Vintage Lisner Jewelry

Once considered "junk jewelry," vintage Lisner pieces have only recently become collectible. In the 1990s, collectors realized that the clever shapes and bright colors of the company's cheaply made plastic leaves and baubles possessed a unique beauty. For nearly 30 years after its 1904 founding, Lisner imported and sold Elsa Schiaparelli's Parisian jewelry in the United States. In the '30s, the company achieved a higher profile by finally selling its own designs that employed Dupont's new colored acrylic plastic called Lucite, as well as clear and colored rhinestones (particularly aurora borealis) and lava stones, as well as chromed, silver-plated, and black japanned metal. Currently, one of the most coveted vintage Lisner lines is the molded plastic oak-leaf jewelry, which was only produced for five years in the '60s. Individual pieces like pins or necklaces without matching bracelets or earrings are more affordable.