Behind the Jewels



S

Sandor: Founded by Sandor Goldberger in 1938. Ceased operations in 1972. Produced floral designs in sterling silver which were decorated with enameling and rhinestones. Also did figural pieces. Most pieces are marked Sandor, but from 1939 to 1940 pieces are marked Sandor Goldberger. Not too common on the market. Very collectible.

S&B Lederer & Co.: Founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1878. Later operated from Fifth Avenue in New York City. Ceased operations circa 1931. Produced gold plated and silver jewelry of good quality. Used a variety of signatures including S.B.& L, sometimes with an inverted triangle and sometimes with a star.

Sarah Coventry: Founded in Newark, New York, in 1949 by Charles H. Stuart - shortly after the establishment of sister company, Emmons Jewelers, Inc. Marketed through home parties. Company discontinued operations in 1984, but the rights to the name were purchased by a Canadian manufacturer. Very common on the market and affordable at low prices. The better quality pieces and the limited-production hostess sets will probably rise in price.

Schauer: Schauer Fifth Avenue (not to be confused with C. Schauer) was possibly in operation in the 1960s and 1970s. Used quality rhinestones. Linked bracelets and necklaces with large, square and baguette stones are their hallmark. Usually tagged with the company name.

Schiaparelli: (pr: SKAP a rell ee) Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Rome in 1890. She established her first house of couture in Paris in the 1920s and became a rival of Coco Chanel. She believed that costume jewelry was an integral part of the overall look. She became friends with Dadaist and Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and Christian Berard. They designed a number of pieces for her and their influence was evident in her work. In 1936 she introduced "shocking pink" in her collection and that became her signature color. In 1949 she opened a retail ready-to-wear outlet in New York and licensed Ralph DeRosa to make her jewelry stamped or tagged "Designed in Paris-Created in America". In 1954 she sold her business in Paris - to the dismay of her assistants Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Cardin - and moved to New York. There she focused on costume jewelry and produced a series of abstract, floral and faunal designs. Most of the early French Schiaparelli pieces are unsigned although some carry the name in Block lettering on a rectangular plate. Most of the later French and all of the American pieces are signed. These are the pieces most commonly found on the market. Highly collectible and priced accordingly.

Schreiner: Founded after World War II in 1939 by Henry Schreiner. After his death in 1951, it was taken over by his daughter Terry Schreiner and her husband Ambrose Albert until 1973. Only jewelry made for retail sale was marked Schreiner or Schreiner of New York. Sphinx was also a trademark of Schreiner. His custom key stones, made exclusively for him in Germany and no longer produced, and upside down chaton crystals are trademarks of Schreiner jewelry. Not too commonly found on the market and priced accordingly.

Selini: No definitive information found on manufacturer or dates of manufacture. Good quality jewelry with superior multicolored cabochon and faceted stones, sometimes combined with simulated pearls, in traditional designs on white and plated metal bases. May have been in business between the 1930s and the 1950s. Signed pieces are marked Selini with the copyright symbol on a raised portion on the back of each piece. Scarce on the market.

Selro: Selro Corporation was owned by Paul Selinger and based in New York City during the 1950s and 1960s. Produced a distinctive range of costume jewelry and are best known for brightly colored molded plastic faces which it incorporated in necklaces and earrings. Very collectible and scarce on the market.

Sherman: No definitive information found on manufacturer. Jewelry is good quality with superior rhinestones usually mounted on gold plated metal. Often used floral motifs. Marked Sherman in script signature form on the earring clips and sometimes on an applied oval plaque. Scarce on the market and very collectible.

Shiebler: George W. Shiebler & Co.was based in New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Silver manufacturer. Shiebler was an Aesthetic Movement designer. His work featured naturalistic motifs such as insects, animals, leaves and flowers. Scarce on the market and very collectible. Priced accordingly.

Smile, Jack: Artisan jeweler who incorporated bronze/brass chain mail into his designs. Possibly stopped producing in the 1980s.

Sorrento: Sorrento is the registered trademark of the Uncas Manufacturing Co. established by Vincent Sorrentino in Providence, Rhode Island in 1911. Most of the Sorrento jewelry is either gold plated or sterling silver. Marked SORRENTO. Can be found on the market at reasonable prices.

Sphinx: Sphinx was a British company in business from 1948 to 2000. They made jewelry under their own name and also for such big names as Kenneth J Lane and Saks Fifth Avenue. They manufactured high quality jewelry that is very collectible and not too commonly found on the market.

Star: May have been distributed and manufactured by L. Heller & Son, Inc. This company used the trademark Star in the 1940s and 1950s. Another trademark used during that time frame was La Tausca which is usually found on a tag on simulated pearl jewelry. Jewelry often displayed floral and Deco motifs. Marked STAR on the back of pieces. Can be found on the market.

Staret: Staret was the trademark of the Star Novelty Jewelry Co. located in Chicago, IL from 1925 to 1947. Manufacturers of rhinestone ornaments and novelty jewelry with very "Eisenberg-looking" pieces. Not too common the market, collectible and priced accordingly.

Stein, Lea: Born in Paris, France in 1931. Established her own textile design company in 1957. In 1963 she began designing and making buttons for the fashion industry. In 1967 she began making buttons from laminated rhodoid - a process developed by her husband Fernand Steinberger. She began making costume jewelry in 1969 using the laminated rhodoid. The company ceased operations in 1981. A costume jewelry dealer purchased most of the remaining stock and began selling in the United States. Returned to designing and making laminated rhodoid costume jewelry in 1988 and continues to the present. All pieces are marked Lea Stein Paris. Very collectible.

