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Swoboda vintage jewellery

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Vintage brooch made as the gentle bouquet of natural jade and coral. Marked Swoboda

Galina Karputina collection. Brooch gentle bouquet of natural jade and coral. Swoboda vintage jewellery

Swoboda vintage jewellery
Edward Swoboda (1917–2013) created his company in 1956 in Los Angeles and called it by his name. He sold his jewelry at Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods of London, Neiman Marcus, and featured in showrooms in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Once, Nancy Reagan commissioned Edward Swoboda to make his fabulous gemstone trees as gifts to governors. Besides, he was a favorite jewelry designer of many Hollywood stars.
Meanwhile, Edward and his wife often traveled to South America. From there he organized a continuous supply of semi-precious stones for his jewelry lines. Edward was a talented designer, and his education gave him the opportunity to understand perfectly the stones, that’s why the company was gaining momentum. In his collections Swoboda used freshwater pearls, gold leaf, a variety of semi-precious stones and unique design. This has always distinguished decorations by Swoboda, despite the fact that jewelry was not marked on the metal stigma until 1966. The product generally contained the company’s name on the cardboard tag of jewelry.

Swoboda vintage jewellery

Vintage Brooch marked Swoboda

Edward Swoboda was born 30 November 1917 in Oakland, California. His father, Henry Swoboda, was a telephone engineer for the Central Oil Company. His mother, Wilma, was a storekeeper. Before he was a teenager, the collecting instinct had kicked in and he was always after his father to take him on field trips to collect minerals.

Swoboda vintage jewellery

Flower brooch, jewelry alloy, gold plated, flowers made of natural semiprecious stones, and cultured pearls. 5,3x4,5 cm

Flower brooch, jewelry alloy, gold plated, flowers made of natural semiprecious stones, and cultured pearls. 5,3×4,5 cm

Although the business at the LaPeer Drive location in Beverly Hills was successful for many years, the most successful of all was the hiring of two sisters from Korea. One of them – Kum Ja, became his wife. The couple lived happily together forty-eight years. Edward and Kum had two children, Bryan and Sumiya, and four grandchildren, who later became interested in minerals.

Maker's mark

Maker’s mark

Heraldic brooch

Heraldic brooch

Owl brooch decorated with a gold mesh with natural turquoise stones. Owl eyes – two natural cabochon garnet. Ears decorated with natural pearls. Galina Karputina collection

Owl brooch decorated with a gold mesh with natural turquoise stones, eyes – garnet, Ears decorated with natural pearls. Galina Karputina collection

Made of Jade and Pearl brooch

Made of Jade and Pearl brooch

Tree brooch

Tree brooch

Turquoise peacock, brooch

Turquoise peacock, brooch

Refined, rare brooch Tree made of alloy jewelry, gold and semi-precious stones – jade and rose quartz

Tree brooch. Gold, jade and rose quartz

Dew-washed brooch. Jewelry alloy with gold. Five petals decorated with corals, the center of the flower – small jewel, and beryl ‘pretending’ leaves

Dew-washed brooch. Gold plated, corals, beryl

Basket of Turquoise Flowers

Basket of Turquoise Flowers

Bird in the nest brooch

Bird in the nest brooch

A clown walks. Jewelry alloy, coating with gold. Figure and costume of clown decorated with semiprecious stones: jade, turquoise, rhodonite, amethyst, carnelian and cacholong

A clown walks. Gold plated, jade, turquoise, rhodonite, amethyst, carnelian and cacholong

Jade Buddha Brooch

Buddha jade brooch

Jade Vase with Flowers

Jade Vase with Flowers

Bamboo branch brooch

Bamboo branch brooch

Flower in a pot brooch

Flower in a pot brooch

Fly with natural stones (garnets, jadeite, and pearls)

Fly with natural stones (garnets, jadeite, and pearls)

Large brooch with natural stone rhodochrosite and cultured pearls

Rhodochrosite and cultured pearls brooch

Wild berry brooch, vintage

Wild berry brooch, vintage

Fish brooch, jade and pearls

Fish brooch, jade and pearls

Signature

Signature