By Ben Marks — In 1973, when MSNBC legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks went by the name Jill Wine Volner, she was an assistant special Watergate prosecutor working for Leon Jaworski, who was investigating a rat’s nest of criminal shenanigans emanating from Richard Nixon’s White House. Beyond the unwelcome attention paid to her mini skirts, Wine Volner became something of a celebrity among legal eagles when she debunked a cover story Nixon’s henchmen had cooked up for the president’s secretary, Rose Mary...

Are You Bold and Brassy Enough to Wear Vintage Napier Jewelry?

By Lisa Hix — Marilyn Monroe wore Napier when she posed for the cover of "Movieland" magazine in 1954. That same decade, Mamie Eisenhower, Arlene Francis, Miss America, and the Duchess of Windsor all flaunted Napier. Doris Day even endorsed two namesake lines from Napier. "The brand was often on the cutting edge of jewelry fashion," says Napier expert Melinda Lewis. "That’s why Napier was in so many fine department stores on Fifth Avenue, because it was a step ahead of the other brands, who followed its...

Hidden Gems: Lost Hollywood Jewelry Trove Uncovered in Burbank Warehouse

By Joanna Mangan, as told to Lisa Hix — Oh. My. God. I've just been given the location of the largest stash of Golden Age Hollywood jewelry in the world. Worn by stars like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Greta Garbo, thousands of gems have apparently been gathering dust in an unmarked warehouse, unmolested for half a century. It sounds too good to be true. What are the chances, I wonder, that the treasures are still there? Wouldn't they be in the world's biggest museums by now? Worn by the stars'...

Carole Tanenbaum on Costume Jewelry's 'Wow' Factor

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — My husband and I have many collections. We were in London at one point in the ’80s, and I saw a fabulous collection of vintage costume jewelry. Each item was like a little object of art. I bought about two dozen pieces, including some wonderful early Chanels that are virtually impossible to find today, and several pieces by Dior and Hobe. That really got me started. Because I had begun at the high-end, but didn’t know it, I developed an eye for pieces that had great integrity. As a...

Christie Romero on Differences Between Fine and Costume Jewelry Over the Decades

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of things. Gradually jewelry became my focus. In the mid-1980s I started getting serious, and in 1988 I started teaching small classes, workshops, and seminars, primarily on costume jewelry but also some fine jewelry. Vintage costume jewelry was just beginning to take off as a collectible. Up until that time, most people thought it was junk. They didn’t understand what it was...