweler of the British royal family, he began a new era in the history of design. His father was a professional golfer, and John chose between a sports career and an academic one, but chose the arts.
He studied for a while at Farnham Art College and planned to become a graphic designer. But in 1952 he was offered a transfer to the Faculty of Metalworking at the Royal College of Art in London. A regular visitor to the Museum of Natural History, he was one of the first to use “natural” crystals in combination with precious metals, bringing back the fashion for baroque pearls, which had long been considered “unworthy” material.
He graduated in 1955, and founded his own studio in 1960. Using gold rod and uncut crystal, he created expressive pieces which style and shape were absolutely unique. Noteworthy, brooches were the first pieces John Donald made using his innovative techniques. Thus, they launched his career as an artist-jeweller.
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Coffee cup with charms brooch pin. Made by Joseph Brinton for Jody Coyote Rose. Joseph Brinton costume jewelry

Joseph Brinton costume jewelry
Born July 18, 1957 in Portland, Oregon, Joseph R. Brinton is a talented artist, ceramist, sculptor and jewelry designer. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from Alfred University in upstate New York in 1982. After graduation, he returned to his native Portland and worked as a designer for several years. In 1993, he opened his own business, Joseph Brinton Designs, specializing in clay sculpture and design.
Over time, the designer became interested in creating jewelry. In 2012, he founded the eponymous company “Joseph Brinton Jewelry” registered at 5001 SE Brooklyn St, Portland.
Handcrafting animal and contemporary aesthetic designs (mostly earrings), he used silver-filled or 14-carat rolled gold for the hypoallergenic earpieces. A variety of materials included etched brass, copper, surgical steel, aluminium, wood, leather, glass, enamels and acrylic. The designer did not sign his jewelry and sold his creations on branded cards in boutiques and art fairs. Founded in 2012, Joseph Brinton Jewelry Company ceased to exist in 2020. Joseph Brinton has been owned by Beautiful Medusa in Oregon since 2022.
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Leaf branch matte gold tone brooch. 5.5 cm. 1990s. Atout Moment vintage costume jewelry

Atout Moment vintage costume jewelry
French jewelry brand Atout Moment, founded in 1994, has a rather short history, no more than ten years. It was the second brand launched by the Ca Commence Comme Ca jewelry company based in Gallardon, northern France. The company was owned by Monsieur Didier Thébaud, a French jewelry designer who created fashionable jewelry under his own name since 1978.
When his son Denis Michel Thebaud joined the family business, the company launched two jewelry brands. In particular, “Il Etait Une Fois” (“Once upon a time”) and “Atout Moment” (“Anytime”). Initially, the designer signed his jewelry with his full name Didier Thebaud. However, since 1994, the maker’s mark included the “Atout Moment” logo in a moon and sun square, or “Il Etait Une Fois”, or even both markings.
Traditionally, the designer used gold, brass, bronze, copper and silver. Made by hand, his collections are diverse in style and design – from ethnic to modern, from minimalism to geometric. Although Ca Commence Comme Ca, located at 1 rue de la Porte de Chartres, 28 320 Gallardon, ceased to exist in 2019, they stopped making jewelry in the early 2000s.
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Cat fishing in a bowl brooch. Gold plated, rhinestones, lucite, art glass. Patented in 1947. Anthony Originals vintage costume jewelry

Anthony Originals vintage costume jewelry
Born in Naples around 1907, the future jeweler Antonio Aquilino emigrated with his family to New York in the 1920s. Honing his skills in various jewelry workshops in New York, including Coro, he decided to start his own business. To implement original ideas under his own name, he and his family moved to the jewelry capital of the United States, Providence in 1940.
When he founded Anthony Originals in 1945, it became an instant success. The very next year, his first collection of dress clips entered the most fashionable jewelry catalogs. In 1945 and May 1946, Antonio applied for patents for his unique jewelry designs. Among them, in particular, were a dress clip and earrings “Cascade” and Peacock brooch, featured in Harper Bazaar in 1947, and “Cat fishing in a bowl” iconic brooch.
The second collection of 1948 was dedicated to refined and demanding ladies, who immediately bought it out. The collection included a special box made of thick cardboard imitating wood, and thus was more affordable than wood. In addition, the box with a mechanical lock had three levels for permanent storage of jewelry, as well as a powder case with a mirror. Upholstered in natural shimmering satin, embellished with gold leaf on a hand-applied ornament, the box was released in just two tones, with emerald green and pink jewelry glass. There is no doubt that such boxes were a valuable acquisition and a welcome gift for post-war women.
Unfortunately, Anthony Aquilino did not have time to enjoy the success and realize all his creative ideas, as he died in 1948, at the age of just over 40 years.
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Daisy flower and bee brooch. Sterling silver, enamel. Margot De Taxco silver jewelry

