On Ruby Lane - Addicted to Antique & Vintage Jewelry

Jonas Eisenberg moved to Chicago in the 1880's, from his native Austria. He started his exclusive ladies ready-to-wear business in 1914. His sons, Samuel and Harold, became active in the business at this time. At first, various jobbers made the clothing, but by 1927, production of the clothing was done by the Eisenberg firm. Shortly after this, around 1930, jeweled accessories accompanied the clothing. Perhaps remembering the rhinestone pieces of Austria, Jonas Eisenberg had found something to make his clothing stand out as the economy of the United States and the world entered the Great Depression. Various jobbers made the jewelry, with ORA of Chicago being one of the first known suppliers. This Chicago manufacturer was actually known as the Oreste Agnini company at the time, and did not become ORA until the 1940's, at the earliest. They used rhinestones from Swarovski exclusively in later years, and this may have been the case when they were producing jewels for Eisenberg. It is unclear who actually designed the jewelry at this time.

By the late 1930's, Eisenberg appears to have forged an exclusive arrangement with Fallon and Kappel of New York. Some sources date this arrangement as early as 1935. They made all of Eisenberg's pieces from about 1940 and worked only for Eisenberg. Ruth Kamke, of Fallon and Kappel, did many of the designs for Eisenberg from about 1940 until 1972. She was responsible for most, if not all, Eisenberg Originals and Eisenberg Ice designs during this period. She later did design work for Panetta.

Some design patents for Eisenberg pieces are registered to Florence Nathan. Nathan was employed at Fallon and Kappel, and married Murray Silverman, who bought the company after WWII. It is assumed that her name on the design patents is merely a legal matter and that she was not actually the designer.

Marcel was born in France, during the last years of the 19th century. He served in WWI, and went to work for Cartier as an apprentice, in 1920. His work was the more mechanical work of a model maker, and he was transferred to the New York operations of Cartier in 1923. The Crash of 1929 was not kind to some luxury jewelers. Marcel began doing free lance work at this time, and it is not clear if he was still doing any work for Cartier. He was known to have produced designs for Mazer Brothers at this time.

In 1937, in partnership with Arthur Halberstadt, Marcel Boucher Ltd. Novelty Jewelry was started. It appears that Marcel ran the design and production end of the business, and Albert ran the showroom and sales operation. The first collection had 6 items, featuring naturalistic designs and enameling. Saks had an exclusive on the line for a short period.

As Marcel had been trained as a model maker, he kept a close eye on this area of production, and quality pieces, with an attention to detail, were the rule.

The war years brought restrictions on the use of some metals, and Boucher moved production to Mexico, where sterling pieces were produced under the Parisiana name. He owned a home and factory in Mexico, and sold at least the factory, when returning to New York after the war. He produced a high volume of different designs in the post-war 1940s, capitalizing on the European fashion look dominating the jewelry world.

Coro grew from a small venture by two merchants to become the largest fashion and costume jewelry maker in the world. They dominated the American costume jewelry market for nearly three-quarters of a century.

Emmanuel Cohn, a New York merchant saw an opportunity at the dawn of the 20th century. The department store was the new sales venue, and they devoted little space or marketing to costume jewelry. He called upon the jewelry expertise of Carl Rosenberger, and Coro Jewelry was born in 1903. The early pieces were marked with the founders' initials, CR. Cohn departed around 1910, but Rosenberger remembered the founding partner with the name Coro, and the official company name was Cohn and Rosenberger until the 1940's. The script lettered Coro mark adorned the production from 1919 on.

The early production, done in a Broadway location in New York City, consisted of standard turn of the century items: beads, pins, some mourning jewelry, assembled by employees from jewelry components. As the company grew, the lines expanded. The company fully exploited the market for monogram jewelry in the 1920's and was in a strong position at the start of the Great Depression. Manufacturing facilities were now located in part of a building in Providence, Rhode Island. In a very bold move, the Cohn and Rosenberger Company expanded, opening a manufacturing facility of 100, 000 square feet. By the 1950's, they would occupy the space of a city block, with over 3500 employees, with additional foreign facilities.

Miriam Haskell, a woman who may have never actually designed a piece of jewelry in her life, is actually remembered for the company she created and kept. The designs her company created inspired imitators at the time and counterfeiters today. The company's attention to detail and the workmanship shown on the pieces sets them far above the many lower quality imitations.

THE EARLY YEARS

Born in Indiana in 1899, Haskell attended the University of Chicago before moving to New York City. She opened a gift shop in the city's McAlpin Hotel in 1926. Soon after, in one of the few business decisions we hear associated with Miriam, she hired Frank Hess, a window dresser at Macy's. Hess had a great eye for color and design, and by the 1930's was creating the first pieces to exhibit "Haskell" style. While the first creations had natural themes, the designs became increasingly sophisticated. A new boutique was opened in Miami, at the Hotel Roney, and a new shop on 57th Street was opened. In 1933, manufacturing operations and the showroom were consolidated at 392 Fifth Avenue.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Albert Weiss would undoubtedly be flattered today, as his costume jewelry creations have been widely imitated. He would also notice that the imitations fall short of his original creations, although they have come close enough to create confusion and controversy.

Despite the popularity of the pieces today, the company itself is shrouded in a bit of mystery. Albert Weiss had worked for Coro, and perhaps Marvella. In 1942 or 1943, he started his own company, the Albert Weiss Company, in New York City. Some sources claim that Weiss never designed or produced their own pieces, while others credit the company with the design, but not the manufacture of the pieces. Yet another version is that Weiss produced some, but not all, of their own pieces. Some references credit Albert Weiss himself with some designs. It is known that some manufacture was contracted to others, including Hollycraft. The balance of the line may or may not have been made by the Weiss Company.

The history of Hobé et Cie is shrouded in some mystery. This company is known for some great items that combined silver and gold-filled materials, as well as a wide range of other pieces. Stories of the origin of the company and of its current status vary. Th only indisputable fact is that they made pieces throughout the 20th century that collectors and jewelry lovers desire.

By 1887, Hobé et Cie had been founded in Paris. Jaques Hobé had allegedly made fine jewelry and moved into production of less expensive costume pieces by the 1887 date. Several marks, a Fleur-de-Lis and a crown with an elongated Hobé mark are associated with pre-1887 production. Another mark, with the elongated Hobé name and crossed swords, is thought to have been used during the later 19th and very early 20th century.

To further obscure this somewhat cloudy history, there may have been two Jacques Hobés, probably father and son. William Hobé came to the United States in 1915, and has been described as the son or grandson of Jacques Hobé. This leads us to believe that both may actually be true, and that his father and grandfather were both named Jacques. William was actually working for a German theatrical costume manufacturer, and had the opportunity to supply costumes to the famed impresario Flo Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld mentioned the need for costume jewelry for his productions, items that had the look of the fine jewelry of the day. William Hobé met this request, but the timeline for this is somewhat hazy. We do know that he founded Hobé Cie Ltd. NY in 1927 or 1930. Some say that the term "costume jewelry" was coined by Ziegfeld or Hobé, a result of their business dealings concerning the Ziegfeld Girls. The well-known Ziegfeld Follies ran from 1907 until 1932.