Katy Heyborne
Vintage Costume Jewelry : Chanel, and Vogue, Miriam Haskell of 1920’s1940’s.
Popular designers in the times of the 1920’s – 1940’s were Coco Chanel and Miriam
Haskell. Vogue magazine was also popular back then for jewelry and fashion as it still is now.
Art Deco was the period of art influence for jewelry back then.
Some popular jewelry we know
of today was done by Coco Chanel or published in Vogue Magazine in the past. Another
popular designer of this era is Miriam Haskell. Other important things people need to know
about vintage costume jewelry are what influenced it and what the word vintage means.
Vintage means old fashioned so it is jewelry from a past period of time in this case during the
1920’s – 1930’s.
Costume Jewelry is jewelry that was influenced by the socioeconomic changes and new
art movements such as surrealism, Dadaism, and Cubism and the changes society had in
travel and communications . (Tanenbaum,39.)
Art Deco Jewelry is one of the brands of jewelry that was popular in the 1920’s and
1930’s and considered fashionable. The American influence of art deco jewelry resulted in the
creation of new and inexpensive materials. It also resulted in machine production jewelry which
was influenced by Hollywood fashion of the time. (Thornton,1-3)
Art Deco jewelry is jewelry that was created by using simple geometric shapes which
were interlinked in forming complex configurations. Bright color schemes were used to create art
deco jewelry such as the green like effects of jade, blues of turquoise or effects of gems like lapis
lazuli. Precious gems emeralds and sapphires were also used in the jewelry as a way to add
shimmering effects to the jewelry created at the time. Types of metal such as Platinum a metal
that is stronger than silver was discovered and became used in stones so they had little support
giving it jewelry a lighter more delicate appearance. Black, white onyx, and diamonds, or
crystals were often used in contrast of color in the jewelry the artists created. Earrings were
longer, almost touching the shoulder. Bracelets of the time changed from a uniformly narrow
band to one broadened in the center. (Thornton,1-3)
For instance, “cocktail style jewelry” or costume jewelry like knuckle-duster rings or
brass knuckles and double clipped jewelry with gold finishes were in-style during the mid
through the late 1930’s. Also in style was jewelry that was made with paste/stones in it.
(Tanenbaum, 64.)
Miriam Haskell is important to Costume jewelry of the 1920's – 1930's and 1940's.
Bakelite, a plastic material, also came out in 1909, which helped with Art Nouveau or jewelry in
the form of fruits, animals, flowers, animals and geometric forms. The discovery of king Tuts or
Tutankhamen's tomb also helped in inspiring Miriam Haskell's jewelry. (Simon 34-41)
Frank Hess from Macy's Department store was Miriam Haskell’s main designer. Nature
was a main part of inspiration for her jewelry which consisted of floral, foliate, sometimes
butterfly designs, and the use of pearls, shells, nuts, coral and woven cords in her jewelry.
(Miller, 52-53)
Miriam Haskell’s Jewelry in fact started being created around the time that the
Great Depression occurred. Although Miriam Haskell has been dead for many years, the
company is still named after her. In fact Miriam Haskell was re-launched in the fall of 2007, and
Henri Bendel was glad to do so. Bendel’s fashion director Ann Watson in the article, Sleeping
Beauty Miriam Haskell Gets a Wake-Up Call, states “Coco Chanel is the foremother of costume
jewelry in Europe.” Comparatively Ann Watson states Miriam Haskell as “The foremother of
costume jewelry for Americans.” (Iredale,1-2)
Miriam Haskell made most of her jewelry collection with imported glass beads
and crystal jewelry after styled European costume Jewelry. (Iredale, 3)
Coco Channel produced jewelry that used stones that were imitations as well as Faux
Pearls so her clients could accessorize many outfits. She started this in 1912. By 1920's Chanel
started designing charm bracelets, belts and jeweled ropes. She also designed gold and beaded
chains. Later in the 1920's and 1930's she started becoming a well-known designer in Paris,
collaborating with designer Maison Gripoix who specialized in making poured glass stones in
making Renaissance style Jewelry. She also helped design classic pieces of jewelry and a well
known piece was made with jeweled Maltese cross cuffs which she created with the Duke of
Vendura. (Miller, 104)
Chanel's breakthrough collection was a diamond necklace in 1932 with dozens of small
diamonds dangled over a women’s forehead trend was referred to as the “Chanel Fringe”. Also
Chanel frequently experimented with mixing precious and semiprecious gems in her jewelry,
which inspired her in her creations from many visits, which she had when she was in Venice
with the Grand Duck Dmitri. Looking at Byzantine jewels in a place called the Treasury of St.
