Phyllis Originals jewelry was made by M. & S. Manufacturing Co., Inc. located in Providence, Rhodes, Island and dates from the mid 1940s through the early 1960s. (M. & S. Manufacturing also produced jewelry signed Scitarelli.)
After the end of World War II large costume jewelry companies grew to meet the demands for costume jewelry from a prosperous post World War II population. Even though major brands like Coro expanded their production, the demand for costume jewelry was so great many smaller companies, like M. & S. Manufacturing, found room to prosper.
Under the brand name Phyllis Originals, M. & S. Manufacturing produced three types of costume jewelry: sterling jewelry sets (often in the art deco style), jewelry plated with 1/20 12K gold, and rhodium plated designs. The Phyllis Originals jewelry of this era was well-made and appealing.
A Phyllis Originals brochure reveals the M. & S. advertising slogan: “More than ever…Beautiful as an Orchid”.
The four beautiful gold filled 1/20 12K designs featured in the brochure are the most easily found designs in the collectible market today.
With so many small manufacturing companies, competition was strong. For example, Phyllis jewelry with 1/20 12K GF plating was in competition with Krementz jewelry with 14K gold overlay plating. Krementz was sold boxed in recognizable white and gold Krementz boxes.
To compete and to stand out in boutiques, Phyllis jewelry was sold in a variety of beautiful display boxes that helped the stores market the jewelry as lovely, prepackaged gifts.
The following Phyllis Originals set was found in its original faux burgundy velvet, metal-framed display box. (The earrings are missing but would have likely mirrored the “checkerboard” design of the necklace and bracelet.)
The clasps, located near the safety chains, are hidden when closed.
The abundance of advertisements in the 1954 Jewelers’ Buyers Guide for decorative jewelry display boxes provide further evidence of the popularity of boxed jewelry in the 1950s. A box company, Diamond Creations, spent advertising dollars to include SIX pages in the guide showcasing their boxes! Three of the pages are scanned below.
The lovely Phyllis Originals box adds to the marketability of this set.
The stones in this set are high-quality in shape and sparkle. The caliber of this set rivals that of some boxed Coro sets from the era.
The necklace is too short to easily slip over the head, so the chain is designed to easily unclip from the slide. Then the necklace can be wrapped around the neck. The slide, once refastened, moves along the chains for quick easy adjustments.
This set is one of my favorite Phyllis designs. The necklace fits an average size neck and features the typical Phyllis Originals slide clasp. The pendant-style earrings are 1 3/4″ in length.
The plating color is unusual. The surrounding rhinestones reflect the light onto the shiny metal adding to the unusual color and high-level of sparkle to the design.
M. & S. Manufacturing was gone by the early 1960s. It is unknown why. Perhaps the small business couldn’t adapt to the rapidly changing fashions, the refinements in manufacturing techniques, or the popularity of 1960s cast jewelry with art-glass stones. Krementz jewelry survived, Coro survived, Trifari survived; however, many small manufacturers like M. & S. Manufacturing did not.
I hope you enjoyed this look back at Phyllis Originals. The jewelry is limited in quantity in the collectible market today but affordable considering the care that was taken in its design, construction, and marketing. In my opinion, Phyllis Originals is one of the better quality 1950s era boxed jewelry brands. Certainly, the boxes are wonderful!
Happy Collecting,
Love,
Julie