Introduction:

David Mayer’s personal collection of jewelry is featured in the first and second editions of Collecting Costume Jewelry 101. I met Dave while antiquing in his shop The Millsboro Bazaar located in Millsboro, Delaware. In the early 2000s, it was possible to walk into his shop and find an ever-changing inventory of vintage costume jewelry at affordable prices.

When Dave learned of my book project, he offered to let me borrow pieces from his personal collection. I clearly recall the day he set a large box on the counter and let me select anything I wanted to photograph. The quality jewelry I borrowed that day gave the book a strong foundation in high-end jewelry which was essential to the success of my book.

I’ve kept in touch with Dave, even after he closed the Millsboro Bazaar and retired. Recently, he offered me the opportunity to purchase pieces from his personal collection. Of course, I accepted.

When the box of Dave’s jewelry arrived, and I held the same pieces I held 20 years earlier, I started thinking about the ways collecting, researching, and valuing jewelry has changed in twenty years. Soon the idea for this article was formed.

This article showcases selections from Dave’s carefully preserved 2004 treasures with detailed photographs of the front, back, and signatures. When available updated brand information is given for each piece. For fun, my stories and Dave’s stories about the jewelry are included.

THE PAGE NUMBERS AND VALUES ARE FROM THE RED COVER 2008 SECOND EDITION OF COLLECTING COSTUME JEWELRY 101.

Boucher, Marcel

Author’s Note: In the mid 1960s my grandmother sent me a Boucher fly pin. My sister received an enamel fish. Both pieces were purchased in Topeka Kansas from a small boutique near her home. Due to this family connection Boucher is one of my favorite brands. Holding and photographing the Boucher from Dave’s collection further cemented my love for Boucher.

Dave’s Note: Many of the pieces, including the Boucher bow pin and the Boucher set were purchased in the 1990s and early 2000s from a fantastic jewelry dealer from Wilmington, DE. I bought a lot of my best pieces from her.

Book Piece 1: 1940s Marcel Boucher Sterling Bow Pin

Bow motif jewelry has been popular since the 17th century with evolving designs and symbolism. In the 1940s, due to the restrictions of the war, bow pins were made of sterling silver. At this time, they symbolized remembrance and love for those away at war.

This example features golden topaz rhinestones; however, it was produced in other colors. The faceted trapezoid-shaped stones are rare today.

Book Piece 2: Marcel Boucher Brooch and Earrings

The inventory number, 8341P dates this set to after 1965.

In addition to the Boucher name and inventory number there are small “piece” numbers visible from the back. The number “1” is by the pin stem. A number “3” is above. Other numbers including a “7” are part of each piece.

Boucher was an artist, a skilled jeweler, and a jewelry engineer who enjoyed creating mechanical designs. Possibly the numbers are a guide to assembling the brooch or they may be inventory marks for each section making it easier to reuse the sections in another design. Since the back of this set was not shown in Collecting Costume Jewelry 101, these numbers remained hidden.

For the last twenty years this set was stored in a distinctive red Ciro box. Ciro, was a well-established high-end jewelry store selling fine jewelry, cultured pearls, and top-quality costume jewelry designs. Founded in England, Ciro had a strong presence in the US and Canada.

Due to Ciro’s prominence in the jewelry world, high end costume jewelry brands including Boucher, Mazer and Trifari were sometimes sold in their stores. Occasionally signed Boucher designs are found with both the Boucher markings and the Ciro oval cartouche.

Dave’s Note: This Boucher set was in the red Ciro box when I purchased it in the 1990s to early 2000.

Author’s Note: It is unknown if this Boucher set was sold in a Ciro store, but it is interesting to note that it has been in this Ciro box for at least twenty years.

Book Piece 3: Boucher Stylized Bird Pin

Boucher is well-known for his bird pins. This stylized example is signed Boucher with the copyright symbol and inventory number 9310P indicating it made after 1965 under the leadership of talented designer Sandra Boucher and after her husband’s death.

This rare “wing-over” design imaginatively captures the illusion of flight. The shape of the bird’s head and eye are distinctively Boucher.