Margot De Taxco silver jewelry (1948-1974)
Born in New Orleans, Margot van Voorhees Carr (1896–1985) first came to Mexico in 1937. Shortly thereafter, she married the famous jeweler Don Antonio Castillo of Los Castillo. As an artist, she designed jewelry for his firm Taller de Las Delicias for 10 years, until their divorce.
In 1948, she established her own workshop in Taxco and became known as Margot de Taxco, a talented jeweler who created unique designs inspired by Art Deco, Mayan culture and Japanese art.
Thanks to Margot, many of the jewelers she taught went on to become famous silversmiths. Among them, in particular, Geronimo Fuentes, Hilario Lopez, Miguel Arias, Jaime Quiroz, Miguel Melendez and Melecio Rodgiguez.
Her clients included movie stars such as Lana Turner and John Wayne.
The company was very successful, but after a fire in the early 1960s, Margot de Taxco faced the financial difficulties and had to to sell her workshop in 1974.
The company’s craftsmen traditionally used hand-painted enamel on silver necklaces, brooches and earrings based on Margo’s watercolor drawings. Notably, she gave permission to use her design drawings after her death to several silversmiths and enamellers. She died in 1985 at the age of 89.
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Clown head 14 K gold pendant. 1980s. Signed MA vintage gold jewelry

Signed MA vintage gold jewelry
The history of the Michael Anthony Jewelers company began in 1976, when two brothers founded their own jewelry company in New York. Michael Paolerecio (b. 1951) became the company’s president and chief executive officer, and his younger brother Anthony Paolerecio (b. 1952) became chief operating officer.
The company very quickly became successful, with multi-million dollar profits and business expansion. As early as 1987, the company was manufacturing and selling its products throughout the United States. Over 10,000 retail outlets sold handmade 14K gold jewelry, mostly amulets and pendants, but also rings. Jewelry designs included religious symbols, sports, animals, zodiac signs, initials, abstract and figurative artwork.
A characteristic feature of jewelry marked with stylized letters MA was the use of diamond cut gold, giving it a sparkling effect.
The brothers sold Michael Anthony Jewelers in the late 1990s, and went into the real estate and construction business.
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Endangered species collections. Ferret. Gold plated silver pendant necklace. 1972. American jewelry designer Eugene Bertolli (1923 – 2015)

American jewelry designer Eugene Bertolli (1923 – 2015)
The Endangered Species series, created in the early 1970s, is undoubtedly one of the most significant works of the renowned jewelry designer Eugene E. Bertolli. The collection, in particular, included figurative images of animals in the thickets of the forest – an elephant, a fox, an otter, a lynx, a ferret and a mountain lion, made of sterling silver and gilding. This collection shows Eugene Bertolli as a talented artist, sculptor, jewelry designer and nature lover.
Another significant early 1970s jewelry collection was “The Dynasty”, designed by Bertolli for Napier prior to President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. Notably, Nixon was the first American president to visit mainland China. The collection included traditional Chinese symbols, from dragons to meaningful Chinese characters. This collection shows Bertolli not only as a talented designer and artist, but also as a well-educated person who graduated with honors from Latin School and College in his native Boston.
These same qualities allowed Bertolli to make a successful career in the iconic jewelry company Napier, in which he worked for almost 40 years. Joining Napier in the late 1940s, he began working under Frederick Rettenmeyer guidance, then as a chief designer, senior vice president, and finally, director of the company.
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