More Deco-Era Vauxhall Glass Jewelry

As described in Exploring Vauxhall Glass Jewelry, most of the examples seen nowadays date from the Art Deco era (1930s) and the majority of them were made in Czechoslovakia. Sometimes a necklace will be signed “Czech” or “Czecho” on the clasp but many were not. Whether signed or not, the excellent quality of vintage Czech glass stones, combined with the Vauxhall-style metal backing, soon becomes easily recognizable and appreciated.

This necklace, found in two colorways, is 15 1/2” long. It’s unusual in that the faceted glass stones are backed not with the usual silvering or with metal, but with a piece of beveled black glass instead. I love the trim, sophisticated effect!

 

 

Open or solid squares were an iconic Deco-era shape, either by themselves or in combination. The open motifs are 1/2” square; both necklaces are 16” long.

 

 

I love this tricolor necklace and wish I’d seen it when it was offered for sale. The squares formed by the three glass stones measure 1/2”. The bracelet was offered at another time by a different seller and as you can see, the colorways are slightly different. I suspect that in both pieces the colors are red, blue, and “white” (clear) as shown in the bracelet photo; although the largest stone in the necklace appears to be yellow and the chain as goldtone, the written description says it is silvertone metal.

 

 

Here the small square Vauxhall stones are centered in filigree ‘cartwheel’ shapes. This is a true choker at 14 1/2” long.

 

 

This swag necklace combines geometric lozenges with a pair of floral rose motifs.

 

 

Fan shapes were also wildly popular in the 1930s, as was this deep cherry red color. This necklace is a bit longer at 16 1/2” but even the larger glass stones are not much larger than a half inch (5/8” square overall).

 

 

Here’s another example of the fan shape, this time used with rhinestones in a fur clip. The clip is 2” long overall, and 1 1/2” wide at the widest point of the fan.

 

 

I would have snapped this necklace up in a second if I’d seen it when it was for sale! According to the sold listing it was 16” long and the playing-card motif stones were 5/8” wide. Although the photo makes it look as if the ‘suits” stones were clear, the entire back of each glass station is closed.

 

 

A more sophisticated colorway for the often-seen “flower” 1930s Vauxhall necklace. The seller noted that it was 16” long, signed Czechoslovakia on the clasp ring, and that the flowers graduated slightly in size from 1/2” wide in the center to 3/8” wide at the ends.

 

 

I wish there had been more than just this one photo of such a pretty necklace! The three large “rose” stones in front are the same as seen in the purple swag necklace, and it looks as if the other blue stones are the four-petalled flowers above. The green leaf shapes in between are a perfect graceful touch.

 

 

This rainbow-hued flower-and-lozenge necklace contains three sizes of flower stones as well.

 

 

The same colors appear in this piece which might be either a brooch with the pin extended behind it, or a belt/sash ornament.

 

 

In the caption for a blue-flower necklace in my previous Vauxhall post, I mused that a green version would surely look like shamrocks… and what do you know, here it is! 🙂

 

 

This unsigned brooch with blue and clear Vauxhall style stones measures almost an inch wide (15/16”) and 3/4” high. It has a ‘c’ clasp.

These Czech deco-era Vauxhall stones were also used in earrings and often in combination with enamel accents and/or glass beads. Below is an example of a Vauxhall/enamel/filigree drop earring in two colorways. The earrings are 2.25” long and 7/8” wide.

Although not “true” original antique Vauxhall glass, the vintage 1930s pieces are certainly admirable in their own right!