Posted 9 years ago
mikelv85
(1232 items)
Savers turned out to be a gold mine today. At the jewelry counter I found this little 1.5 " gem. My thoughts are... that I'm almost 99.9% sure it's an unsigned piece of Miriam Haskell from the 40's to the 50's possibly earlier. It has all of the hand made construction characteristics of early Miriam Haskell. The beautiful gold-tone filigree work, the renaissance shape, the large central faux black baroque pearl. Hand wired to an intricate filigree backing with a bale to convert it to a pendant. You can see the pink pearls have been drilled through and wire mounted to their settings so that not just the prongs are holding them in place. No glue has been used. The foliage back ground looks identical to some of her other pieces. This pin has a small bale on the back. It looks like they were used mostly as add-ons to a strand of pearls or even a pearl choker as an embellishment.
-Mike-
About Miriam Haskell Jewelry
Courtesy of morninggloryjewelry.com
Miriam Haskell (July 1, 1899 – July 14, 1981) was an American designer of costume jewelry. With creative partner Frank Hess, she designed affordable pieces from 1920 through the 1960s. Her vintage items are eagerly collected and her namesake company continues. She is known for the collectible, vintage designs the studio has been manufacturing since 1926 in their New York City boutique. Creating couture fashion jewelry for the high-society women of New York, Miriam quickly became a favorite designer of Coco Chanel, Joan Crawford, and Jackie Kennedy. Each piece of jewelry is created by hand and crafted with meticulous detail. Some even taking as long as three days to complete. Crystals, beads, and pearls are hand-picked, wired to an intricate brass filigree backing, and backed to a second filigree to conceal construction.
Some of the best and most collectible Miriam Haskell jewelry was made in the first decades when Frank Hess was her head designer. Frank Hess was the head designer from about 1926 to 1960 and his talent is unrivaled. In the early days of Haskell they put no identifying marks on their jewelry at all. As a mater of fact it was not marked until about 1947. Today the early unsigned pieces can be identified from vintage art work and advertisements, and by their wonderful detail, hand work and design.
Very nice Mike.
How do you know all this stuff!
Thanks Karen....Well in this case it was the "looks like a duck " theory. I've always wanted to find some of her jewelry so I just looked at a lot of pieces online, reading descriptions and became familiar with them. You know how when you research things you also see a lot in passing that you're not looking for. So I guess it was just a case of subliminal osmosis ...lol :)
Great find and self education, Mike! It is a big part of experience to watch online pieces and learn to know the clues of identification!
Kudos!!!
Thanks Kyra :) ... there are a lot of unsigned pieces out there and the thrift stores are not going to pick up on all the nuances of construction. So it pays to know your stuff and what to look for. Hang tags , labels, and boxes get discarded. I have a feeling this was part of a set though. Kind of small for a stand alone piece. It could have just as easily been made into a ring or earrings. I hope someone doesn't come along dash my hopes...but I'm that confident it is what it is...lol
Dito what racer said + you're finds are amazing. :)
Thank you One...lots of great finds in your posts as well ! :)
Here's the new pictures Val. I was even able to magnify and get a closeup of the hand wiring using my microscope lens. :)
Thanks Ken ...seems to have all the signature elements especially the hand wiring and no glue. Val wanted me to redo the pictures so I did. I'm waiting for her to have a look. The closeup trick Bonnie told me about using a magnifying glass seems to work well. You just have to be very ambidextrous to hold it all and be very still while taking the picture...lol.
Thanks Val...Oh sure that's not a problem. Mysteries are much more fun I think. I've been searching some really great sites online that have the original ads and drawings. Beautiful concept art. I sure would like to have the drawings even more than the jewelry...well almost. :) I think the chances of finding this piece in an ad are rather slim unless it's in their achieves, Which has to be immense since they're still in business. I really think it's part of a set. It's such a tiny thing to put so much work into for it's own sake, but you never know. -Mike-