Jean Painleve was a famous French underwater photographer who lived from 1902-1989. He led amazing life – being interested and involved in so many things. During the Deco period he started making jewellery from brass and galalith. The first pieces involved seahorses and he progressed to salamanders etc. These were sold in Parisian boutiques. These interesting items of vintage costume jewellery have become very collectible and hard to find. Sometimes they are marked JHP. There is plenty of additional information on Google.
Category: My Notes On Manufacturers
COROCRAFT AND JEWELCRAFT
Corocraft and Jewelcraft were the names used by the famous American jewellery company Coro for jewellery produced in the U.K from their factory in Sussex. They had got into a legal dispute with the British firm Ciro about the closeness of the names. They therefore added ‘craft’ to the names used. Their most productive period was around the middle of the 20th century. In the 1960s Corocraft was sold but did not survive. In 1970 Jewelcraft ceased trading. Thanks to Vintage Jewels Geek Blog for this information. The full article can be found on Google.
WEST PRODUCTS/LEGACY
Recently a huge warehouse of unused stock was discovered – that had been locked away since just before the year 2000. This was old, unused stock manufactured by West Products – based just outside London. They were the biggest supplier to the U.K. market – according to The Jeweller magazine. They made for shops such as Liberty, Harrods, John Lewis etc. They also made under the name ‘Legacy’ their own brand – which were not marked. Few pieces did have a mark – just a hang tag or similar. The entire contents have recently been bought and are gradually being sold. I have been able to buy some of this stock. Information from Accessories of Old and The Jewellery Magazine.
WHITING & DAVIS
Most of the information below is from the official Whiting & Davis Collection.com – but there is a lot more information on the web if you need it. The company was founded in Massachusetts in 1876. In 1892 the first mesh bag was designed and all the components were formed and joined by hand. In 1912 the process was automated. It became Whiting & Davis in 1896. The early bags were beautiful creations – coloured patterns and hangings at the bottom. However these are really collectors items and I usually stock the type of bag that can be worn. After WW11 the company concentrated on items made in a very flexible mesh. This could be in the usual gold tone colour – or more unusually in a silver colour. They also made smaller items such as purses and jewellery. The company is still operating and has kept up with the times. I particularly love the kerchief necklaces and the snake bangles. There is mention on the internet of items with a Made in China label but no real information on whether these items are genuine. The items are always very high quality. Sometimes there is a mark inside the bag. Sometime on a zipper tag. The lining will be good quality too. There will always be copies of high quality items so look very carefully. Good hunting!
LEA STEIN
Lea and Fernand Stein have been making Lea Stein jewellery since the 1960’s. Their earliest work included buttons and serigraphy brooches. The Fox is the most famous of the Lea Stein designs and was one of her earliest. The jewellery is made of laminated celluloid acetate sheets. (See “Lea Stein Jewellery” by Judith Just – Schiffer books). Lea Stein jewellery is still being made today. Lea is the designer and Fernand invented the technical process. I cannot date pieces accurately. From the book – and from my knowledge of when a design was first issued – I can say that a certain piece could not be before a certain date. As pieces like the Fox have been produced since the 1970’s – and are still being made today – I can only guess! I advise customers to buy what appeals to them – if the design and its colours are what they want – the date is not the important issue! These pieces are handmade and sometimes have small imperfections on the back – as can happen with such pieces. I try to be particular about the fronts. A couple of new designs are introduced each year. Please beware that there are cheap, unmarked imitations being produced that look very similar. These do not have the Lea Stein marked pin on the back – Lea Stein Paris. I now understand that some of the fakes are marked on the back – but the quality is just not the same. All but some of the earliest Lea Stein pieces are marked.
PAVONE
Marie-Christine Pavone – Paris – makes hand worked pieces in galalith. Galalith is a form of casein (an old type of plastic) to which formaldehyde is added. It cannot be moulded (unlike other plastics). It is dyed and polished. According to Judy Smith on her website – “Baubles and Bibelots” Marie-Christine first sands, cuts and polishes the galalith in a machine for days. It is then dyed, polished by hand, lacquered and hand painted. There is a lot of work in a Pavone brooch! She makes brooches, earrings and bracelets! Her work is very popular in my shop. She has a great Instagram page.
