JOSEFF OF HOLLYWOOD Huge Twin Cherub Dangle Pin/Pendant w/ Faux Sapphires, Diamonds

Jewelry : Collectible : Costume : Vintage : Joseff Of Hollywood

$695 USD
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Our massive pin, circa the '40s-'50s, is a Nouveau-style masterpiece by the Eugene Joseff, dubbed the "Jeweler to the Stars". If you're looking for the best, it does not get any better than this! Excellent craftsmanship, highly collectible and, especially these days, scarce to find — to the point of almost being a one-off!

"Cleopatra", "The Wizard of Oz", "Casablanca", "Ben Hur", "My Fair Lady". . . name any classic Hollywood movie, and chances are Joseff created jewelry for it. Joseff's extraordinary design talents contributed to over ninety-percent of the jewelry supplied for the movies during Hollywood's golden years of the 1930s, '40s and beyond!

His client list is a "Who's Who" of Hollywood legends; i.e., Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Grace Kelly, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn . . .

According to "Costume Jewelry" author Judith Miller, Joseff's jewelry "is never nondescript; it always makes a strong visual statement". A pair of cherub earrings that could be a nice match to our brooch here is featured in her book.

Joseff is credited with developing Russian gold-plating, a semi-matte, copper-gold finish that is a visually effective substitute for gold. The finish solved the problem of over-reflective gold jewelry during filming under powerful studio lights. This finish became popular beyond Joseff, and was embraced by other costume jewelry greats like Haskell, DeMario, Hagler, etc.

Hard not to fall in love with this masterful Joseff piece! Its upper half has a pair of cherubs holding up a rose between them and with their free hand, other flowers. The bottom half has our sparkly glass gemstones: a trio of deep sapphire blue pear-shaped crystals and round clear faux diamonds.

A fourth sapphire blue crystal dangles at the base of the brooch. The pin also a border of flowing, and flowery, curves.

The brooch is 3 1/2" long and 3" wide. It has a locking c-clasp closure and a round hoop for a bail.

In excellent condition. The finish has a darker, mellow patina — which, according to the books, is how it should be (as opposed to an overly-bright finish, which results from abrasive polishing and which renders these pieces worthless, according to Miller). The gemstones are sparkly; the faux diamonds are especially glittery, they look like the real thing.

Took me so long to find this piece (and I may never find one again), so it's not included in any ongoing sale. I've looked around, and similar Joseff brooches go for $800 or more, so this is a good price.

Enjoy looking! I know I am!

Item ID: 0108-JOS3
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