Art Deco style paste and enamel brooch, Ciner, USA, 1990s
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:Base Metal
- Weight:48 g
- Dimensions:Width: 1.5 in (38.1 mm)Depth: 0.2 in (5.08 mm)Length: 3 in (76.2 mm)
- Style:Art Deco
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:mid 1990s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Greyabbey, GB
- Reference Number:
Ciner
What defines “fine” jewelry? For many aficionados, there’s a clear line separating the golden wheat from the gilded chaff. But the handcrafted pieces made by Ciner, a 128-year-old costume jewelry house with a glittering past to rival some of the hautest high jewelers, call into question our notions of what constitutes preciousness.
Quality? Craftsmanship? Painstaking detail? Vintage Ciner earrings, brooches, necklaces and other accessories have them all in spades.
Much of the Ciner’s allure can be traced to its origins in fine jewelry. Emanuel Ciner, an Austrian immigrant, founded the firm in Manhattan in 1892, crafting pieces from the traditional precious gems, gold and platinum. But World War I and the Great Depression caused purse strings to tighten and materials to become scarce. Rather than try to weather the economic downturn, which shuttered many other American jewelers, Ciner made the risky transition from fine jewelry to costume (or fashion) jewelry — virtually uncharted territory.
Emanuel Ciner’s sons, Irwin and Charles, introduced an array of innovations — rubber casting molds, which are especially durable and produce higher quality results, and white metal alloys, which affordably mimic the look of more precious materials — that would become the standard for costume jewelry. During World War II, Ciner’s advanced molding technology was utilized by the U.S. military to produce munitions and tools. This arrangement gave the firm access to the heavily rationed metals it needed for its jewels, enabling it again to endure conditions that drove others into bankruptcy.
The company hit its stride in the 1960s, when its jewelry was sold at some of the country’s toniest stores, even garnering an Andy Warhol–illustrated ad for Bonwit Teller. Its pieces were worn by the era’s brightest stars. In the famous 1957 Joe Shere photo of Sophia Loren sneering at Jayne Mansfield’s décolletage, Mansfield is resplendent in shoulder-grazing Ciner earrings.
Ciner is unique among costume jewelers in that its pieces aren’t imitations — they are coveted in their own right. Elizabeth Taylor, a voracious jewelry collector with a taste for the very finest, was a longtime client. Several suites of Ciner jewels were included in the 2011 Christie’s sale of Taylor’s collection, with one group of rhinestone-studded ear clips and a bracelet fetching $15,600 — more than 100 times the auction estimate. It’s a reminder of a time, not so long ago, when women of great style wore fine and costume jewelry with equal aplomb, often at the same time.
Today, Ciner — now run by Emanuel Ciner’s granddaughter Pat Ciner Hill and great-granddaughter Jean Hill — continues to adhere to the same exacting production specifications. It is the only jewelry house in New York, and likely the United States, that manufactures all its pieces entirely in-house. Each begins with dozens of elements that are cast in rubber molds and then individually filed and polished, plated in a particularly thick layer of 18-karat gold or rhodium, assembled on the bench and painted with enamel or set with stones. Every step is performed by hand by craftsmen, many of whom have been with the company for more than 30 years.
Find vintage Ciner clip-on earrings, choker necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Greyabbey, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- A Black Galalith, silver and clear paste clip, Mecan, France, 1930sLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA very stylish and rare jewel, high Art Deco in style and manufacture. This is a clip fitting, bold and strong, that would clip onto a clutch bag, a lapel, or on the edging of a low ...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsSilver
- A large gilt and crystal brooch, as a Maltese Cross, Joseff of Hollywood, 1940sBy Joseff of HollywoodLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA charming and stylish brooch from Joseff of Hollywood, in the shape of a Maltese Cross, made from Joseff's signature 'Russian' gilded metal and round and square cut pastes. With th...Category
Vintage 1940s American Baroque Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- A geometric coloured paste 'Christmas Tree' brooch, Weiss, USA, 1950sBy WeissLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA stylised and imaginative take on a Christmas Tree, this brooch is an iconic design, made by Weiss, and well known in vintage costume jewellery, for its unusual geometric, Art Deco ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- An iconic gilt metal 'Sun face' brooch, Yves Saint Laurent, France, 1980sBy Maison Goossens for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Greyabbey, County DownAn iconic brooch from Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s, a familiar and popular design justifiably so. Hand carved then cast in gilded metal by Maison Goossens for YSL...Category
Vintage 1980s French Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Carved wood and engraved brass 'moth' brooch, France, 1950sLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA stunning 'moth' brooch, very simple, sculpted and architectural in its design. The brass wings and ears are all one piece and engraved, the wood body, ca...Category
Vintage 1950s French Brooches
MaterialsBrass
- A beautiful gilt and clear paste 'grasshopper' brooch, Nettie Rosenstein, 1960s.By Nettie RosensteinLocated in Greyabbey, County DownAn exquisitely modelled three dimensional brooch in the form of a grasshopper, from mid century American fashion designer , Nettie Rosenstein. Of outstanding quality, this brooch dep...Category
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Vintage Diamond BroochLocated in New York, NYCommand attention in this exquisite diamond brooch from the Jewels Aficionado antique collection. Outfitted with a whopping 20.40 carats of diamonds set in platinum, the brooch mixes...Category
Vintage 1960s Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Vintage Aquamarine and Diamond Flower Head BroochLocated in London, GBA vintage aquamarine and diamond flower head brooch, the brooch with round brilliant-cut diamond set domed centre surrounded by four heart sh...Category
Vintage 1950s Modern Brooches
MaterialsAquamarine, Diamond
- Georgian Diamond Brooch in Silver, circa 1750Located in London, GBGeorgian diamond brooch in silver. Set with twenty one cushion shape table cut diamonds in closed back cut down settings with an approximate com...Category
Antique 1750s Georgian Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Silver
- Art deco diamond brooch, French, circa 1920.Located in London, GBArt deco diamond brooch. Set to centre with one round old cut diamond in an open back rubover setting with an approximate weight of 0.85 carats, surrounded by 45 round old cut diamon...Category
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Georgian Ruby and Emerald Mandolin Brooch/Pendant Locket, circa 1830Located in London, GBGeorgian ruby and emerald mandolin brooch/pendant locket. A yellow, rose and green gold brooch/pendant in the form of a mandolin, a symbol of harmony i...Category
Antique 1830s Georgian Brooches
MaterialsEmerald, Ruby, Gold
- Made in France Diamond and Ruby Detachable Brooch – Circa 1860’sLocated in Jacksonville, FLThis item is an antique 19th-century diamond crescent moon brooch with a detachable spray of rubies and diamonds. It is made in France, circa 1860. The brooch features an elegant dou...Category
Antique 19th Century French Neoclassical Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Ruby