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SOLD
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Vintage Miriam Haskell costume cuff blue glass
beaded bracelet is in great condition. Maker mark
Miriam Haskell on the bottom.
Measurements: 1 1/2in. length by 1/2in. width
History of Miriam Haskell Costume Jewelry:
She was born on July 1, 1899, in Tell City, Indiana, one
of four children, from parents who were small-town
merchants. . . . . By the early 1930's, her career was well
established with friends and clientele in the elite
societies of New York, Hollywood and Europe.
Throughout the years, public figures such as Joan
Crawford, Lucille Ball, Gloria Vanderbilt and the
Duchess of Windsor amassed large collections of her
jewelry. Photographs of celebrities wearing her
jewelry, design credits in movies and theater
productions, newspaper ads and interviews attest to her
status in these circles.On July 30, 1926, a business
permit was issued to Miriam Haskell for a gift shop in
the The McAlpin Hotel, 103 Sixteenth Street, New York
City. This event launched decades of sales of the finest
handmade fashion jewelry ever created. From that
moment to the present, celebrities as well as ordinary
people from all walks of life have sought this dazzling
jewelry to treasure and wear.
Shortly after the opening of the Miriam Haskell Gift
Shop, Frank Hess, a young window dresser from
Macy's, joined the business as the jewelry designer.
The team proved to be a perfect combination of
business skills and artistic taste. Throughout the
ensuing years, the story of this woman with the great
business sense and this man evolved, his art carrying
out a clear vision of what this jewelry would be about
and who would appreciate it.
One of the questions most frequently asked today by
collectors is, "Did Miriam Haskell ever design her
jewelry?" No one alive can say for certain, but in
interviews with former employees and owners, the
belief is that she may have designed a few pieces in the
early days of the company's history. . . . . However,
those who inherited the stories of the early years
remember her business skills and Hess's designing
talents. By the early 1930's the popularity of their
jewelry proclaimed they were a dynamic team.
Frank Hess was a private man with a complex
personality. He preferred to work in the seclusion of
his office and limited his employee contacts to a select
few. His private thoughts and personal affairs were
seldom open to his business associates. Yet, he was
flamboyantly sophisticated, arriving at work every day
in a top hat and carrying a silver-tipped cane. He
maintained tight control over his work and the entire
design process to the end of his career with the
company. Even people who worked in the showroom
had to have the Frank Hess stamp of approval for the
way they dressed and presented themselves and
Haskell jewelry. The few who remember him recall a
great artist with an uncanny sense of color and design.
Hess Worked As The Lead Designer Until He Retired In
1960, And He Was Succeeded By Robert Clark Who
Continued The Traditions But Incorporated Some Of His
Own Ideas Into Production And Used New Materials
Such As Mother Of Pearl.
Haskell Filigree Was Typically Electroplated Gold Tone
Metal In An Antique Gold Finish.
She Purchased Her Beads Mostly From France And
Venice, Italy, While Most Crystals Came From Bohemia.
In 1990, The Business Was Sold To Frank Fialkoff And,
Under The Name Haskell Jewels Ltd., Beautiful Jewelry
Continues To Be Produced In Much The Same Fashion
As The Earlier Lines.
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