10 Vintage Costume Jewelry Makers and How to Tell Them Apart
When people open an inherited jewelry box, they often find several pieces that appear similar at first glance. There may be rhinestone flowers, gold-tone brooches, faux pearl necklaces, colorful clip-on earrings, and unsigned bracelets. The maker is not always obvious, but the back of the jewelry can be as important as the front. Marks, stone settings, hinges, soldering, filigree, and link construction can all provide useful clues.
The ten makers below represent different parts of American vintage costume jewelry history. This is a beginner-friendly comparison and not a substitute for hands-on authentication. Designs were copied, companies manufactured jewelry for other labels, and findings may have been replaced over time.
1. Trifari
Polished engineering, refined metalwork, and recognizable marks
Trifari is often one of the easiest starting points for a new collector because the company developed a strong visual identity and marked a large portion of its production. The business grew from the work of Italian-born jeweler Gustavo Trifari and became one of the best-known American costume jewelry houses of the twentieth century.
Trifari's reputation was strengthened by Alfred Philippe, a designer with fine-jewelry experience who joined the company during the 1930s. Under his influence, many Trifari pieces were designed with the symmetry, balance, and stone-setting discipline associated with precious jewelry.
A typical Trifari piece often feels controlled rather than chaotic. Stones are usually placed in a deliberate pattern, the metal surfaces are smooth, and the reverse is commonly as neatly finished as the front. Many pieces use leaves, ribbons, flowers, crowns, birds, fish, animals, and other figurals.
Collectors also recognize Trifari's clear Lucite-centered animal brooches, often called jelly-belly pieces, and colorful molded-glass stones popularly described as fruit salad. These names are collector shorthand and should not be treated as proof that a piece is authentic.
How it differs: The mark is a major clue. Early pieces may carry KTF, reflecting the Trifari, Krussman and Fishel partnership. The familiar Crown Trifari signature places a small crown over the letter T and is strongly associated with the company's mid-century production. Later pieces commonly use TRIFARI with a copyright symbol.
Quick clues
- Look for TRIFARI, KTF, or the crowned-T signature.
- Expect clean castings, balanced proportions, and carefully finished backs.
- Common themes include florals, leaves, crowns, animals, enamel, and Lucite.
- Use the mark together with construction because clasps and findings can be replaced.
2. Coro and Corocraft
Enormous variety, clever mechanisms, and jewelry made for a broad public
Coro was one of the largest and most prolific American costume jewelry companies. The firm began as Cohn and Rosenberger and eventually operated a major manufacturing facility in Providence, Rhode Island.
Because Coro produced jewelry for decades and sold through several different lines, its work cannot be reduced to one look. A box of Coro jewelry may contain simple everyday pins, tailored metal necklaces, colorful enamel flowers, sterling pieces, and elaborate convertible clips.
The company's most famous mechanical idea is the Duette. Two dress clips lock into a frame and become one brooch. When separated, each half can be worn independently. Authentic Coro Duette hardware can be an important identification clue, but the mechanism, patents, and marks should all be examined together.
Coro also produced trembler flowers and figures with elements designed to move slightly. This movement helped create sparkle and made the design feel more animated when worn.
How it differs: Coro and Corocraft are related, but they do not always represent the same quality level or materials. Corocraft often represented a more elevated line and may appear in sterling silver, vermeil, or more elaborate construction. Vendome, another higher-end Coro line, is frequently associated with crystal, beads, and fashion-forward designs.
Quick clues
- Look for CORO, Corocraft, Coro Craft, Vendome, and related marks.
- Coro Duette double clips are among the company's best-known designs.
- Quality varies widely, so judge the specific piece and line.
- Common designs include flowers, animals, clips, enamel work, and sterling pieces.
3. Miriam Haskell
Hand-wired beadwork, layered filigree, and lush botanical ornament
Miriam Haskell jewelry is often better understood as assembled ornament rather than ordinary cast costume jewelry. Haskell opened her New York business during the 1920s, and designer Frank Hess played a central role in developing the company's celebrated visual style.