Author’s Note: I’ve always loved this design. I loved it 20 years ago and I love it today. I’m amazed by how effectively lines and curves are used to portray the beauty of flight. It is an example of 1960s minimalism in art that evokes emotion from simple forms without an abundance of details or deep symbolism. It is simply the JOY and miracle of flight.

Eisenberg

Book Piece 4:

The interest in collecting Eisenberg was strong in 2004 and continues to be strong today. However, the values have not greatly increased even with the publication of the book Eisenberg Originals by Sharon G. Schwartz and Laura Sutton in 2017. This is due, in part, to the current jewelry trends.

This clip was designed by Ruth Kamke between 1943 – 1948. It is a popular design that is often found in online auctions. Eisenberg is known to have used the highest quality Swarovski rhinestones. Many are premium cut stones with extra faceting. An Eisenberg brooch like this one sparkles from across the room!

Author’s Note: I have no problem wearing clips. In the 1940s, wool was a popular fabric for brown, navy blue, and black suits so a clip was easy to secure on these heavy fabrics. Today, if the fabric isn’t sturdy, a small square of felt, placed on the back side of the garment, helps to secure a weighty piece. It is sometimes a challenge to arrange the heavy piece so the felt is properly positioned, but it can be done. I’ve worn heavy clips on t-shirts with this adaptation.

Dave Mayer’s Note: In the early 1990s, shortly after opening Millsboro Bazaar, I read an advertisement for a house estate sale in Cambridge, Maryland about an hour from my home. The doors opened at 10AM. I got up early and, even though it was snowing, I drove to Maryland.

When I arrived at 8 AM there was already a line of buyers waiting, in the snow, for the sale.  At 9: 30 the estate sale agents began handing out numbers and permitting 10 to 15 people inside at a time. The estate was held at a 1920s era home that was an untouched time capsule of the 1920s complete with single bulbs to light the rooms. I first looked at the vintage clothing but didn’t buy any due to condition problems. Then I found the costume jewelry. It was not memorable except for one Eisenberg clip that I purchased for $45.00. I then drove another hour home, in the snow, with only one piece to show for my trouble!

HAR

In 2004 little was known about jewelry signed HAR. In 2008 a wonderful article titled The Mystery of Har Jewelry by Dotty Stringfield was published online at www.costumejewelrycollectors.com.

In this article Stringfield documents the research into Har’s history by Roberto Brunialti and Sue Klein. They uncovered that HAR jewelry was made by Hargo Creations, N.Y. founded in 1955 by Joseph Heibronner and his wife Edith Levitt. HAR closed after Joseph’s death in 1968.

Book Piece 5:

Many of the most famous HAR designs embrace ethnic and fantasy themes including dragons, Asian characters, and the Genie set shown below. This set was copyrighted in 1959.

The superb quality of this set is found in the thoughtful details. The back of the charm is finished with a decorative plate so the charm – that moves around when worn – is beautiful from all sides.

Note the wonderfully designed arms and hands. The bronze enamel provides the ethnic authenticity expected from a far eastern genie. The clothes are appropriate and dimensional.

The HAR signature with the copyright symbol is part of the mold.

As the Genie peers into the crystal ball his face expresses the wonder of the magic unfolding within.

This set is in excellent condition except for one easily replaced rhinestone.

Close view of the HAR signature.

Author’s Note: This set is greatly undervalued in today’s market. It is an example of mid-century jewelry at its best. It is not surprising that first-rare historians and researchers Roberto Brunialti and Susan Klein worked to solve the mystery of HAR.

Iconic jewelry representative of a time in history sometimes goes temporarily out-of-fashion, but quality, like this HAR set, is timeless and worth preserving.

Hobé

In 2004 the sterling, handmade Hobé designs were sought after by collectors, especially those designs with multiple gemstone colors. A masterpiece, like the brooch below, is a top-quality representative of Hobé’s 1940s era hand-made jewelry.

Book Piece 6:

The sterling silver “ribbons” are decorated with flowers and leaves. This detail is distinctively Hobé. Only the best designs had this feature.

The hinge and catch are carefully placed so the heavy piece hangs straight when worn.

This brooch is a variation of design patent number 138, 933 issued to William Hobé September 26, 1944.

