Kaleidoscope effect

Basket of flowers brooch. Sterling silver, glass cabochon, rhinestones. Julio Marsella Marner vintage costume jewelry

Julio Marsella Marner vintage costume jewelry
Originally, Ralph Neri and Julio Marsella founded the Marner Jewelry Company in 1946. Located on Empire Street in Providence, Rhode Island, the company occupied three small rooms above the windows of the Harris Furs store. However, Neri soon left the company and Julio became the sole owner of the business.
Julio’s organizational skills and talent allowed him to expand the business and make the company prosperous. The company moved to the second and third floors of the Westminster building at 43 Hospital Street, just opposite Coro. The Marner craftsmen worked hard on the production of jewelry, and in 1953 the company moved to a large factory on Harris Avenue.
Traditionally, the markings included Jewels by Julio, or Julio Marsella, or Marner. Noteworthy, although they labeled some pieces “Marner”, most of their decorations were created for such well-known jewelry companies as Hobe, Hattie Carnegie, Kramer and others.
Unfortunately, the mid-1950s saw a downturn in business that affected all Providence jewelry manufacturers, including Marner. Julio was unable to pay taxes and payments to creditors, so he was forced to close the company in 1957. Despite Julio attempting to save his business by picking orders in New York City, local authorities did not allow him to enter the factory. It was the end of Julio Marsella’s jewelry business, as he opened a small shop selling metal figurines and paperweights.
Read more »

A pair of gold tone faux pearl earrings. 24 K gold filled. 1980s. Dominique Aurientis vintage costume jewelry

Dominique Aurientis vintage costume jewelry

Born in 1953 in Aix-en-Provence, Dominique Aurientis is a famous French fashion designer. She founded her own accessories and fashion jewelry brand “Dominique Aurientis” in 1986. Aurientis graduated from La Sorbonne University of Paris. Having started her career in the Dior atelier, Dominique Aurientis then improved her skills moving on to the other no less iconic fashion houses. In particular, Chanel, Givenchy, Lavin, Ferragamo, Pucci and Celine.
Thanks to her high quality artisan crafted intricate designs, she became known throughout the world. Her rich important statement pieces are always innovative. This French jewelry designer has a vast international customer base and offers her products in high end stores, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Harrods and others.
Read more »

Multilevel Flower Brooch. Black metals alloy, crystals. 7 cm. 1990s. Joan Boyce vintage costume jewelry

Joan Boyce vintage costume jewelry
The history of JB jewelry began 50 years ago, when Joan Boyce made her first designs in the 1970s. She began her career in a boutique on the eastern end of Long Island, where she had worked for several years. Noteworthy, she became recognized one of the top designers even before opening her own boutique on Saks Fifth Avenue. Her impeccable taste and innate ability to select unique jewelry for the client’s taste and dynamism determined further success. Now many celebrities prefer to buy this jewelry in her boutiques located in the most prestigious areas.
According to Joan, every day is a special occasion to wear jewelry and enjoy. It is worth looking at the photo of Joan herself or the interior of her boutiques and you immediately understand how cheerful she is. She collects jewelry from all over the world and embodies the most beautiful in her jewelry.
Traditionally, the designer creates multi-level flower brooches using diamond-cut crystals, alloy of black metals, glass cabochons, cultured pearl, and rhinestones.
Noteworthy, since 1990s her ornaments have hallmark JB China.
Read more »

Floral design pendant. Gold tone metal, enamel, lucite. 1960s. Emanuel Ungaro vintage costume jewelry

