Costume Jewelry: The Jewels of Miriam Haskell [Hardcover]

Deanna Farnetti Cera (Author), Deanna Farneti Cera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

Devoted to the story of Miriam Haskell, one of America's most distinguished fashion jewellers, this text includes over 200 examples such as bracelets, necklaces, brooches, earrings and parures from significant European and American collections which illustrate the styles of the small number of designers who were associated with the House. This is a work which should be of reference for collectors of period jewellery, for fashion designers and for everyone who is interested in the decorative arts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Antique Collectors' Club. 1997. 207p. photogs. index. ISBN 1-85149-263-1.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'A detailed tribute to this famous costume-jewellery house' Harpers & Queen

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Antique Collectors' Club (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851492631
• ISBN-13: 978-1851492633
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,498,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information, beautiful pictures, interesting history., May 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Costume Jewelry: The Jewels of Miriam Haskell (Hardcover)

I felt this book was worth the price. For the person interested in Miriam Haskell, her history, and the history of her company, it is quite good. I wanted some practical information, however, and that was not quite there. For instance, what kind of findings were used? How to tell a fake hang tag from a true one? These are some of the things that would make this book super useful. Additionally, only the top-of-the-line pieces were pictured. I would have liked to see some of the lower-end production for identification purposes. All in all, however, it was a very good book and well worth the price.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, February 8, 2000

By 

J. Fearns (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Costume Jewelry: The Jewels of Miriam Haskell (Hardcover)

I had so much looked forward to reading this book that when it arrived I was disappointed. The text was rather disorganised in places and so it was hard to follow the points the author was making about the early life and various influences upon Miriam Haskell. Most of the book was focused on one designer and most of the pictures, although they are very nice pictures, came from the same few sources. I was hoping for a carefully researched piece which told me a lot more about Haskell and gave a much wider assortment of the pieces she designed. The book left you asking more questions than it answered and wanting more variety then it presented.

48 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jewels of Miriam Haskell, April 21, 2000

By 

Christine Saalbach (San Antonio TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Costume Jewelry: The Jewels of Miriam Haskell (Hardcover)

Miriam Haskell is recognized as an important American costume jewelry designer in this wonderful coffee table book. She had a penchant for the unusual with her ostentatious accessories. She was born in 1899 in Tell City, Indiana to immigrant parents (a Russian father and a Prussian mother).

At the dawn of the Roaring Twenties, she moved to New York City with $500 in her pocket, opening a small boutique. Named Le Bijou de L'Heure, there she sold costume jewelry that she designed. In the early 1920's, Haskell advertised that "colored glass necklaces, one for each outfit, are considered a necessity this year."

Not only was Haskell riding the wave of the Roaring Twenties, she was creating a wave of her own. The Twenties were the years that all of the fashion rules were broken. Haskell's unbounded creativity met with enormous popularity. The prices for her costume jewelry were much lower than the cost of precious metals and stones, so anyone could afford to look fashionable.

The popularity of her costume jewelry continued, even after the stock market crash. Her sales did not drop significantly until 1931. Another difficulty Haskell encountered was the lack of material available for jewelry during WWII when glass from Bohemia and white metal was scarce.

Haskell never registered her designs, although she began to sign her pieces in 1950. The Miriam Haskell trademark was not received until 1988, 64 years after she began designing. Because there were no marks to identify her work prior to 1950, it took a great deal of research on author Cera's part to verify pieces of costume jewelry as Haskell's. Cera relied upon advertisements in magazines and newspapers, and photographs of movie stars shown wearing jewelry attributed to Haskell.

Haskell drew inspiration for her designs from many cultures - South America, China, Greece and the US southwest Indian designs. Her designs mimicked or consisted of any and all materials, including flotsam, stones, seeds, berries and beans.

For the collector of costume jewelry, this book is a keeper.