The most recognizable pieces combine faux pearls, glass beads, seed beads, molded flowers, leaves, and rhinestones. These elements are often wired or stitched onto pierced filigree foundations.
Turn a Haskell-style piece over and the back may be as revealing as the front. Instead of seeing one molded metal body, you may see fine wires passing through a metal screen, individual decorative elements attached separately, and another filigree layer partially covering the construction.
This labor-intensive method creates depth. Flowers can sit above leaves, bead clusters project forward, and several tones of metal or glass may be combined without the design feeling flat.
How it differs: Haskell jewelry often uses aged-looking gold-tone metal, baroque or simulated pearls, naturalistic browns and greens, or dramatic jewel-colored glass. The work frequently feels organic, as though a bouquet or vine has grown across the piece.
Quick clues
- Look for wired beads, pearls, flowers, and stones built over filigree.
- Many early pieces were unsigned, so construction is especially important.
- The overall effect is often dimensional, botanical, and handmade.
- Do not rely only on pearl color or floral appearance.
4. Eisenberg
Dress-clip glamour, brilliant clear stones, and substantial settings
Eisenberg began as a clothing company rather than a jewelry house. Rhinestone ornaments were used to enhance garments, and the decorative clips became desirable in their own right.
That origin helps explain why classic Eisenberg jewelry often looks like concentrated evening glamour. Many pieces feature bold clear stones, strong geometry, and dress clips or brooches designed to command attention on fabric.
Early and mid-century Eisenberg jewelry may use high-quality rhinestones set into substantial white-metal, rhodium-finished, or sterling settings. The stones are often large and bright, with carefully arranged settings that allow light to move through the design.
During wartime metal restrictions, sterling silver appears on a number of pieces. Marks can include Eisenberg Original, Eisenberg Originals, Eisenberg, and a script E, although mark chronology should be checked against reliable references.
How it differs: Eisenberg differs from Weiss in mood and construction. Both companies are associated with rhinestones, but Eisenberg's best-known work often appears heavier, more architectural, and more closely modeled on fine diamond jewelry. Weiss can be more colorful, seasonal, and playful.
Quick clues
- Expect high-impact rhinestone work and a substantial feel.
- Marks include Eisenberg Original, Eisenberg, and other variations.
- Many designs resemble fine diamond jewelry.
- Sterling silver may appear on some wartime-era pieces.
5. Weiss
Color-rich rhinestones, seasonal themes, and crisp prong-set sparkle
Weiss is one of the names people often learn after discovering a vivid rhinestone brooch in an inherited collection. Albert Weiss had experience in the costume jewelry industry before establishing his own company during the 1940s.
The company became known for bright, well-set stones and designs that could be glamorous, botanical, whimsical, or seasonal.
A typical Weiss piece may use navette stones as petals or leaves, round rhinestones as centers, and contrasting colors arranged for maximum visual impact. Brooches in the form of flowers, butterflies, insects, fruit, and holiday motifs are popular collecting categories.
Black japanned metal is sometimes used to make clear or colored stones appear more dramatic. Other pieces use silver-tone or gold-tone settings.
How it differs: Compared with Eisenberg, Weiss often feels lighter and more decorative. Eisenberg frequently evokes formal evening jewelry, while Weiss is comfortable with a bright strawberry, an autumn leaf, or a multicolored floral spray.
Quick clues
- Look for WEISS or Albert Weiss New York marks.
- Many pieces use vivid rhinestones, navettes, rounds, and molded glass.
- Common themes include flowers, leaves, butterflies, fruit, and holidays.
- Black japanned settings may create strong contrast behind the stones.
6. Kramer of New York
Coordinated sets, glamorous crystal layouts, and polished mid-century fashion
Kramer of New York was founded by Louis Kramer during the 1940s and later involved other members of the Kramer family. The firm produced a broad range of fashion jewelry, but collectors especially associate it with polished rhinestone sets from the 1950s and 1960s.
A Kramer necklace may use repeating clusters of navette and round stones, with matching clip earrings or a bracelet that carries the same pattern.
