Recently while shopping on eBay I saw several pieces that were listed as being by certain designers but then went on to say they were unsigned. How can this be?  If you do your research you can assign pieces to certain designers. For example- Miriam Haskell has a very distinct style. ,

Miriam Haskell first began making jewelry commercially around 1924. Like her design predecessors in the Art Nouveau era, she designed and manufactured jewelry that evoked nature in their subjects and construction. She began to create the pieces using organic materials in her jewelry. Not only was Haskell riding the wave of the Roaring Twenties, she was creating a wave of her own. The Twenties were the years that all of the fashion rules were broken. Haskell’s unbounded creativity met with enormous popularity. The prices for her costume jewelry were much lower than the cost of precious metals and stones, so anyone could afford to look fashionable. The popularity of her costume jewelry continued, even after the stock market crash.

 At the heart of a Miriam Haskell piece is a filigree base made of stamped brass. These come from France, Germany, and the US. The filigrees are plated separately in signature Russian gold or a specialty finish, then assembled, and then embellished. Vintage filigrees that are difficult to find are often used. Each element is first picked up by hand. Depending on the nature of the design, the element, no matter how diminutive, is then threaded, encrusted, or wrapped by hand onto a wire, a chain, or handset into a channel or finding. It’s the tight embroidery of the elements-that exposes no sign of the base underneath- that is one of the most distinctive features of Miriam Haskell jewelry. In addition to meticulous construction practices she used sophisticated and unique materials with colors that are characters unto themselves. In the early years, Haskell jewelry was not marked and production was limited. Many of “unsigned” Haskell pieces are questionable as to authenticity.

Haskell never registered her designs. She began to sign her pieces in 1950. The Miriam Haskell trademark was not received until 1988, 64 years after she began designing. Because there were no marks to identify her work prior to 1950, it is difficult to verify many of her pieces.

Several signatures including an incised “Miriam Haskell” on the hook, “Miriam Haskell” in a crescent shaped cartouche, and an oval stamp “Miriam Haskell” on the clasp. Some designs during the fifties were incredibly elaborate, combining stones, pearls, beads, and filigree in new and exciting ways.

So how do I know if this piece is a real Haskell?  Research. Look through photos in books on vintage jewelry; vintage magazine ads and website that specialise in the designer you are trying to research.  My rule of thumb is that if enough characteristics of the designer are present in your piece you can say with confidence that you do have an unsigned piece “in the style of”  your designer. This piece is not signed Miriam Haskell but the over all design has her style written all over it. From the organic style of the flower centerpiece covered with interesting hand wired beads  to the flower shaped beads accented with rhinestones.  it is very likely that this piece is a genuine Haskell pre- 1950.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The brooch below is one  I recently discovered at a flea market is unsigned. Whne I forst looked at it I thought to myself this looks like a Schreiner piece. But after doing more research and comparing it to other Schreiner brooches I have I have concluded that it is not a Schreiner. The center stone even though it has an open back is foiled.  it would have been more in keeping with Schreiner’s style to place an unfoiled stone of a higher quality as the centerpiece of this brooch.

Mae West 1930’s publicity still from Paramount Pictures.

Unfortunately not all vintage jewelry is signed. This doesn’t mean the piece isn’t worth something. It means you have to do your homework and research. Knowing what the styles were is very helpful in dating a piece. Jewelry styles changed in accordance with changes in hairstyles and clothing as well as world events.
1920-s to 1940’s
The 1920’s saw shorter hair, shorter skirts and a looser style of clothing for women. It was the “Modern Age” - bracelets in bold angular designs were seen on the arms of “Modern Women” as were long necklaces that ended in tassels and sparkly cocktail rings. Everything was all angles and lines were very “boyish”.
The 1930’s brought back feminine curves and artfully applied makeup. Hair styles were sleek and upswept. Moving pictures and movie stars were a huge influence in fashion.
Art Deco is a style that relates to 1920’s-1930’s, which ended about 1935. The Art Deco movement was mainly an American thing. The style of jewelry had strong lines, bright contrasts of color and geometric shapes. Bakelite became a very popular choice of material for creating fashion jewelry.
During this time period jewelry design was influenced by Japan, Paris, the machine age, Ancient Egypt (discovery of King Tut’s Tomb), jazz, cubism and Russia. Art Deco was also influenced by the Art Nouveau and Edwardian periods. Taking the style and grace from Art Nouveau; diamonds and platinum from the Edwardian period, designers turned jewelry into a geometric, symmetrical array of diamonds and platinum.
Art deco had great vibrant colors, sapphires, emeralds; coral, rubies and turquoise were heavily used. Black and white was also used a lot. Cocktail rings, long pendants, brooches and bangle bracelets were all the rage.
Cigarette cases and compacts of the time were covered in jewels. The movement of art deco halted because of WWII and the depression.
The end of the First World War marked the start of the popularity of costume jewelry. Fine jewelry at the time had unpleasant associations with being frivolous and unpatriotic. The new fashion for women was casual as well as sporty, and was not very well suited to the formality of precious gemstones. The Art Nouveau movement had already prompted a change in perception towards jewelry, focusing attention on aesthetic rather than monetary value. In the postwar period, the major couturiers took this one stage further by initiating the trend for entirely non-precious jewelry.
The 1930’s and 1940’s brought about the retro period. Large gemstones were being used. Topaz, citrine and aquamarine were popular. Even synthetics were starting to become popular. Platinum was replaced by rose gold.