Dave’s Note: I purchased the Hobé sterling bow and cameo bracelet, along with other pieces, at a jewelry auction in Aston, PA in the early 1990s.

Book Piece 7:

Hobé Cameo Bracelet with Original Tag

Author’s Note: I’m wearing this beauty while I write. It is stunning, elegant and comfortable. The oval-shaped center decoration is perfectly placed and balanced. The bracelet is lovely in the photograph and even better when worn.

This design is part of a group called “Roaring Twenties.” A 1957 Hobé advertisement (not shown) for this group describes the jewelry as “genuine cameos blended with pseudo gemstones…” The advertisement shows the bracelet, a brooch, and a chatelaine. The “Roaring Twenties” group is part of a line of Hobé couturier sets.

Jomaz

Book Piece 8: Jomaz Figural

Author’s Note: This Jomaz figural piece has puzzled me for over twenty years. If it was one of the seven dwarfs, as described in Collecting Costume Jewelry 101, where are the other dwarf pins? Why is the figure bowling? Why did a premier brand like Jomaz go to the trouble to produce this unusual design?

The amusing answers to these questions came by accident. While I was working on this article, I lined the jewelry I wanted to showcase, including the Jomaz pin, on a table in my office. My husband walked by and thought the Jomaz pin was adorable! I asked him if it looked like a dwarf or an elf. He said, “Neither. It is one of Henry Hudson’s men playing nine pins from Washington Irving’s story Rip Van Winkle.” Of course, he is correct!

In the story, lazy Rip Van Winkle goes into the Catskill Mountains to escape his nagging wife. He meets a man wearing old Dutch clothing and helps the man carry a keg deep into the mountains toward the sounds of thunder. The sounds, as he discovers, are not thunder but a group of men, also dressed in Dutch clothing, playing nine pins.

Rip joins them in drinking and falls asleep to awaken twenty years later. He returns to his village to discover he slept away the important events in his life. He missed the American Revolution, his wife is long dead, and his children are grown. He soon learns that he wasted his life drinking with the ghosts of Henry Hudson’s mutinous crew!

Moral: Pay attention to the people and events in your life rather than dream your time away.

The legend of Rip Van Winkle has been a favorite since its publication in 1819. This popularity continued in the 1960s when in 1965 a popular cartoon show, The Flintstones, aired an episode called “Rip Van Flintstone”.

In cartoon versions and some children’s books, the bowlers are often depicted as mischievous elf-like characters.

Dave’s Note: This piece was a bit expensive. I bought it from a wonderful Wilmington jewelry dealer in the 1990s – early 2000s.

Ledo

Book Piece 9: Wide Ledo Art Deco Bracelet

Ledo is an early brand of the Leading Jewelry Co. founded by Ralph Polcini in 1911. In 1963 the company was renamed Polcini Manufacturing Company so most jewelry produced after 1963 is signed Polcini.

Author’s Note:

My personal favorite jewelry designs are yellow gold with clear crystals probably because my favorite fine jewelry designs are yellow 14 or 18K gold with diamonds. In 2004 when I first saw this piece in Dave’s collection, I made the decision to try to find it online and purchase it. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. I’m thrilled and grateful Dave gave me the opportunity to add this piece to my collection.

The asking price for Ledo bracelets of this quality vary greatly online. Currently the asking price for wide Ledo bracelets is between $225.00 and $300.00. There are no sold bracelets of this quality at this time. Perhaps it is my personal affection for this piece, but I believe the value of this beautiful Ledo design in gold is $400.00 and perhaps more to the right buyer.

Panetta

Book Piece 10: Modernist Panetta Pin/Pendant

Panetta jewelry was founded by Benedetto Panetta in 1945. Benedetto trained with Trifari as a model maker and later with Pennino before starting his own business. Panetta jewelry was always high-quality and expensive. The company remained under his direction until his death in the 1960s. His sons then continued the business until the 1980s when it was sold.

Author’s Note: Panetta designs seamlessly incorporate modernist, brutalist and classical design elements.

This Panetta brooch has a large bail so it can be worn as a necklace.