One of the easiest differences to recognize is coordination. Although many companies sold sets, Kramer repeatedly created jewelry that reads as a complete wardrobe group. The components often share identical stone shapes, colors, and metalwork.
Clear crystal, colored rhinestones, faux pearls, and textured gold-tone metal appear frequently. Marks include Kramer, Kramer of New York, and Kramer of NY.
Jewelry made under an arrangement with Christian Dior may be marked Christian Dior by Kramer. These pieces require careful verification because well-known names can attract reproductions and incorrect attributions.
How it differs: Compared with Weiss, Kramer is often less figural. A Weiss brooch may clearly represent a flower or fruit, while a Kramer necklace may focus on abstract repetition and formal sparkle.
Quick clues
- Marks include Kramer, Kramer of New York, and Kramer of NY.
- Look for coordinated necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches.
- The company often favored dressy rhinestone patterns.
- Verify Christian Dior by Kramer pieces carefully.
7. Marcel Boucher
Fine-jewelry discipline, sculptural movement, and numbered naturalistic designs
Marcel Boucher brought direct fine-jewelry experience to American costume jewelry. After work connected with prestigious jewelry houses, he established his own business in New York during the late 1930s.
That background is visible in pieces that use disciplined stone placement, complex castings, and a convincing sense of movement.
Boucher is especially associated with dimensional brooches, including birds with layered wings, flowers that curl forward, sea creatures, leaves, bows, and animals arranged so the design appears active rather than flat.
Metal surfaces may be polished, textured, enameled, or combined with rhinestones and glass. The reverse often reveals carefully planned layers and strong soldered connections.
How it differs: Marks can include Marboux on some early work, MB, Boucher, and Marcel Boucher. Many pieces also carry inventory or design numbers. Those numbers can be useful research tools when compared with reliable chronological references, but a number alone does not authenticate a piece.
Quick clues
- Look for Boucher, Marcel Boucher, MB, or Marboux marks.
- Many pieces carry design or inventory numbers.
- Expect layered birds, animals, flowers, and flowing forms.
- The designs often create a strong sense of motion and dimension.
8. Hattie Carnegie
Fashion-house elegance, imaginative subjects, and jewelry designed as part of a complete look
Hattie Carnegie was a major American fashion entrepreneur whose business offered clothing, hats, accessories, cosmetics, and jewelry. Her jewelry therefore belongs to a larger fashion vision.
It was designed to complete an outfit and could be elegant, witty, theatrical, restrained, or exotic depending on the season and the designer involved.
This range is both the appeal and the challenge. Hattie Carnegie jewelry may include tailored gold-tone necklaces, colorful beaded pieces, faux pearls, whimsical animals, figural brooches, Asian-inspired motifs, or elaborate rhinestone designs.
Some pieces feel refined and couture-like, while others are intentionally humorous. The unifying idea is fashion awareness rather than one specific construction method.
How it differs: Marks commonly include Hattie Carnegie or Carnegie, with additional documented variations. Because the company operated for many years and worked with different designers and manufacturers, the mark must be interpreted in context.
Quick clues
- Look for Hattie Carnegie, Carnegie, HC, or documented house marks.
- Styles range from tailored jewelry to whimsical animals and statement pieces.
- There is no single construction method shared by every Carnegie piece.
- Evaluate each piece individually because production covered many years.
9. Alice Caviness
Unexpected materials, imported components, rich color, and individuality
Alice Caviness built a New York costume jewelry business after working in fashion. Compared with very large manufacturers such as Coro, the company is often described in more boutique terms, with a strong interest in unusual components and distinctive combinations.
Collectors encounter jewelry marked Alice Caviness as well as pieces associated with imported materials or country-of-origin marks.
The visual range is broad. Caviness jewelry may use art glass, crystal beads, faux pearls, enamel, sterling silver, marcasite, carved or molded elements, cameos, chains, tassels, and richly colored stones.
Some pieces are delicate and European-looking, while others are bold mid-century statements. This variety means that identification cannot rest on one motif.
