HattieCarnegie 1955 Glass Crystal HandWired MixedBead GiltMetal Clip Earrings

Before the brand signature was added in 1947, Miriam Haskell's first designer Frank Hess since 1926 designed these asymmetrical Baroque-style climber earrings with hand-painted white-and-ecru enamel leaves, crystal and glass beads, and Russian-gold gilt metal flowers, which are attached to a thick filigree branch that launched the post-war style of covering wires used to attach roses montees and beads behind an additional filigree plate. A similarly constructed and shaped pale-blue pair of climbers dated 1945 are in the renowned Barbara Berger museum-exhibited costume-jewelry collection. Characteristic of the materials favored by Hess for his designs, the clear rosette-cut rhinestones, intricate gilt-metal decorations, and white round glass beads were handcrafted in France by Parisian Louis Rousselet, who was among the first paruriers for Coco Chanel's couture clothing since the 1920s. In contrast to bold costume-jewelry by Chanel using...

Henry Schreiner, the Austrian-born blacksmith founder of Schreiner in New York in 1932, handcrafted this demi-parure of prong-set clear crystal stylized-foliage sprays after he began...

These post-WWII high-end Vendome hand-wired clip earrings each feature a spray of yellow-gold gilt-metal leaves with a stylized branch and five prong-set clear crystals among a clust...

In the mid-century, Austro-Hungarian Comtesse Cissy Zoltowska designed haute-couture costume jewelry with elements of hand-craftsmanship for some of the leading European houses inclu...

In 1956 when Christian Dior's ultra-feminine New Look had dominated fashion for nearly a decade, Schreiner New York handcrafted these opulent unsigned earrings with 22 prong-set open-back crystals to accompany the evening-wear of an American high-end fashion designer. They may have been for client Pauline Trigere when her ready-to-wear collections with accessories including unmarked-Schreiner jewelry were sold by NYC's Bergdorf Goodman and worn by her clients including Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Elizabeth Taylor. Comparatively, Schreiner jewelry produced in the 1950s for direct sale to high-end department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, Henri Bendel and Saks Fifth Avenue, were the only pieces to include a brand signature. Using the best quality European crystals that were custom-made for him, the founder Henry Schreiner was among the world's leading glass-jewelry designers before he died in 1954, whereafter his daughter and her husband continued with their handcrafted production. The family shared this distinction with Western Germany-based Max Muller and Paris-based Roger Jean Pierre, who were commissioned to create haute-couture pieces for the world's leading fashion houses. Notably in 1949, Henry Schreiner was commissioned by Dior to create several exclusive pieces. We know these earrings were not created earlier than 1956 because of the use of iridescent coating on some of the crystals that produces a rainbow effect. Known as aurora-borealis (AB) stones, Swarovski initially produced them exclusively for a haute-couture collection that year by Dior. Shortly thereafter, the Schreiner team had access to such colorful stones, and most certainly used them as soon as possible to enable their American fashion-designer clients to compete with the new Dior iridescent-colors trend. As Schreiner introduced its "ruffle" settings in 1957, we can see that they evolved from a smaller ruffle the year prior that is present on the tips of the marquise-shaped pale yellow stones...

While making similar Christian Dior haute-couture costume-jewelry in mid-century, designer Max Muller based near Kaufbeuren, Western Germany, created these exceptionally clear crysta...

The Thundering cloud, clip earrings are crafted in 18K yellow gold hallmarked in Cyprus. These bold and impressive ear pieces, come in a highly polished finish and feature 0.405 cts ...

The 'Traces’, clip earrings are crafted in 18k gold, hallmarked in Cyprus. These avant-garde, contemporary, sculptural earrings come in a highly polished finish and feature a total ...

Earrings composed of platinum and 18K yellow gold featuring oval shaped rubies that total 9.5 carats, accompanied by GIA Reports. Additionally there are 24 pear-shaped diamonds that...

A gorgeous pair of vintage c1960s Cultured pearl and diamond earrings. Crafted in rich 9ct yellow gold the earrings are a clip on style with gold ear clips, the centre set with a cr...

Barry Kieselstein-Cord 18k yellow gold diamond and citrine clip-on earrings. These earrings feature 2 cabochon citrines weighing an approximate total of 5.20 carats, surrounded by 3...

Art Deco platinum and 14k yellow gold Burma ruby and diamond clip on earrings accompanied by an AGL report. These ear clips feature 20 mixed shape unheated Burmese rubies weighing a...