Trifari Leaf Earrings
Vintage 1960s Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Gold Plate, Base Metal, Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s Artisan Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
Gilt Metal
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Diamond, Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Retro Brooches
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
People Also Browsed
Early 2000s Thai Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Jade, 14k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s Chinese Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, Enamel, Gold, 14k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Russian Modern Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Modern Choker Necklaces
1990s European Etruscan Revival Drop Earrings
Silver
20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
2010s Choker Necklaces
Cultured Pearl
20th Century Unknown Clip-on Earrings
20th Century More Earrings
Vintage 1970s American Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
20th Century Unknown Stud Earrings
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century Arts and Crafts Choker Necklaces
Mid-20th Century Organic Modern Collectible Jewelry
Vintage 1960s American Link Bracelets
Vintage 1950s Beaded Necklaces
Vintage 1940s American Link Bracelets
20th Century Unknown Clip-on Earrings
20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1940s American Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
Vintage 1950s Brooches
Gold Plate
Vintage 1950s American Art Deco Choker Necklaces
Base Metal
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1980s American Art Nouveau Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
Vintage 1960s American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Dangle Earrings
Base Metal
Mid-20th Century American Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1950s American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1980s American Stud Earrings
Trifari Leaf Earrings For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Trifari Leaf Earrings?
Trifari for sale on 1stDibs
Costume jewelry maker Trifari is widely loved for its fine craftsmanship and complex designs for necklaces, brooches and other jewelry and accessories.
The company was formed in New York during the early 1920s, when its partners Gustavo Trifari (who descended from a family of jewelers), Leo Krussman and Carl Fishel (business associates in hair-ornament manufacturing) recognized, as other designers during the Art Deco era such as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel had, that fashion trends for affordable jewelry for everyday wear represented an opportunity (and that the popularity of shorter hairstyles didn’t bode well for their haircomb business).
Initially called Trifari, Krussman and Fishel Jewelry (T.K.F.), the trio eventually shortened their brand’s name, at the suggestion of an advertising professional, to Trifari in order to evoke the romance of Gustavo’s native Italy.
The hiring of French designer Alfred Philippe as head designer in 1930 was pivotal to Trifari’s success. A master craftsman who had worked with both Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, Philippe set about establishing the same high-quality standards of materials and craftsmanship in the design of fashion jewelry and trained other Trifari artisans to do the same. Settings were delicate; crystals were hand set; designs, which sometimes featured dazzling floral motifs or exquisite depictions of marine life, were sophisticated and elegant, having both the look and feel of fine jewelry. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower wore a Trifari parure of faux pearls to her husband’s presidential inauguration in 1953 and Trifari glass pearls to his inaugural ball in 1957.
Before retiring in 1968, Philippe created Trifari’s most recognizable designs. In the 1930s, when the company was custom-making accessories for the stars of Broadway musicals, it was the crown motif: These brooches became so often identified with the brand that a crown was eventually incorporated into the trademark. In the 1940s, the “Jelly Bellies” inspired affection as well as knockoffs; these were animals, birds and insects sporting a “belly” of clear Lucite. Clip-Mates were another favorite and a technical marvel — two dress clips that, joined together, created a brooch.
Find a wide range of vintage Trifari jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.