The Story of Trifari - a history of the Iconic Company now on Amazon

I recently published a history of Trifari on the Amazon Kindle. It's 247 pages.
"An illustrated history of the beloved jewelry company, Trifari. The book traces the beginning of the company and profiles the principals and their vision. Lavishly illustrated, the book includes patent references, fashion history and hallmarks to aid the collector."

 https://www.amazon.com/Story-Trifari-Maureen-Brodsky-ebook/dp/B01NBOM2XD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483311177&sr=8-1&keywords=the+story+of+Trifari

The Story of Trifari

Joan Rivers Jewelry auctioned

I missed this auction of Joan Rivers' jewelry. This was her collection of fine jewelry.  I sure it was spectacular.
Auction of Joan Rivers' Jewelry
Here is her orchid ( costume) brooch signed Joan rivers.  It has a poured glass look with pave rhinestones. 

New Chanel Jewelry

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal debuted Chanel's new wheat inspired jewelry. It's motif made me think of my previous post with the Alfred Spaney's wheat motif.  Chanel's bracelet is very evocative of this design.

Vintage Trifari Recycled the look of 19th Century

I recently bought this lovely Alfred Spaney for Trifari large rhinestone brooch.  It is 4 inches long and dates from the early 1940s.  It has the patent number 129320 on the back.  In looking through Claude Freganc's Jewelry From the Renaissance to Art Nouveau, I saw two images that caught my eye.  Of course, many know that the rhinestone look of the 1930s-early40s recycles the age of diamonds look of the early 19th century.  Often these designs are compact florals, open roses in a cascade. But on page 101 there is this striking tiara and aigrette, both by Duval for Empress Maria Feodorovna.   The lovely wheat sheaves and long grasses look is there. and Spaney beautifully translates it to a more modern open brooch.
The wheat sheave was popular with the ancient Egyptians and continued to be a symbol in Christian iconography.  A singe sheave of wheat represents harvest and fertility, which seems like a luxurious symbol for a lovely brooch.

Duval was a Swiss jeweler who settled in Saint Petersburg, according to Fregnac.

Bonham's Seeking Jewelry Specialist for New York Office

Bonham's is seeking a jewelry specialist for the New York office.  Sounds like such a fun job, contacting dealers, collectors, and colleagues, appraising jewelry, assisting with sales.
Sigh,
See the details here.

Verdura The Power of Style Exhibit in New York

Opening on October 14,  2014, will be the Verdura 75th Retrospective Exhibition, marking 75 years of the Verdura store on 5th Avenue, New York. Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera and Patricia Lansing will curate the show.  More on it here at the Verdura blog.
Fulco Di Verdura started his career designing costume jewelry and went on to create a fine bespoke jewelry business when he moved to New York in the late 1930s.  One of his most coveted creations for Chanel is the Maltese Cross bangle bracelets.
Fortunely, Kenneth Jay Lane picked up on the idea and created wonderful versions of this iconic bracelet.

Wear yours when you see the Verdura exhibit in New York.

Hollywood Glamour Exhibit at the MFA

On September 9th, the MFA's new exhibit of Hollywood costume and jewelry will open. This exhibit will run until March 8, 2015 in the Loring Gallery of Textiles.  The movies of the studio era seem to be an ever flowing fountain of exhibit material. Let's face it. There were tons of movies, tons of costumes and tons of jewelry.  Then, women enjoyed looking feminine and enjoyed the sparkle, luxury and even sometimes humor of jewelry.  The movies reflected that taste for femininity, glamour, and luxury. When I go out for dinner, I seldom see women wearing jewelry.  The ring must be a massive diamond or nothing at all.  There is no enjoyment in decor on one's self.  I'm surprised there are even jewelry counters in the department stores or so many jewelry sellers on etsy.
Perhaps it's fear, perhaps the austerity of our times. Seems like women in the 1930s were way more optimistic than now.
This exhibit sounds lovely and if you see let me know if it meets your expectations. Everyone can use a little glamour.
Wall Street Journal had an announcement of the exhibit in the print version today and has a nice slide show of some of the featured artifacts in a slide show here.