Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate, Enamel
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold
1980s North American Artist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Unknown Artisan Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Enamel, Gilt Metal
1970s Byzantine Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Other
Late 20th Century American Artisan Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Unknown Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Enamel, Gilt Metal
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Enamel, Gilt Metal
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal, Enamel
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Italian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Italian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century Italian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Onyx, 14k Gold
1990s Italian Art Deco Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Silver
1980s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary French Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
2010s Turkish Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Ruby, 14k Gold
1970s Italian Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Etruscan Revival Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Danish Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
14k Gold
1970s American Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Multi-gemstone, Purple Sapphire, Tsavorite, Yellow Sapphire, Blue Sapphi...
21st Century and Contemporary Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal
1950s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
1970s Swiss Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, Gold
1880s British Victorian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
10k Gold
1980s Italian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Unknown Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold
Recent Sales
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century Italian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1990s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
18k Gold
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Sterling Silver
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal
1990s American Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate, Enamel
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate
1980s American Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Other, Gilt Metal
1980s Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Italian Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Mid-20th Century Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Diamond, Jade, 14k Gold
1980s American Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Indian Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Pearl, Gold Plate, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Sterling Silver
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s American Modernist Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal, Gilt Metal
1970s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Crystal, Enamel
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gold Plate
1980s Spanish Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Base Metal, Gilt Metal
1970s Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
14k Gold
1980s Unknown Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Gilt Metal
1970s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
18k Gold
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1990s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
18k Gold
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Late 20th Century American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
1980s American Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro
Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Judith Leiber Jewelry Retro?
Judith Leiber for sale on 1stDibs
When it comes to handbags, no designer can compete with Judith Leiber’s ability to create magic using opulent crystals and wildly imaginative and playful shapes. The Hungarian-born designer's lauded vintage minaudières (small, decorative handbags, often without handles or a strap) were made in the form of crystal-covered swans, cupcakes, lipstick, wads of cash, teddy bears and other delightful objects.
These dazzling objets d’art have been regularly seen in the hands of First Ladies, movie stars on the red carpet and even in the prestigious collections of institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And like many pathbreaking inventions in the history of design, Leiber's purses and minaudières were the result of a happy accident.
In 1967, Leiber began working on her first metal handbag. The piece in question was named the Chatelaine, and the design was a graceful drop-shaped purse in gold-tinted metal. But when the samples came in, Leiber saw that the bottom of the bag looked greenish and discolored as a result of the plating process. She had the ingenious idea of applying crystal rhinestones to the base to cover up the flaws. The fabulous bag was a huge success and would become her trademark.
Born Judith Peto in Budapest, Leiber overcame many hardships before her breakthrough. At the start of World War II, she was working at the Pessl handbag company in Budapest where she quickly climbed the ranks to become a master craftswoman. When the war escalated, she and her Jewish family were forced by the Nazis to live in a cellar of a ghetto, and several of her relatives were killed in concentration camps.
“I designed handbags in my head to get through the misery,” Leiber said.
After the liberation of Budapest, she married Gerson “Gus” Leiber, an American GI, and moved to New York. In 1948, she began working for the fashion house Nettie Rosenstein. One of Leiber's first major pieces was the handbag embroidered with glittering rhinestones and pearls carried by Mamie Eisenhower at the 1953 inaugural ball. In 1963, she finally set up her own company.
Leiber’s whimsical designs embellished with Swarovski crystals and semiprecious stones defied traditional notions of luxury handbags. She also created striking clutches and bags with leather and fine textiles from around the world. In her 65-year career, she designed over 3,500 bags, which have been worn by First Ladies including Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush, pop icons like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez and celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner (who collects Judith Leiber bags).
In 2005, the Leiber Collection Museum opened in East Hampton, New York, as a permanent space to showcase her work. The minaudières remain coveted objects that are celebrated worldwide for their eclectic beauty and glamorous charm.
The value of a good handbag cannot be overstated — find vintage Judith Leiber shoulder bags, crossbody bags, sunglasses and other fashion accessories today on 1stDibs.