Emanuel Ungaro vintage costume jewelry
Renowned French couturier and founder of the fashion house Emanuel Ungaro passed away on December 21, 2019. A student of Balenciaga, an adherent of sensual fashion, he was also the author of designer costume jewelry.
Many celebrities, TV presenters, judges and simply fashionable women wore his jewelry, wanting to emphasize their style. Besides, he was one of favorite couturiers of Catherine Deneuve and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The Ungaro family moved from Italy to southern France shortly before the birth of Emanuel (the second of six children), in 1933, fleeing the fascist regime of Mussolini. His father was a tailor, so the boy helped in the atelier from childhood.
22 year-old Ungaro moved to Paris, and three years later, in 1958, he became a student of Cristobal Balenciaga, one of the main stars of the fashion world in Paris and around the world.
Opening his fashion house in 1965, Ungaro declared that he would “design clothes for women of this era.” His popularity peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, with the opening of a boutique in New York in 1977. Along with the clothing, he designed accessories and, in particular, costume jewelry. Made with high quality, using the best materials, this jewelry is highly collectible now. Traditionally, the designer used gold filling, cabochons, faux pearls and enamel.
Read more »

Faberge Egg brooch. Gold plated, lucite, faux pearls, rhinestones, enamel. Signed Jackie Orr vintage costume jewelry

Signed Jackie Orr vintage costume jewelry
Beautiful and outwardly young woman, the talented Canadian jewelry designer Jacqueline Joyce Orr is turning 85 this fall! Born in 1935 and raised on a farm, Orr knew from childhood that rural life was not for her. She dreamed of living in the city, and her dream came true.
A native of Hamilton, Orr began operations in Burlington in 1960 with her first store on Brant and Caroline Streets. Her success in textiles peaked when she co-founded FabricLand in Toronto in the late 1960s. Then, she moved to Florida, where she had lived from 1972 to 1988. She designed knitted sweaters and sold them in high-end stores, such as Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales and Gucci. In addition to creating her own designer clothes, she began to create accessories and costume jewelry.
A successful businesswoman, Jackie returned to Canada in 1988 and opened the JJ Orr company on Old Lakeshore Road, Burlington.
Remarkably, Jackie has been creating high quality costume jewelry with her own unique design style for over 60 years! Traditionally, she used sterling silver, gold filling and rhodium plating, as well as Swarovski crystals, enamel and rhinestones. According to Jackie, you won’t last 60 years in business if the products you sell are not of the best quality and workmanship. Indeed, one cannot but agree with this statement.
Read more »

Gorgeous Maltese cross pendant. Multicolor enamel, 24 K gold plated pearl cabochons, late 1970s. Signed Escada vintage costume jewelry

Escada vintage costume jewelry
It is not often in the fashion world that a company is named after a racehorse. This is exactly what happened with the Escada International Fashion Concern, founded in Munich in 1976 by the Ley spouses – Swedish model Margaretha and young entrepreneur Wolfgang. Since the founding of the company, Margaretha has dealt with the creative side of the business, and Wolfgang has been dealing with financial and organizational matters.
Traditionally, the masters of this European brand used gold-tone metal alloy, sometimes 24K gold plating, lucite, crystals, artificial pearls, rhinestones and enamels of various colors to create jewelry.
Today the company specializes in the production of fashionable clothing, mainly sportswear, as well as footwear and accessories – belts, sunglasses, key rings, etc. The company, which actively worked in the production of costume jewelry in the late 1970s and early 1990s, now does not produce costume jewelry at all. This happened due to Margaretha Ley’s death in 1992.
Read more »

Shoot for the moon brooch. Pewter of bronze tone, rhinestones. 1980s. 5.2 cm. Patricia Darling Dash DD costume jewelry

Patricia Darling Dash DD costume jewelry
The DD hallmark stands for Darling Dash, designed by Patricia Dash, who has created a series of inspirational costume brooches from the 1970s to the 2000s. Each brooch has a greeting card with wishes, poems or quotes that convey a positive message. For example “Let fears slip away, let Peace and Joy replace them. Believe in Life, Love and Yourself as you create your own reality and the rest of your existence.” In addition, each piece of jewelry is carefully packed in a box with a transparent “window”, which makes it an excellent ready-made gift for family or friends. When creating these brooches, Patricia traditionally used pewter with a gold or silver tone, as well as enamel, rhinestones and crystals.
Unfortunately, there is practically no information about the designer, except the fact that in 2007, the license for Patricia Dash products belonged to More Partners LLC, located in China.

Read more »