Mark's was another place that was inspiring to Chanel. (Childers, 138-139)
In 1924 Chanel showed a breakthrough collection, which she designed with Maison Gripoix
renowned as leaders in glass jewelry. Harper's Bazaar viewed her glass poured gems as
“ being the most revolutional” ones which were created. Her most recognized piece is a pearl or
faux pearl necklace, which she created. It sometimes had metal and crystal beads and her
signature use of red and green poured glass, which has been influenced by those in the Byzantine
treasury of St. Mark’s, which is located in Venice. (Cox, 56-58)
As for Vogue, the main signature designs were early bow brooches that had prong
crystals inside a wire outline. These had stones suspended in them of all different colors. They
may have been faux, but jewelry such as this and other costume jewelry helped boost
Morale during the war in the 1940's. Sales of costume jewelry in fact had tripled in 1945.
(Tanenbaum, 65 & 83)
Classical inspirations of jewelry were people like Ren'e Lalique who molded some of his
own pendants using romantic women, stylized African shaped heads and formed brooches by
Chanel and others who designed jewelry. Emile Davide, however, was an artist that had a
preference for neo-classical woman figures of 1920's women of which he cut and etched from
cheap white metals which were sometimes attached by tiny chains to modish canines.
("Centuries of Style Art Deco Fashion and Jewelry" (36-37)
Gems and Materials, which were used in these types of jewelry, consisted of a mix of the
traditional and precious to unorthodox and innovative metals such as plastics, chromes, and
steels. It is jewelry, which also incorporated gold and silver with precious and semiprecious
stones. Stones such as amber, jade, lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise, topaz, tourmaline, onyx,
amethysts, aquamarines and rock crystals were mixed into the jewelry. Bakelite, rhinestones,
jade, tortoiseshell, jet and moonstone were stones that were used then. ("Centuries of Style Art
Deco Fashion and Jewelry" (36-37)
The importance of the designers such as Chanel, Miriam Haskell and trends of Vogue
magazines jewelry of the 1920's , 1930's and 1940's is that it has evolved into classical and
vintage types of inspiration needed for the jewelry of today. In fact, so much so that Chanel is
still a name of a company as is Miriam Haskell meaning that their jewelry was so inspirational
that even after the original artists death jewelry is still being created under their companies and
may continue for a number of years. In conclusion the importance of jewelry is to work hard
believe in yourself and inspire others with you creativity in jewelry just as Miriam Haskell,
Chanel and other designers of the 1920's through 1940's had and you will be remembered
and an inspiration just as they were back then and yet, still remembered today.
Works Cited
Childers, Caroline. Haute Jewelry. Vol. 0. New York City: BW Publishing Associates, 1999. 0 vols.
Cox, Caroline. Vintage Jewelry Design. First Edition. Vol. 0. New York City: Lark Crafts, 2010. 0
vols.
Iredale, Jessica. W Magazine. June 2009. Jessica Iredale. 8 July 2012
<http://www.wmagazine.com/accessories/2009/06/miriam_haskell>.
Miller, Judith. Miller's Costume Jewelry. Ed. Alexandra Stetter and Lesley Malkin. Vol. 0. London:
Miller's, 2010. 0 vols.
Simon, Marjorie. "A Time and a place Miriam Haskell and the Rise of American Costume
Jewelry." Metalsmith 26.1 (2006): 34-41. Slcc Elie. Web. 8 Jul 2012.
Tanenbaum, Carole. Fabulous Fakes A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry. 1st. New York,
New York: Artisan Press, 2006. 1-212. Print.
Thornton, Zita. Ebsco Host. Ed. Zita Thornton. 2004 February. Zita Thornton. 8 july 2012.
Centuries of Style Art Deco Fashion and Jewelry. Edison New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1998.