1950s

  • Floral Square

    The Fashioncraft Jewelry Co. was founded by Robert Levy, David Jaffee and Irving Landsman in New York in 1942 and this is when the mark Original by Robért is first recorded. In 1951 Irving Landsman left the company and the name was changed to Robert Originals Inc.  The company’s early pieces are very reminiscent of…

  • Lemon Sprig

    This brooch is by one of the legendary designers of the 20th century and I have wanted to add to my collection for a long time.  Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Rome in 1890, her mother was an aristocrat, her father was a scholar, her brother was an astronomer and one of her cousins was…

  • Penny Farthing

    This novelty brooch depicting a Penny Farthing is by Zentall.  Robert Zentall set up Robert Zentall Inc. in 1952 with his wife Betty.  Robert was born in 1905 in Germany and his wife Betty was born in Hungary in 1915.  Betty’s brother Etienne Aigner was the luxury bag designer and founder of Aigner, which can…

  • Plate

    This is an unusual brooch as it is in fact a miniature painted plate by the ceramics manufacturer Coalport.  It was made in the 1950s.  More commonly ceramic jewellery was in the form of flowers, I spot this type of brooch regularly in charity and vintage shops.  They can be just one flower of a…

  • Pair of Skis

    This pair of skis is made of solid silver by the American company called Lang Sterling Jewellery Company which was founded in 1946 in Providence, Rhode Island. The company ceased trading in the late 1970s. These cute little skis are from the 1950s. At a time when glitz and glamour were all the rage in…

  • Orchid

    This brooch is made of silver in the form of an orchid. Bond-Boyd was established in 1940 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  It is a family firm still in operation today and still manufactures in its hometown.  Nowadays the company specialises in producing corporate jewellery; cufflinks, tie pins with company logos or symbols.  They also make…

  • Squirrel and Deer

    The brooch is marked as Georg Jensen and is regarded by people as a ‘Jensen’ brooch but in fact it was designed by Arno Malinowski (1899-1976) who worked for Georg Jensen between 1936 and 1944 and again from 1949 to 1965.  The brooch is made of solid silver and has clear markings on the back…

  • Poinsettia

    This poinsettia brooch is enamel on metal and is quite three dimensional in nature.  During December I try and wear a Christmas themed brooch most days, I like this one because it is not a tree! Legend has it that in the 16th century a young girl in Mexico called Maria too poor to provide…

  • Fan

    This Fan brooch is marked silver and ‘Siam’.  Since 1949 Siam has been called Thailand. The majority of Siamese Silver jewellery was made between 1930s and 1990s, with figures, buildings or animals depicting characters and scenes from Buddhist and Hindu tales and religious texts. Unusually for a piece of Siamese silver, my brooch depicts a…

  • Glitz & Sparkle

    It is November, so I looked through my collection for a brooch to celebrate ‘Guy Fawkes’.  Something depicting a firework or a rocket perhaps.  I ran my finger up and down my list, I searched my jewellery drawers and boxes.  Horror – it began to dawn on me, I have a gap in my collection. …