CHARLES HORNER
The firm of Charles Horner was established in Halifax in the middle of the 1900’s and the business continued until it was liquidised in 1984. Charles Horner is famous for its silverware – hat pins especially! What was not generally known until the book ‘Charles Horner of Halifax’ (by Tom J. Lawson and published by GML Publishing) was written was the firm’s diversification into casein plastics This is what particularly interests me! The firm’s main production in which they called ‘Dorcasine’ was between the 1920s and the 1940s – but production continued until the 1970s. They made a lot of buttons, knitting needles and sewing accessories, propelling pencils and brooches. A lot of the vintage dog brooches of the period were made by the Charles Horner factory. Having the book has helped me to identify many of the unmarked pieces I have sold over the years!
JAKOB BENGEL
The Jakob Bengel factory was founded in 1873 in Idar-Oberstein – and started by making watch chains. They began making jewellery around 1900 – mainly exporting to France. In 1928 Coca Chanel made costume jewellery acceptable and the firm expanded. The Bengel factory is best known for its stunning Art Deco jewellery in mainly white metals and galalith. The range was huge and the Art Deco designs superb. Unfortunately the war interrupted exports and by 1943 the only market left was Italy. In the 1950’s the factory was mainly making chains. In 2001 the Stifling Bengel was founded and the factory became a museum (and they have a Facebook page!). It doesn’t say in the books – but some years ago a lot of the jewellery and components left in the factory from the downturn was sold off. I bought some jewellery and components (unfortunately not the best!). Some of it was Art Deco and some earlier. I still have a quantity of the components that I use for repair. This is why it is so difficult to identify Jakob Bengel Art Deco jewellery when you get a piece. It could be completely original. It could be assembled from Bengel components. It could be a mixture. Some pieces I have seen have been rechromed. It could be painted/repainted – and it could be a fake! I do my best to accurately describe a piece from my experience of handling Jakob Bengel components and my reference books – but I can be mistaken! However the Art Deco designs/output of this factory in the 1930’s was just amazing! “Art Deco Schmuck” Christianne Weber – Arnoldsche “Bengel Art Deco Schmuch” Wilhelm Lindemann & Others – Arnoldsche “Zeitgeist” W. Lindemann & Anne Babara Knerr -Arnoldsche.
ERMANI BULATTI
I love the work of Ermani Bulatti – of whom not a lot is known. He was a Dutch designer whose best work was done around the 1980s. The jewellery was very high quality and sold in the top boutiques. He specialised in coating brass with various finishes such as bronze and silver plate. The major influences were Art Deco and Italian. The most up to date info on Bulatti is on the Vintage-Jewels.nl/Designers site. They say that the firm started in 1984 – being founded by Herman Tiggeler – and closed in 2012. I believe there is currently a company called Bulatti BV. If you put his name into Google and click on Photos you will get a good idea why I love his work – although it might not be everybody’s taste!
GROSSE – HENKEL & GROSSE
The firm of Henkel & Gross was founded in 1907 by two friends and was based in Pforzheim in Germany. They specialized in jewellery and watch chains made out of woven hair! Pforzheim was destroyed in WW11 and the company had to make a fresh start. They made such high quality costume jewellery that they attracted the attention of Dior and in 1955 a licensing agreement was signed with Dior. There were two very distinct collections – Bijoux Christian Dior and Grosse. Grosse had two themes – Factory Jewels and the ‘Real’ look. I sometimes see references on the internet to items marked Grosse which are attributed to Dior. This did not happen. The ranges are quite separate. In 1959 Henkel & Gross started making their own glass stones. In 2005 Henkel & Gross were taken over by Dior and became Les Ateliers Bijoux GmbH in Pforzheim. The Fattedad family took over the Grosse collections which are now based in Hong Kong. (Sorry I cannot put the French accents on Grosse). All the information in this article is from the book ‘Grosse + Bijoux Christian Dior by Arnoldsche Art Publishers – Vivienne Becker. The web site has an overview of the company’s history.