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Katelyn Ricker

Bennett

12th Lit/Comp

10 October 2011

Famed Jewelers – Where They Began and Where They are Now

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” (Diamonds Are Forever) exclaimed Marilyn Monroe,

who made this phrase infamous. But what about pearls, gemstones, gold and silver? In the

world of jewelry crafting, the options are endless. But the jewelry known today has not always

been made of these precious materials. “Before written language, or the spoken word, there was

jewelry. In the late 1800s, British archaeologist Archibald Campbell Carlyle said of primitive

man "the first spiritual want of a barbarous man is decoration" ("The History of Jewellery").

Ancient jewelry, dating back over 5000 years, was made of bones and teeth. “The word

(jewelry) is derived from the Latin word jocale, meaning plaything, and the word jewel, which

was anglicised during the 13th century from the Old French word jouel. The word jewelry is

used to describe any piece of precious material used to adorn one's self” (“The History of

Jewellery”). As man evolved, jewelry became a symbol of wealth and status. It was also used

to keep ancient Americans from harm, heal illness, and keep away evil spirits (“The History of

Jewellery”). Some jewelers, such as Coco Chanel, Louis Tiffany and Melvyn Bernie, built their

empires by understanding the connection between marvelous jewelry and the wealth and status

their client’s wanted to display. But they were not always the famed jewelers that are known

today.

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Gabrielle Chanel was born on August 19, 1883. She was the second child of an

unmarried couple. Her father sold bowls, cups, and other ordinary household items. Her mother

was a common peasant. When Gabrielle was twelve years old, her mother died. Exactly one

week after her passing, her father abandoned her, and left her at a provincial orphanage to be

raised by nuns. “At the time, she had no future, since she was a poor girl brought up by charity.

Coco never mentioned the years she spent at the orphanage as she tried her hardest to clear any

and all traces of her unhappiness” ("Coco Chanel Biography").

Chanel spent several years at school before she tried to make a start in the fashion

industry. Her first job was as a shopkeeper who specialized in linens. After that, she attempted

singing and dancing; she wanted to try to make a career in the theater business. The only thing

she got out of her experience as a singer is the nickname “Coco”, which was given to her by her

audience for her songs “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco” ("Coco Chanel Biography").

When she was twenty-two, Chanel met a gentlemen horse breeder whose name was

Etienne Balsan. He proposed they live together, and she quickly accepted. Together, they lived

in a castle, although she was not accustomed to her position as a mistress. While she did enjoy

the life he supplied her, she wanted to make a career for herself. Soon after her stay with Etienne,

Chanel met yet another person who would change her life completely. The gentleman’s name

was Arthur Capel, known to some as “Boy”. In 1910, with Capel’s help, she opened her first

milliner (women’s hat) shop in Paris. Then in 1913, she opened her own boutique in Deauville,

France. Once Chanel opened her business and applied her own creativity to it, she became

known as a “woman entrepreneur.” The start of her career was when she was “hat maker to the

divas” ("Coco Chanel Biography"). Her customers loved her hats so much that they gave her

name to very important people in Paris (“Coco Chanel Biography”).

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“Traditionally, dressmakers never were considered a part of society. Chanel was the first

exception to the rule. [Chanel] became an important international figure who was invited

everywhere” (“Coco Chanel Biography”). According to Coco Chanel herself, “I did not go into

society because I had to design clothes. I designed clothes precisely because I did go out…”

(“Coco Chanel Biography”).

Shortly after World War II was declared, Chanel closed her salon. During September

1944, she was arrested because there were rumors of her being romantically involved with a high

ranking German officer. “A few hours [after she was arrested], she was released. Shortly after

she was released, she left for Switzerland, which was her home for almost ten years” (“Coco

Chanel Biography”). After a fifteen year break, she resumed her business and was more popular

than ever. Her fashions became iconic in the United States. After her death, Karl Lagerfeld took

over leadership of the Chanel Company (“Coco Chanel Biography”).

The Tiffany Company also had a humble beginning. Louis Tiffany was born to Charles

Lewis Tiffany and Harriet Young Tiffany on February 18, 1848. “[He] studied under the

American painters George Inness and Samuel Colman and trained as a painter of narrative

subjects in Paris” (“Louis Tiffany Biography”). It is said that a visit to Morocco helped

influence some of his major works. “Returning to the United States, he became a recognized

painter and an associate of the National Academy of Design…” (“Louis Tiffany Biography”).

“In 1875, Tiffany began experimenting with stained glass, which led to the establishment

of his own glassmaking factory in Queens, New York. By the 1890s, he was a leading glass

producer [who experimented] with unique means of coloring” (“Louis Tiffany Biography”).

