Coppola Topo

Postwar Italian fashion jewelry company Coppola e Toppo created flamboyant, larger-than-life accessories that earned the brand legions of admirers in luxury houses and retail shops all over Europe. Working with unconventional materials such as gunmetal, crystal beads and Murano glass, Coppola e Toppo became known for its range of distinctive, vibrantly colored necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more. 

Today, Coppola e Toppo is revered as an iconic producer of costume, or fashion, jewelry, which is designed to accessorize with current fashions and typically made with inexpensive materials. The Venice-born Lyda Coppola (1915–86) worked in postwar Milan at a tailor and learned jewelry design with Czech jewelry maker Ada Pollitzer. She launched her jewelry house in the late 1940s, and when she was married, she added her surname Toppo to the company name and was supported by her brother Bruno Coppola in her endeavor. 

Although a feature in Vogue that ran shortly after Coppola e Toppo took shape proved to be a significant piece of publicity for the Italian brand — which would soon design lavish confections for the likes of Lanvin, Balmain, Valentino and others — the 1960s are said to have been a turning point for Coppola e Toppo, especially as the era’s fashion-conscious jewelry lovers increasingly became enamored with candy-colored gems. An embrace of free expression and fascination with cultures around the world took hold and resulted in vibrant jewelry with global influences.

Christian Dior and Balenciaga purchased numerous pieces from Coppola e Toppo that would adorn their models and be sold in their retail spaces, and many other clients and customers soon followed. Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli commissioned the jewelers to create a collection, which they titled Bijoux Voyagers. 

In 2020, Italian businessman Pietro Paolo Longhitano and designer Rossella Jardini announced plans to relaunch the Coppola e Toppo brand, with a focus on the style and materials that made the brand famous in the first place.

On 1stDibs, find Coppola e Toppo necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more.

Whether they’re chunky, statement-making accessories or a single strand of the understated sort, antique and vintage beaded necklaces are versatile pieces of jewelry. Indeed, the unique beaded necklaces in your jewelry box likely go with everything, from casual summer tops and shorts to dazzling evening gowns.

From the fish-bone and seashell jewelry of the prehistoric era to the breathtaking amulets and pendants of ancient Egypt to modern sapphire beads, people have been accessorizing with beaded necklaces for eternity.

Beaded necklaces — as well as other kinds of necklaces — were common in prehistoric times. Personal adornment was important, and jewelry was made for every part of the body. Beadwork is among the best known art forms attributed to Native Americans, and just as they had for saddlery and clothing, early populations would fashion beads for necklaces with stone tools or instruments made of wood. The making of colorful glass beads for beaded necklaces likely originated in Venice, Italy, during the 14th century, particularly given the growth of the decorative glass industry on the series of Venetian islands called Murano. During the Neolithic period, humans were buried with coral beaded necklaces from the Mediterranean, even as far north as the Alps.

Whether you’re seeking the pop of color you’ll get in a double-row jade beaded necklace from the Art Deco era — which encompasses the 1920s and ’30s and ushered in a very distinct look in jewelry design — or perhaps a simple strand of pearls for a blouse that leaves your neck bare, remember that different necklines call for different pieces of jewelry.

When accessorizing with a beaded necklace, a long piece with a pendant will likely pair best with your favorite vintage V-neck dress or V-neck tee, while beaded chokers and collar necklaces are a stylish fit for strapless tops. Bigger beads will hit your neckline in a different way than a more minimalist necklace might, so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Choose colors you like and pick items that will go with what is in your closet. When the occasion calls for it, don’t be afraid to stack. “More is more” for some, so pairing a delicate strand with a bolder piece might be the move for you.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of pearl beaded necklaces, antique emerald beaded necklaces, diamond beaded necklaces and more.