Steiner: Based in New York and founded by Ernest Steiner. (Not to be confused with Ernest Steiner and Sons Inc. from Fort Lauderdale, FL who produces fine jewelry.) Steiner manufactured by both rhinestone and metal jewelry. Marked Ernest Steiner Original in script form on an applied half oval plaque. Relatively scarce.

Swank: Founded by Samuel M. Stone and Maurice J. Baer in Attleboro, MA in 1897 as Attleboro Manufacturing Co. as a women's jewelry manufacturer. In 1908, an agreement was made with Aber and Wild Co. to manufacture men's jewelry. In 1914, the Kum-A-Part cuff button was developed. By the end of WWII, the company discontinued the manufacturing of women's jewelry in order to focus exclusively on men's jewelry. By the late 1920s, were using the name Swank. In 1936, incorporated as Swank Products Inc. Changed name to current Swank, Inc. in 1940.

Swarovski: Since 1892 has been the world's leading supplier of crystal stones to jewelry manufacturers. Launched its first line of fashion jewelry in 1985 which featured clear crystal rhinestones. Manufactured in limited editions and only available initially through a collector's club. High quality and collectible. Can be found on the market.

Swoboda: Swoboda of California was founded in Los Angeles in 1956. The jewelry employs gold plated metalwork set with semi-precious stones and cultured pearls. Designs often show Victorian and Oriental influences. Very elaborate pieces are scarce on the market. Figural pins and pendant necklaces can be found on the market. None of its jewelry was marked before 1966. Signed pieces are signed Swoboda. Very collectible and priced accordingly.

Symmetalic: Symmetalic is the registered trade mark of W.E. Richards Company founded circa 1900 in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Usually made of sterling silver plated with 10K gold. Quality designs, materials and workmanship. Symmetalic trademark first used in 1936. Relatively rare on the market and very collectible. See also under Richards Jewelry Company.

T

Tara: Tara is the trademark of Tara Jewels Co. located in Los Angeles, CA. Wide variety of jewelry and wide range of quality with rhinestone pieces usually displaying the better quality. Probably sold through home parties. Usually marked Tara on a metal tag attached to a necklace chain or back of each piece.

Teran, Salvador: Salvador Vaca Teran trained at William Spratling's Las Delicias. He left there, along with his four cousins the Castillo brothers, and designed jewelry for Los Castillo. He opened his own workshop in Mexico City in 1952. His jewelry displays pre-Columbian motifs and is of very high quality, often enhanced with intentional oxidization. Marked Salvador in script. Still being made. Very collectible and priced accordingly.

Tortolani: Founded by Francisco Tortolani circa 1950. Ceased operations circa 1976. Jewelry was hand-cast in pewter and finished in gold or silver plate. Sometimes enameled, seldom used ornamental stone. Signed Tortolani. Can be found on the market. Tortolani is currently making reissues of some of their old designs. The thing to remember is that the © is BELOW the signature on re-issues. The older pieces have the Copyright symbol in front of the T in Tortolani. Also, they have added a "pimple" to the new signature - a bump that you can feel rather than see.

Towle Silversmiths: Anthony Towle apprenticed with the descendants of William Moulton who was the first recorded American silversmith. In 1857, Anthony Towle established a partnership with William Jones, founding the Towle and Jones Company. He and his son founded AF Towle & Son in 1873 which later became the Towle Manufacturing Company and finally Towle Silversmiths. Acquired by Syratech Corporation in 1990 and continues operation.

Trifari: Gustavo Trifari was born in Naples, Italy in 1883 and trained as a goldsmith under his grandfather, Luigi. In 1904 he emigrated to New York and began working with an uncle making costume jewelry. Circa 1910, he and his uncle founded Trifari and Trifari. Circa 1912, Gustavo branched out on his own and began to make high-quality pieces under the name Trifari. In 1917, sales manager Leo Krussman came on board and in 1918 they founded Trifari and Krussman. In 1925 the company becomes Trifari, Krussman and Fishel (TKF) after Carl Fishel joins as a salesman. In 1930 designer Alfred Phillippe joins as chief designer. Phillippe retired in 1968. He initiated the practice of using multi-colored Swarovski rhinestones which were hand-set. Trifari was purchased by Hallmark in the late 1970s.

Produced a wide range of jewelry and a wide range of quality. The most sought after pieces are early Trifari and pieces designed by Alfred Phillippe. They used many different signatures. T under a crown since 1939, KTF since 1935, KTF with the T saddled with a crown since 1954.

Trueart: Founded circa 1940s in Providence, Rhode Island as Hingeco Vanities. Primarily floral designs in Sterling and vermeil. Possibly ceased operations circa 1950s.

U

Uncas: Founded by Vincent Sorrentino and John E. Lanigan in Providence, Rhode Island in 1911 as the Sorrentino & Lanigan Company which was later acquired by Vincent and renamed Sorrento Ring Company. Became Uncas Manufacturing Company in 1915. Manufactured a wide variety of jewelry, but best know for rings. Signed Uncas or a U with an arrow through it. Also see under Sorrento. Other trademarks used were Coronado, Christian, Heritage, Vincenzo, Sorrento, Corsini.

Unger Brothers: Founded in 1872 for the production of fine silverware. Circa 1890, the company began manufacturing sterling silver jewelry in the Art Nouveau style featuring floral or foliate motifs, cherubs, animals, females or American Indian images. Ceased operations in 1914
 

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