HOLLYCRAFT

Hollywood Jewelry Mfg. Co., Inc.: Trademark HOLLYCRAFT

1936 – 1978/1979 The company was sold and continued under new ownership until the late 1980s.

The Hollywood Manufacturing Company was founded by Armenian immigrant Joseph Chorbajian. He was the primary designer and remained with his company until it was sold. In 1939 he was joined by cousins Jack Hazard and Archie Chorbajian.

HOLLYCRAFT is listed in the JEWELERS’ BUYERS GUIDE as a manufacturer indicating the company designed, created, and produced the jewelry. They were also jobbers. A jobber is a manufacturer that produces jewelry by order for other companies to be sold under the client’s trademark. HOLLYCRAFT worked as a both a manufacturer of the HOLLYCRAFT jewelry and as a jobber for other notable companies.

Early HOLLYCRAFT jewelry is unsigned. There are some design patents from 1946, but very few. Beginning in 1948 removable paper tags with the trademark HOLLYCRAFT were used to identify the designs.

In 1950, HOLLYCRAFT began signing the jewelry with the HOLLYCRAFT trademark and COPR. with the date. COPR. is an accepted abbreviation for copyright. Many, but not necessarily all, HOLLYCRAFT jewelry designs made from 1950 through 1959 are identified in this way.

The HOLLYCRAFT pastel rhinestone designs from the 1950s are distinctive. They feature a colorful mix of rhinestone shapes in pastel colors set in antiqued gold or silver plating.

In an article titled Jewelry Manufacturing Concepts Part II, Joyce Chorbajian remembers her father’s love of color.

She recounted stories of her father carefully selecting beautiful combinations of colorful flowers for their enormous garden, and insisting on multi-hued Christmas tree decorations…

www.costumejewelrycollectors.com Jewelry Manufacturing Concepts Part II, by Mary Ann Docker-Smith April 3, 2013 published by Melinda Lewis.

Gallery of dated HOLLYCRAFT jewelry from the 1950s

This 1950s bracelet and earrings set features the signature pastel stone design associated with early HOLLYCRAFT.

The bracelet is signed COPR. 1950 on one end and HOLLYCRAFT on the other. Both signatures are on curved cartouches.

Sometimes the plating in the early designs shows signs of wear on the back but the fronts are often in nice condition.

Not all early HOLLYCRAFT jewelry was multi-colored. Shades of green stones in various shapes were used in the design of this 1952 HOLLYCRAFT necklace.

Note the use of detail in the cast links. The metal elements are an important element in the link design.

HOLLYCRAFT produced both fixed length and adjustable length necklaces at this time.

Brand Trait: The clasp is flanked by two rhinestones set in decorative cups. This clasp design is a brand trait for some fixed length HOLLYCRAFT necklaces.

Brand Trait: The six-petal flower element in this design is a recognizable HOLLYCRAFT design trait.

Some early HOLLYCRAFT designs made effective us of colorful baguette rhinestones to direct the “eye” around the design.

Brand Trait(s): The clip earrings are signed HOLLYCRAFT in block letters. The clover design of the clip backs is a commonly found HOLLYCRAFT hardware element.

HOLLYCRAFT used high-quality Swarovski rhinestones in vibrant colors like the highly faceted, eye-catching golden topaz stones shown here.

HOLLYCRAFT produced beautiful sets of jewelry. The pieces coordinate but do not always exactly match. In this set the earrings are more elaborately designed than the bracelet.

This pin is pentagon-shaped when viewed from the top, but pyramid shaped from the side.

The unusual ruby, peridot, crystal, rose, and amethyst color combination is distinctive.

In addition to the colors, the design of the cups is distinctive. The metal on each edge is scored. This pin is part of a set. Each piece in the set is easily identified by the colors and the scored cups.

Dated 1955, all of the HOLLYCRAFT designs in this photograph coordinate with each other. Despite design variations, they are unified by the distinctive use of pastel stones.

The large HOLLYCRAFT 1955 bracelet features a beautiful “garden” of pastel colors and shapes that is distinctively the work of Joseph Chorbajian.

Each large link features a faux alexandrite center stone flanked by curving rows of channel set rose baguette stones. The large, curved links are separated by smaller three-stone links.

The 1955 necklace below is delicate compared to the 1955 bracelet above. Yet, it shares the same pastel colors, link design, use of metal design elements, and antiqued gold tone plating.

Brand Trait: The necklace extension chain features a decorative six-link tail. The rhinestones are set in distinctive HOLLYCRAFT cups like the ones shown in the clasp of the aquamarine stone 1952 necklace above.

Brand Trait: Many HOLLYCRAFT hook and tail necklace designs have beautiful decorative tails.

Their design coordinates with the 1955 bracelet due to the pastel colors, channel set baguette stones, and scored metal elements.

Other earring back designs were used; however, this “clover” clip design is typical for HOLLYCRAFT as is the stamped HOLLYCRAFT SIGNATURE.

HOLLYCRAFT rings survive in amazingly nice condition which is a testimony to the solid casting and well-thought-out design elements.

The script HOLLYCRAFT signature is unusual.

Most makers designed bow motif jewelry. The design of this HOLLYCRAFT bow set is unique in its use pastel stones and the curled metal, almost barrel in shape, loops. All of the pieces are outlined in decorative metal rope.

