The Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing Company, maker of designer costume jewelry, opened for business in 1938 located in New York City. There were three founders: Joseph Chorbajian, an Armenian immigrant; a cousin of Chorbajian whose name has since been lost; and Jack Hazard.
The Hollycraft Jewelry name
The Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing Company started using the Hollycraft name in 1948, perhaps because of customer confusion between Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing's jewelry and jewelry produced by Joseph of Hollywood. Hanging tags with Hollycraft on one side and "Created by Hollywood Jewelry Mfg. New York" on the flip side originated during that same year.
Hollycraft costume jewelry of the 1950s
The heyday for many Hollycraft collectors is jewelry produced during the 1950s. For one thing, Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing started marking dates on Hollycraft costume jewelry around 1950, making the jewelry easier to identify. In fact, because of the dating process, and the addition the © sign to Hollycraft costume jewelry after 1955, many collectors choose to collect Hollycraft vintage jewelry by the year.
The look of Hollycraft vintage jewelry
There are two interlocking Hollycraft jewelry signatures to look for. First, Hollycraft vintage jewelry is prized for its beautiful designs using rich, pastel-colored rhinestones. Some designs used a single color, while others used several sparkly colors.
The other line for which Hollywood Jewelry Company is famous is the Christmas Tree Line, which included Christmas tree pins and Christmas tree earrings, one of founder Joseph Chorbajian's projects. There was other Christmas jewelry, including a charming red-enameled Santa Claus marching along while carrying a sack of presents, and cute Christmas lantern earrings.
Collecting vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry
The costs of vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry are on the rise, particularly for Christmas Tree jewelry, rhinestone bracelets and rhinestone necklace and earring sets. Make sure that all of the rhinestones are still in place before buying a piece. While you may be able to purchase a replacement stone, replacing the stone will add to the overall cost of the piece, and the replacement stone may not be available.
Try to buy vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry in sets if that is the way that the jewelry was originally sold. It also adds to the value if you can find vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry in its original box.
 | When you begin collecting vintage jewelry, buy what you love, but favor the quality and condition of the piece in question over simply filling a space in your collection. |
 | If you are interested in collecting vintage jewlery, consider taking a look at antique watches. |
 | Those involved in the Art Nouveau, or "new art," movement wanted to wrench art away from its classical forms and create a new type of outlook on art in its various formats. |
For those interested in obtaining beauty, and sometimes history, collecting jewelry provides many rewards. From antiques to modernized pieces, jewelry makes for a wonderful collectible. |
Do you know that many individuals sell antique jewelry for a profit? For some individuals, especially those unfamiliar with antiques, it may be a bit difficult to get started. |
