Hattie Carnegie fish brooch and starfish, 1950`s ca, USA.
This complimentary pair of vintage Hattie Carnegie brooches playfully capture the 1950`s spirit. The bright colours, humourous faces and tropical subject are all period style. Hattie Carnegie jewelry is know for its style and quality production.
Both brooches have gold plated gilt frames with enameled hot pink flowers, each with a black faceted rhinestone in the centre. The gold toned fish face has a textured pattern with humourous bulging eyes & lips while the gold toned fins have a ribbed pattern. On the starfish the outer edge has a bumpy texture. The back of each is quality casting with cage-like design which is both strong and lightweight. On the back there is a cartouche stamped `Hattie Carnegie`.
The metal frame and enamel on both pieces are in good condition with only a couple of chips to the enameled flowers. The clasp & pin on both pieces work well. Gift box included.
The dimensions of the fish brooch are Height: 5.1 cm, Width: 5.1 cm, Depth 1.2 cm.
The dimensions of the starfish brooch are Height 3.8 cm, Width 5.5 cm, Depth 1.2 cm.
Hattie Carnegie Vintage Costume Jewelry
Hattie Carnegie (1880-1956) was born Henrietta Kanengeiser in Austria. In 1886 her family emigrated to New York where they worked in the garment industry. While working at Macy’s hat department in her twenties she appropriately earned the nickname `Hattie` which she topped off with `Carnegie` from the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie.
In 1913, Hattie opened her first shop `Carnegie-Ladies Hatter` which led to exclusive boutiques across the United States and eventually a world renowned fashion empire. Carnegie created the `head-to-hem` look with complimentary accessories such as hats & costume jewelry. Her official line of marked jewelry hit the market in 1939. Some of Carnegie’s top jewelry designers included Kenneth Jay Lane, Norman Norell, Nadine Effront & French sculptor George Braques. Hattie Carnegie vintage jewelry from before 1956 is most valued. In the late 1960s Larry Josephs took over the firm and in 1976, the company was acquired by Chromology American Corporation until 1979. The Hattie Carnegie brand was still being used in the late 1970`s on designer lines like Yves Saint Laurent for Carnegie (1978), Anne Klein for Carnegie (1979), and Valentino for Hattie Carnegie (1979).
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