Kaleidoscope effect

Delphine Nardin vintage costume jewelry

Delphine Nardin vintage costume jewelry
Bold in design, these earrings are striking in their textured surface, massiveness and relevance, although they were made in the 1990s.
Parisian self-taught jeweler founded her own trademark Delphine Nardin in 1989. The same year she created her first pieces, and now her works decorate the Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Before becoming a jeweler, Dolphin Nardin worked in geology and archeology gaining knowledge in the field of gemmology. An artist by vocation and nature, she saw beauty in the forms of stones, shells, sea glass and was later able to express this in her jewelry decorations. Handcrafted, they are unique and unlike any other designer. Minimalism in her jewelry is the desire of the jeweler to extract beauty from natural simplicity through experiments. According to Nardin, experimentation went from one to the other, and in the end, the materials shaped her style.
Traditionally the designer used metal alloys of gold and silver tone, sometimes gold plating and sterling silver. All items have a distinctive stamp on the back side – square frame with “Delphine Nardin Paris” in capital letters inside it.
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Leaf brooch. 835 sterling silver. 7.5 cm. Signed Teka vintage costume jewelry

Signed Teka vintage costume jewelry
The talented German jewelry designer Theodor Klotz founded his trademark Teka in 1939 in Pforzheim (jewelry capital of Germany).
Jewelry designs of this brand include various styles – from florals in the 1940s to modernist and abstract in the 1950s and 60s. Also, very popular were decorations in minimalism style, undoubtedly progressive in the 1970s. A fan of this style was Kevin Klein, who argued that minimalism is not a trend, but a lifestyle.
The markings on the back of the pieces include the word “teka” enclosed in a triangle and sometimes the fineness of silver – 835 or 925. Also, “handarbeit” (handmade) and “Laurin” (used from 1934 to 1938 as a guarantee of quality) signs.
Traditionally, the jewelers of this company used 830 or 925 sterling silver, less often gold and gilding. Along with rhinestones and crystals, the craftsmen used natural stones, such as zirconium, agate, amethyst, quartz, coral, etc.
Theodor Klotz’s firm ceased to exist in the late 1970s. High quality hand-made vintage Teka jewelry is collectible, the price of which will increase every year.
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Medusa Head drop clip on earrings. 14 K gold. 1990s. Gianni Versace vintage costume jewelry

Gianni Versace vintage costume jewelry
The history of Versace jewelry began in the 1990s. In addition to the eponymous brand with Medusa logo, Gianni Versace SRL owned “Vanitas” (2008-2018) jewelry trademark.
Italian fashion designer Giovanni Maria Versace (2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was born and raised in Calabria region. The region from the VIII century BC e. and up to the III century BC. e. belonged to the Greeks, who left behind several significant cultural monuments. The influence of ancient culture is read in many of Versace’s collections.
Most Versace jewelry for women is easily recognizable by the brand’s characteristic decorative motifs. For example, greek patterns and the Gorgon Medusa, first used in 1992.
The famous Versace logo depicts the moment of her transformation from a beautiful woman to a monster. Versace is one of the few designers who chose such a complex drawing as the logo. But largely thanks to this image, Medusa has become as iconic as the founder of the brand himself.
According to Versace, anyone who fell in love with Medusa could not forget about her. The same magnetic effect his statement brooches, earrings and necklaces make on the owners of his decorations.
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Garden flower brooch. Pewter. Signed Rune Tennesmed vintage costume jewelry

Rune Tennesmed vintage costume jewelry
20th century Swedish jewelry designer Rune Carlsson (1929-2011) used pseudonym Tennesmed, which reflects his profession and literally means “pewter smith” in Swedish. Accordingly, he named his company “Rune Tennesmed”, as he worked primarily with pewter.
Carlsson is internationally recognized as one of the most significant Scandinavian artists of the mid-20th century for reviving old traditions. After graduating in art, he began his career working as an interior designer and decorator. However, he soon became interested in puter art, and began to master the art of forging metals in the workshop of Erik Fransson’s Art-Tin.
After training, in 1952 he opened his own workshop, Rune Tennesmed AB, where, among other things, he hand crafted jewelry from pewter, silver, copper, brass, as well as wood and glass. Noteworthy, the master made his own puter – from alloys of tin, copper and other components.
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Gingko tree rectangular brooch. 1950s. Wendell August Forge vintage costume jewelry

Wendell August Forge vintage costume jewelry

One of the oldest American companies, WAF manufactures jewelry from various hand-forged metals. The history of the company began in 1923 in Brockway, Pennsylvania. Its founder, Wendell McMinn August (1885-1963), after the closure of his mine began to engage in blacksmithing. Useful household metal crafts, ennobled by grinding and engraving, were in demand far beyond the state. Moreover, WAF was able to expand its business during the Great Depression and during the Second World War.
Since jewelry made of pewter, copper, aluminum and bronze successfully competed with items made of silver and gold, in the 1930s-1950s, the company completely switched to the manufacture of jewelry and decorative utensils.
Gradually, gold plated and silver items appeared in the catalogs of the company, as well as items made of leather and glass of their own production. Noteworthy, each piece is unique and individual, as it is still handcrafted by high-class artists and craftsmen.
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Fish necklace and brooch. Matte gold tone, enamel. 1980s. Signed AFJ American Fashion Jewels Inc

Signed AFJ American Fashion Jewels Inc

Founded in South San Francisco, California, American Fashion Jewels, Inc. produced costume jewelry marked “AFJ” for less than a decade, from 1985 till 1994. Noteworthy, the company officially registered AFJ trademark only 13 September 1991.
Traditionally, the craftsmen of this company used gold tone metal alloy, rhinestones, art glass imitating precious stones and multicolor enamel. Also, they signed each decoration with the marking that included an oval frame with three capital letters AFJ enclosed within it.
Noteworthy, there is another company “Amber Fine Jewelry Corp.”, based in New York that labeled their products with the same three letters and operated around the same time. However, the hallmark of this company differs in the shape of the letters and the rectangular frame that encloses those letters.
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Nativity Christmas brooch of gold and silver tone. 4.5 cm. 1980s. Signed MJ vintage costume jewelry

Signed MJ vintage costume jewelry
Most likely, the initials MJ stand for Marie Jennifer, an owner of the company that produced costume jewelry from 1978 to 1999 in Providence, RI.
Traditionally, MJ craftsmen made decorations from alloys of silver or gold tone metals, possibly plated with gold or silver, but never made from silver or gold. And there are no markings indicating silver or gold on jewelry. Moreover, very often this is a combination of two alloys in one piece. There is one more feature of the jewelry of this company – many decorations can be used both as brooches and pendants. Also, the jewelers of this company often used multi-colored enamels and rarely used stones. The motifs include traditional American holidays – Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and classic designs. Vintage costume jewelry of this brand, which operated during the 1970-1990s is collectible.
Noteworthy, there are several companies in the vintage jewelry market that sign their products with two letters MJ. However, the marking on the back of the products, which consists of only two letters, nevertheless differs from the markings of the same name from other manufacturers. In particular, the markings of the decorations highlighted in this publication are two capital letters inside a rectangular frame. In addition, both letters are capitalized and printed. While the marking of products from other manufacturers is either without a frame, or j is small, or in capital, but without an upper dash.

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