Vintage Hollycraft Jewelry

The connection to Hollywood is strong in Hollycraft costume jewelry, and not just because of the similarity in their names. Founded in 1938 as the Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing Company before jobbing out its designs in 1948 and then being shuttered completely in the 1970s, the short-lived costume jeweler was famous for its use of pastel rhinestones, which glittered in their gold-plated settings like so many whatever-happened-to movie stars. Most of the motifs in Hollycraft pieces are floral—the brand was also known for its Christmas-tree brooches. In addition to rhinestones, Hollycraft designers used enamel to add color to pins in the shapes of turtles and butterflies. But perhaps the best thing for collectors about Hollycraft pieces is that all bear the Hollycraft name, and almost all are dated.