Tag: art deco jewelry

Vintage 1930s Art Deco Ball-Chain Jewelry

Who’d ever think that the same simple chain that has dangled from millions of light fixtures for the past 120 years also inspired a jewelry fad? It’s true; the humble brass ball-chain has a costume jewelry genre all its own. In August 1896, Harvey Hubbell patented a pullchain lightbulb socket in response to a real…

Three Art Deco Bakelite and Enamel Bracelets

black bakelite bangle with blue on silver tabs 1930s art deco bracelet

As promised far too long ago within the first section of my Chains of Evidence post, here are the Art Deco era bracelets that match two of the necklaces shown there. The combination of Bakelite, enamel paint accents and (in one example) embossed metal is quite dramatic. All three are bangle bracelets (one being hinged)…

A Mystery Jewelry Maker Update for the New Year

Launching into 2017 with an update on my 1930s mystery jewelry maker, including four newfound designs and several new colorways. All examples are necklaces; there seems to be a dearth of MJM bracelets lately!     Although the mesh is their familiar ‘watchband style’, the color – pure white – and the central-station tassel is…

Perseverance Pays Off

Despite my several years (and still ongoing) research of the 1930s ‘mystery jewelry maker’, I am super-picky about the examples that I actually purchase. A big part of the reason is financial but it’s also a matter of personal style preference: I’ve always had an affinity for their fully enamel-painted pieces and so those have…