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VINTAGE JEWELRY DESIGNERS - J Jeanne: No definitive information on manufacturer, location or date of production. Whimsical and figural jewelry that emphasized the metalwork which was accented with imitation stones. Quality and workmanship above average. Signed Jeanne. Not very common on the market. Prices above average due to rarity. Jewelart: No definitive information found. Made Sterling jewelry which appears to be from the 1940s and 1950s. Signed JEWELART. Jewelerama: Jewelerama was an offshoot of the Edmund Scientific Co. of Barrington, New Jersey. Known for novelty pins with machine-polished, circular convenx metal discs that produce shimmering refractions of light. Made primarily in the 1960s. An affordable collectible. JJ: JJ is the registered trademark of the Jonette Jewelry Co of East Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1935 by Abraham Lisker as the Providence Jewelry Company. When his brother Nathan joined the company, the name was changed to Lisker & Lisker. Ceased production during World War II due to metal shortages. Back in business after the war as the Jonette Jewelry Co. Abraham Lisker is now retired. His son, Gordon Lisker, has headed the company since the 1970s. JJ Jewelry is primarily figural and novelty pins of average to better than average quality. Marked JJ with a copyright symbol. Jomaz: (pr: JOE Maz) Please see Mazer. Joseff of Hollywood: (pr: Joe ZEFF) Eugene Joseff was born in Chicago in 1905. From 1923 to 1926 he worked as a graphic artist in a Chicago advertising agency and designed jewelry in his spare time. He moved to Los Angeles in 1927 and started training as a jewelry designer. Some of his early pieces are used in Hollywood films of the 1931-1935 era. In 1936 he opened Sunset Jewelry in Hollywood and founded "Joseff of Hollywood". He developed a visually effective substitute to gold which was known as Russian gold plating, with semi-matte, copper-gold finish which minimized the traditional problem of glare when filming real gold or other gold substitutes under the studio lights. By 1937 was a leading supplier of costume jewelry to Hollywood film studios and he developed a retail line for sale to the public. He researched and simplified specific historical styles of jewelry that conveyed the appropriate period ambience for movies. Joseff designs were commissioned for such films as A Star in Born (1936), The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind (both 1939), Casablanca (1942), Singing in the Rain (1952), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Cleopatra (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964). He was killed in a plane crash in 1948. Since 1950 the company has been run by his widow Joan Castle. Pieces are stamped "Joseff" or "Joseff of Hollywood". Some of the pieces made in the late 1930s and 40s have been reissued in recent years. Scarce on the market and very collectible. Priced accordingly. Judy Lee: Judy Lee is the trademark of the Blanch-Erte Company founded in the late 1950s. Marketed their jewelry at home parties like Sarah Coventry. Ceased business in the 1970s. Average quality. Not too terribly common on the market. Usually marked Judy-Lee (in use since 1958) but also Judy-Lee Jewels. Juliana: Please see under DeLizza and Elster. |
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