Signed Topazio vintage costume jewelry

Topazio vintage costume jewelry
Founded by the second generation silversmiths, Gabriel and Silvestre Ferreira Marques, the history of Topazio trademark began in 1934. Originally, Topazio was a family business founded in 1874 by their father Manuel José Ferreira Marques. His company Ferreira Marques & Irmão, located in Oporto, Portugal, became famous all over the world for its silverware. After the death of Manuel José in 1930, his sons Gabriel and Silvestre Ferreira Marques headed the company. The brothers renamed the company to Topazio after their mother’s favorite stone, topaz.
Along with table silver, the company’s craftsmen hand crafted exquisite filigree jewelry using silver, gold and enamel. The design, in addition to filigree floral decorations, included ethnic figures of people in national costumes. Embodied in pendants and charms attached to filigree bracelets and plates, these enameled pieces look fabulous.
Noteworthy, the two jewelry brands “Topazio” and “FMT Topazio” by Ferreira Marques & Irmão, Lda., registered by the US Patent Office in 1965-1967, ceased to exist in 1987 and 2002.
An exclusive creation of a bygone era, Topazio is reminiscent of the 18th-19th centuries jewelry. Called “Indo-Portuguese filigree”, such adornments first appeared in Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries, when mariners brought Chinese filigree to Portugal. Having mastered the new technique, European craftsmen began to add colored enamel, precious stones and pearls.

Signed Topazio vintage costume jewelry