What made him famous was the glass he named “Favrile”, which was a neologism, or newly

formed word, from the Latin word faber, which means craftsman. “Favrile glass was iridescent

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and freely shaped, and was sometimes combined with bronze like alloys and other metals. His

glass was admired abroad, especially in central Europe, where it created a new fashion” (“Louis

Tiffany Biography”).

Tiffany’s decorating firm, known as Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, served

many wealthy New Yorkers. “Tiffany was commissioned by President Chester A. Arthur to

redecorate the reception rooms at the White House… he created the great stained-glass screen in

the entrance hall” (“Louis Tiffany Biography”). In an effort to expand and grow his business,

Tiffany decided to reorganize. “In 1900, Tiffany’s firm was reorganized as Tiffany Studios.

Afterwards, he ventured into lamps, jewelry, pottery, and bibelots [trinkets or small household

decorative objects]. He created one of his major achievements, a large glass curtain for the

Palacio de Bellas Artes [in] Mexico City in 1911” (“Louis Tiffany Biography”). The corporate

reorganization in 1900 and expansion into new product offerings helped turn the family-owned

business into a multi-national corporation. “Tiffany and Company, is a jeweler and specialty

retailer, whose merchandise offerings include an extensive selection of jewelry, as well as

timepieces, sterling silverware, china, crystal, stationery, fragrances and accessories”

("Shareholder Information"). To symbolize the quality and craftsmanship for which the

company became famous, Tiffany designed a trademark which is recognized world-wide.

“Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer;

he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes” (“Tiffany & Co History”). The shade

of blue used for the trademark Tiffany box has become synonymous with the company itself, and

thus is known as Tiffany Blue®. “True to the vision of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the Tiffany Blue

Box® was to become an American icon of style and sophistication” (Tiffany & Co History”).

Less recognized, but still highly desired, is the unique style of 1928 Jewelry.

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Melvyn Bernie was twenty-three years old when he first started his venture into jewelry

making. His first workshop was in his garage. During the daylight hours, he sold watches. But

by night, he made costume jewelry in the back room of his house in Van Nuys, California. He

used some of the money he made selling watches to buy the tools and materials to make his

jewelry. He then sold his creations to department stores and retail chains. Over time, his part-

time venture became a full time business named the 1928 Jewelry Company (Apodaca).

1928 Jewelry is known for producing pieces designed after antiques. Their jewelry,

which ranges from five dollars to 300 dollars, is new and made with gold and silver plating, and

is made to look like jewelry that might have been worn at the turn of the century. Today, the

company has a 50,000-square-foot plant. Depending on the time of year, there are 1,000 to

1,500 workers hand-crafting the jewelry that 1928 sells. According to the founder of 1928

Jewelry, Melvyn Bernie, “The plant is the largest site of costume jewelry manufacturing in the

world” (Apodaca). Eighty percent of the company’s jewelry is sold in major stores such as

Macy’s and Broadway. The jewelry line is very popular with women of all ages. According to

Jim Litwak, president at Trans World Entertainment, “The [type of] customers [the jewelry]

attracts is very mainstream, from the young customer who wants an antique look to the

grandmother who wants some costume jewelry to wear with [her] old pieces (Apodaca).

Jewelry had humble beginnings. Ancient jewelry was comprised of materials such as

bones and teeth. Over time it evolved into using gold, silver, diamonds, and other precious

materials. It is now often considered a sign of wealth and status. Likewise, today’s famous

jewelers also had humble beginnings. Three of the most prominent names in the industry, Louis

Tiffany, Coco Chanel, and Melvyn Bernie, started from nowhere and built their companies into

the empires we know today. Owning one of their pieces is, to many, the ultimate indulgence.

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Works Cited

Apodaca, Patrice. “Jewelry Firm Finds Gold in Antique Styles:Fashion:1928 Jewelry Co., Which

Started In A Garage, Now Has Revenue of $100 Million A Year.” Los Angeles Times.

N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. <articles.latimes.com/ //_1_costume-jewelry>. .

“Coco Chanel Biography.” Coco Chanel Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.famous-women-and-beauty.com/chanel-biography.html>.

Diamonds Are Forever. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.

<www.diamonds-are-forever.org.uk/quotes.htm>.

“The History of Jewellery: Origins of Jewellery Design.” All About Gemstones. N.p., n.d. Web.

16 Sept. 2011. <http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/_history_early_man.html>.

“Louis (Comfort) Tiffany Biography.” Bio. True Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.biography.com//ouis-Comfort-Tiffany-9507399>.

“Shareholder Information.” Tiffany & Co. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2011.

<http://investor.tiffany.com/>.

Tiffany & Co History and Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.

<http://press.tiffany.com//US//&Timeline.pdf>.