Collecting costume jewelery from the 1950s

As the cost of precious metals and jewelry continues to rise, the popularity and price of costume jewelry continue to rise. Costume jewelry is made from non-precious metals that are plated in the process. Precious metals, gold, silver and platinum are in short supply and continue to rise in price.

The gold plating process was developed by Nehemiah Dodge in his workshop in Providence, Rhode Island. As the process of gold plating with non-precious metals was refined over time, mass production of costume jewelery was now possible. Major production centers included Newark, New Jersey; Attleboro, Mass.; Providence, Rhode Island and New York. California became a major production center in the late 1930s.

The Great Depression resulted in a reduction in fine jewelry manufacturing. High jewelry designers found work with costume jewelery manufacturers, which translated into an increase in the quality and design of the pieces. During World War II, jewelry manufacturers were provided with a list of metals that could no longer be used, as many metals were needed for the war effort. Costume jewelry was then made from a variety of products including wood, plastics, and pasta.

Two events occurred during the 1950s that positively influenced the jewelry market. In 1955, an advertising judge ruled that the costume jewelry was a “work of art.” With this ruling, companies began using copyrighted symbols to protect their pieces. Now that companies marked their pieces, it was easier for collectors to identify the maker and the time period in which the piece was produced.

The second event that occurred in the mid-1950s was the development of a special process that involved coating rhinestones. The coating gave the rhinestones an iridescent finish known as “northern lights.”

Three great jewelry designers of the 1950s

eisenberg

Eisenberg Jewelry, Inc. was officially established in 1940 and exclusively manufactures costume jewelry. It had been producing women’s clothing since the early 20th century. The jewelry was originally designed to coordinate with the womenswear line. However, the jewelry created by the Eisenberg Company was of such high quality that buyers wanted the jewelry rather than the clothing for which it was intended. Eisenberg’s jewelry has various markings, although during the years 1958-1970 many pieces were unmarked. Between 1949 and 1958, the jewelry was marked with the words Eisenberg Ice in block letters.

Kramer

Kramer Jewelry Creations was a company founded during World War II and operated in New York. Pieces created at this time were marked “Kramer”, “Kramer NY”, or “Kramer of New York”. In the 1950s, Kramer was hired to design and produce costume jewelery for Christian Dior. Pieces designed for Dior were marked “Christian Dior by Kramer,” “Dior by Kramer,” or “Kramer for Dior.”

Favorite motifs on Kramer’s jewelry include flowers, particularly organic-looking floral designs made with colored enamel or gold-plated petals and leaves.

napier

Napier became known for costume jewelry in the 1920s. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Napier was famous for rose gold brooches and necklaces set with clear and colored stones, and bold designs for charms and bracelets. The Napier Company used the name “Napier” enclosed within a rectangle. Following the sale of the Napier Company in 1999, the Napier trademark was written into a hyphen.

The clothing-jewelry link

Women’s fashion in the 1950s became more feminine. Advances in fabrics have allowed clothing to be worn without ironing, giving women a clean, fresh look. Jewelry got a new look to complement the new clothing styles. The costume jewelery created during this time period took on larger proportions. Some earrings were so large that they were described in the press as “earmuffs.” Large pearls and floral motifs were popular in heavy beaded rope necklaces, multi-strand bracelets, and shoulder-length earrings.

Summary

Costume jewelry produced during the 1950s was influenced by economic and world events that limited the materials to produce items and encouraged fine jewelry designers to pursue costume jewelry design. Not all jewelery is marked or signed and even within a company there are periods in which the pieces were marked and other periods in which the pieces were not marked. Periodically a company changed the brand.

The wardrobe during this time period is bold. Animal and floral motifs were popular. Western-themed jewelry was also catching on as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry filled movie theaters.