Schiaparelli

Book Piece 11: Schiaparelli Earrings, Unsigned Necklace

Author’s Note: The earrings and necklace shown below are featured on page 271 of Collecting Costume Jewelry101. In the 2004 book, they are described as a matching set. It was common knowledge at the time that Schiaparelli did not sign all of the pieces in a set, so it was a reasonable assumption. However, we know today that the unsigned necklace is likely NOT Schiaparelli.

Dave’s Note: I purchased this set in the 1990s – early 2000s. The earrings and necklace were together at that time. I did not put marriages together.

This necklace is the work of a “mystery” brand. In the jewelry world this unsigned mystery brand has been attributed to Kafin, Schiaparelli, and even Dior. Hopefully, one day the source of these designs will be uncovered.

Selro/Selini

Book Piece 12: Selro NOH Mask Set

In 2004 when Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 was first published, little was known about jewelry signed Selro/Selini. Today thanks to two articles by Susan Klein, we have more information.

Selro Corp was founded by a Russian immigrant Paul Selenger in the late 1940s – 1970s. Selenger had a factory in New York City in the 1950s – 1960s and perhaps another location in Providence, Rhode Island. Jewelry signed Selini and Selro were produced at the same time and some pieces have both signatures.

Selro/Selini jewelry is often unsigned. Some clues to unsigned jewelry include a herringbone chain and distinctive back construction.

Information from: Two articles by Susan Klein titled Selro & Selini Jewelry Unmasked and Selro & Selini Jewelry: Styles and Findings. Both articles can be found on the Costume Jewelry Collectors International site, www.costumejewelrycollecors.com

“NOH”, meaning skill or talent, is an ancient form of Japanese theatre. Masks, dance, and drama are combined to tell the story. The design shown below is a Noh mask for an actor portraying an old man.

The lariat style necklace features a herringbone chain with a working slide, so the length of the necklace is adjustable. A matching bracelet was also made (not shown).

All pieces, including the plastic insert, are signed Selro Corp. with the copyright symbol.

Other brands, including Coro produced NOH designs; however, Selro/Selini is the most widely collected.

Author’s Note: The most recognizable Selro jewelry designs are their “face” pieces including the NOH mask set shown here, the Thai Girl jewelry, Egyptian designs, and the African pieces. However, Selro also produced a variety of sets with wide bracelets decorated with interesting plastic inserts.

Trifari

Book Piece 13: Trifari Maharajah Emerald Rhinestone Necklace

This necklace dates to 1957 and is part of a selection of Trifari designs called Maharajah. Other pieces were made including a bracelet, two earring styles, and a brooch. Jewelry from this set has been found in other colors including ruby.

This beauty is slightly under 14″ including the hook and extension chain. When worn it sits directly below the collar bone.

Author’s Note: Two pieces from the 1957 Maharajah group, differing greatly in design from the emerald necklace, are shown on page 65 of Collecting Costume Jewelry 101. I purchased the pin and bracelet from Dave’s Bazaar many years ago. Since then, I collected additional pieces from that group. All of the pieces shown below are from the Maharajah collection. (Black diamond jewelry is challenging to photograph. In person, the black diamond rhinestone jewelry is elegant.)

Vendôme

Book Piece 14: Vendôme Hand-made “ruffle” set

In 1944, Coro started the Vendôme division specializing in pearls and beads. It was a high-end line using quality materials and hand-strung designs. The head designer for the beaded Vendôme jewelry was Helen Marion. When pearls and beads were no longer popular Florence Marr designed non-beaded Vendôme sets.

This design was made in several color combinations and in both round and oval shapes. The construction consists of hand-strung elements and metal findings.

The faceted beads in this design are sometimes called “pagoda crystal” due to the shape. They can easily be strung into a circle or a fan shape. In this color, they are called “Wisteria Pagoda Crystal” beads.

Author’s Note: My daughter loves this ruffle design, so it is going into her growing collection. Beautiful Vendôme designs, like this set, are timelessly lovely.

Conclusion:

While working on this article, I loved looking back on the jewelry treasures that formed the foundation of my collecting passion. The growth of information in the collecting field is exponential today due to the power of the internet. Of course, the growth of misinformation is also exponential. I wonder, twenty years from now in 2044, how collecting costume jewelry will have changed. I truly believe, well-made expertly designed jewelry treasures, carefully preserved, will remain relevant.