In the following 1957 pin design HOLLYCRAFT creatively used the metal ropes to define the pin wheel shape.

In 1955 Trifari, Krussman & Fishel, Inc. won a court case against the Charel Jewelry Company for copyright infringement. The judgement in this case concluded that costume jewelry designs are works of visual art that qualify for copyright protection.

The ruling altered the costume jewelry business because expensive design patents were no longer needed to protect costume jewelry designs. Beginning in 1955, most jewelry companies added a copyright symbol to their signatures to protect the designs. Since then, the presence of a copyright symbol on vintage jewelry has become a reliable, but not infallible, “guideline” for collectors indicating the jewelry was made after 1955.

This “guideline” does not apply to HOLLYCRAFT. After 1959 HOLLYCRAFT jewelry was signed HOLLYCRAFT without the date and often without a copyright symbol.

In addition, not all HOLLYCRAFT jewelry was signed. In an interview Joseph’s daughter Joyce Chorbajian explains how this happened.

Hollycraft jobbed for houses like Weiss and Kramer, among others, and if those houses discontinued operating, Hollycraft might produce the better selling items but not put their logo on the design to maintain the original agreement…

www.morninggloryjewelry.com Morning Glory Collects: HOLLYCRAFT

To add to the complexity of dating HOLLYCRAFT jewelry much of the jewelry is signed HOLLYCRAFT without the copyright symbol, and some later designs are signed HOLLYCRAFT with a large copyright symbol.

HOLLYCRAFT stamped into the metal

This beautiful HOLLYCRAFT set features ruby tapered baguette (keystone) stones and aurora borealis rhinestones. Tapered art glass stones like these were popular in costume jewelry designs beginning in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

The stones in this set simulate the look of raw-cut natural stones. Although an unusual set for HOLLYCRAFT, the design features typical HOLLYCRAFT decorative beaded-metal elements. The use of specialty stones indicates the set dates to the late 1950s through the 1960s.

All pieces in this set are signed HOLLYCRAFT stamped into the metal.

HOLLYCRAFT stamped on a rectangular cartouche

The rose rhinestone set below features leaf-shaped links. This style of link is found on many HOLLYCRAFT designs. It is an especially elegant and delicate HOLLYCRAFT design featuring rose rhinestones and rhodium plating.

Robin’s egg speckled stones decorate this lovely HOLLYCRAFT rhodium plated bow and earrings set.

Victorian revival in design, this well-made HOLLYCRAFT set features oval pearls, clear rhinestones and a useful decorative chain. The tail decoration is a filigree ball. Costume jewelry with filigree elements was popular in the early to mid 1960s.

This eye-catching fall themed HOLLYCRAFT brooch features navette stones arranged in an attractive asymmetrical design. Channel set stones decorate the curving vines.

Watermelon color Rivoli stones decorate this HOLLYCRAFT floral.

The design of this HOLLYCRAFT pin is unique and distinctive due to the way the double row of aurora borealis stones swirl around the tear-drop shape side stones.

This bracelet is an unusual design for HOLLYCRAFT. Each green cabochon stone is centered in an open-work metal link. Despite the large size the bracelet is comfortable to wear.

The lovely floral set below is a popular HOLLYCRAFT design easily found on the collectible market.

This HOLLYCRAFT butterfly design is memorable due to the interesting combination of pearls, and colorful rhinestones. The placement of each shape and color pleases the “jewelry” eye establishing once again Joesph Chorbajian’s mastery of color.

HOLLYCRAFT with a large copyright symbol.

The mosaic design butterfly below features colorful sapphire, aquamarine and amethyst stones. When held to the light it has the look of stained glass.

HOLLYCRAFT Christmas Designs

Joseph Chorbajian designed many Christmas pins, but unfortunately, his Christmas designs have been widely copied and/or reissued using the original HOLLYCRAFT molds. It is prudent for collectors to select the best quality Christmas jewelry available in the collectible market today.

Originally HOLLYCRAFT Christmas designs included many high-quality design elements expected in Joseph Chorbajian’s jewelry designs.

• The designs are distinctive and easily recognized as HOLLYCRAFT.
• The designs reflect Chorbajian’s mastery of color and shape.
• Many designs include beaded metal work and “scored” metal.
• Nonholiday HOLLYCRAFT, under his direction, used separated hinges and c-clasps rather than easier to install bar clasps. High quality Christmas designs also have separate hinge and c-clasps.
• The casting is beautifully done so that the designs are crisply detailed and nicely weighted.

Both of these ornament pins meet ALL of the criteria set forth above. The designs are distinctive, and they are decorated with quality stones in eye-catching colors. The casting is well done, and they have separated hinge and clasp closures. The metal branches are scored.

This innovative and distinctive “Santa/Tree” design also meets all of the criteria for a well-made HOLLYCRAFT Christmas tree. It is a Santa and a Christmas tree all in one piece!

From the front, this next tree is a lovely example of HOLLYCRAFT design. Note the scored metal base on the tree. The tree is wrapped in channel set crystal and metal bead garland. It has a bar-style clasp.

HOLLYCRAFT jewelry is well-made and beautifully designed. It is a great value in today’s market.