How it differs: One useful distinction is material curiosity. A Caviness piece may combine a glass color or bead shape that feels less standardized than components used in mass-market production. Necklaces and earrings may have elegant movement, and some pieces emphasize dangling beads, chain, or tassel forms.
Quick clues
- Look for ALICE CAVINESS or Alice Caviness marks.
- Some pieces also include country-of-origin or metal marks.
- Expect unusual glass, beads, enamel, sterling, cameos, and tassels.
- Material combinations may be more revealing than one signature style.
10. DeLizza & Elster and Juliana
Unsigned construction clues, exuberant stones, and linked designs built for movement
DeLizza & Elster is one of the most important names for learning how to identify unsigned costume jewelry. Founded in New York after World War II, the company manufactured jewelry and components for many other firms.
Its best-known retail line is Juliana, associated especially with colorful, high-impact jewelry from the late 1960s. Paper tags and earring cards identified the line when new, but the jewelry itself was generally not permanently signed.
That absence of a stamp forces the collector to study construction. Commonly discussed clues include figure-eight-shaped solder puddling on some connections, open-back stone settings, linked sections that create movement, pin mechanisms integrated into the design, and five-link bracelet construction.
No single clue is exclusive. Open-back settings, for example, were used by many companies. Reliable identification requires several correct features and comparison with confirmed examples.
How it differs: Juliana designs often celebrate the stones. Large navettes, rivolis, molded glass, cabochons, margarita stones, dangling beads, and unusual color combinations may be packed into layered brooches, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.
The jewelry can appear almost explosive, with stones pointing in several directions and linked sections shifting as the wearer moves.
Quick clues
- Most Juliana jewelry was not permanently signed.
- Paper tags and cards were commonly lost after purchase.
- Study soldering, open backs, linked elements, and bracelet construction.
- Use several construction clues instead of relying on one feature.
How to Compare an Unknown Piece
Start with the back of the jewelry. Photograph every mark and then study how the piece was assembled. The reverse can show details that are not visible from the front.
Trifari often shows controlled casting and clean finishing. Miriam Haskell may reveal wiring through filigree. Eisenberg and Weiss often rely on prong-set rhinestones, but their overall mood and construction can be different. Juliana identification depends heavily on a combination of construction clues because the jewelry was usually sold with removable tags rather than permanent signatures.
Look at the following features:
- Maker's marks, patent numbers, design numbers, and metal marks
- Pin hinges, clasps, earring backs, and bracelet closures
- Prong-set, bezel-set, glued, or wired stones
- Open-back or closed-back stone settings
- Soldering patterns and how links are connected
- Metal texture, plating, enamel, and visible wear
- Whether the design is cast, stamped, wired, or assembled in layers
Do Not Clean Vintage Costume Jewelry Aggressively
Avoid cleaning an unfamiliar piece before learning more about it. Water, silver dip, ultrasonic machines, and household cleaners can damage plating, stone foil, glue, imitation pearls, enamel, and delicate wiring.
Even a soft-looking cleaning product may remove an intentional antique finish or loosen stones. If the jewelry is part of an inherited collection, keep matching pieces together and photograph everything before cleaning, repair, or separation.
Why the Maker's Name Is Only Part of the Story
A recognizable maker can help identify the period and style of a piece, but the name alone does not determine interest, collectibility, or condition. The design, materials, completeness, stone condition, metal finish, repairs, and originality all matter.
An unsigned piece may still be well made or collectible. A signed piece may have missing stones, replaced hardware, damaged plating, or major repairs. Each item should be considered individually.
Have an Older Jewelry Collection?
The Vintage Jewelry Buyer purchases select vintage costume jewelry, signed designer pieces, inherited jewelry, and older collections through private appointments.
You do not need to clean, research, or identify every piece before contacting us. Clear photographs can be helpful when discussing the type and size of a collection.
The Vintage Jewelry Buyer
23547 Moulton Plaza, Suite 206
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Phone: 657-783-0138
Hours: Monday–Sunday, 8:00 AM–6:30 PM
Website: https://www.thevintagejewelrybuyer.com/
RSS Feed