Coro Jewelry: A Collector's Guide--Identification & Values [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Marcia Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1574324128 | ISBN-13: 978-1574324129 | Edition: 1

Collector Books is pleased to present this first book of its kind, dedicated to one of the giants in the costume jewelry industry. Coro was in business for 79 years, from 1901 to 1980, was once one of the largest manufacturing plants in the world, and was at one time the maker of half of all the jewelry sold in the world. This book is the first devoted to this pace-setting manufacturer. Well-known jewelry expert Marcia 'Sparkles' Brown, author of Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry and two volumes of Signed Costume Jewelry, displays over 600 color photographs with identification and values in Coro Jewelry. Advertisements spanning the years 1943 to 1961 are included, as well as illustrations of the Canadian, English, and American plants and salesrooms. There are chapters devoted to Coro, Corocraft, Vendome, Francois, Mylu, and the company's international connections, including Mexico. Biographies and photographs of important company officers are featured. An additional highlight is a section on Coro's head designer and his limited edition nine brooches released in 2000. The history in the book spans Coro's legal battles, rags to riches stories of company officers, and Coro's influence in the growth of its Providence, Rhode Island, plant location and the entire jewelry industry. You won't want to miss this book. 2005 values.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Coro Jewelry is an interesting book to read. It covers in detail the history of the company, while at the same time describing what was happening in the costume jewelry business as a whole during the time period. The role of the traveling salesmen, marketing techniques, designing procedures, and brief biographies all give the reader a better understanding of what was involved in producing this jewelry so popular with collectors today.

About the Author

Marcia Brown published her first book, Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry, in 2000. She is the host and co-writer of the award-winning Venture Entertainment books-on-tape series Hidden Treasures: A Collector's Guide to Antique & Vintage Jewelry. She is a frequent contributor to the Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry newsletter. An antique and vintage jewelry historian, lecturer, and collector, Brown also provides private consultations for many dealers, mall owners, and collectors.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Collector Books; 1 edition (October 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574324128
• ISBN-13: 978-1574324129
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Jewelry

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Big Disappointment, January 16, 2005

By 

Java Jewels (phoenix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coro Jewelry: A Collector's Guide--Identification & Values (Hardcover)

If you're more interested in the company's history than the jewelry they produced, then you will not be disappointed in this book. However, if you're wanting to see the best of Coro and find a way to determine the value of a Coro piece (or what you should pay for it), this book fails to satisfy that criteria.

First of all, the book is poorly assembled. Corocraft ends up near the back of the book after Francois and Vendome. The selection is poor; 9 pages of $10 - $20 earrings, 40 pgs. of Vendome and only 13 pages of Corocraft and Coro Sterling each. The key Collectible Coro pieces are hard to find in this book and when you find them, the photos are poor, the prices not consistent with the marketplace (some high some low) and some of the best aren't in the book (yet easily found on the internet). You never know which section of Coro you are viewing as every page in the book has the same header. The descriptions don't define which designer produced which piece and with Coro, the designer affects the value.

Ms. Brown needs a lesson in photography or someone should buy her a new camera. The colors are washed out, there are far too numerous blurry images and most importantly, the jewelry just does not show well.

As the other reviewer said....take a pass on this one

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A DECEPTION !!! and ... Poor CORO !, February 12, 2005

By 

Filomene66 (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coro Jewelry: A Collector's Guide--Identification & Values (Hardcover)

Hope to see the best, the most interesting, the most curious of CORO ? avoid this book ! poor choice, bad pictures, ridiculous pink background .... big disappointment !!! and when you know that CORO did so gorgeous jewelry !!! ......

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Coro lacks enough pictures to fill the pages!!!, August 19, 2006

By 

Terry Anderson "Vintage Bird Lady" (Colfax, Calif.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coro Jewelry: A Collector's Guide--Identification & Values (Hardcover)

I buy and sell vintage jewelry mostly on e-Bay at Kaospf. I know how much Coro jewelry is out there so I was very disappointed that this book only has 3 pictures per page. I like to have as many books as I can afford so I can learn and price my pieces corectly.The pictures are scattered and they have a value for that piece but nothing in depth to take up the whole page. They should have loaded up the pages with the pictures of the more comon pieces available on the market.The pictures in the book are more high ticket items.It is nice to see items you don't see often so don't get me wrong. This is why I was not thrilled with the book,too much wasted space and lack of history on the pages. There is history at the front of the book,but it should be on the pages or the area your looking at.Bottom line is if I had looked at the book I wouldn't have bought it.I hope the next book will be better.