Looks like Lucy, but it's not! I was perusing the May issue of Country Home Magazine when I came across an advertisement for Armstrong laminate flooring. What caught my eye was not the Lucy look alike, but the gorgeously large vintage rhinestone brooch! Here's a closeup shot:
When I was in Arcola, Illinois shopping with my sister 2 weeks ago, I found a beautiful brooch look alike at an antique shop. My generous sister purchased it and other vintage pieces for me! Here is a photo of my brooch look alike:
I'm hoping my treasure is a Weiss brooch. Albert Weiss was a jewelry designer in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The Weiss Company was founded in NYC in 1942 and closed its doors in 1971. The company offered high quality costume jewelry with Austrian rhinestones of the highest quality and clarity. Weiss jewelry is highly sought after by many collectors today.
If a jewel is marked Weiss on the back, it may or may not be indicative of an authentic Weiss piece. There was a period of time when many designers did not mark their pieces. In fact, a majority of vintage, especially antique (pre-1930) pieces are unsigned. My brooch is not marked Weiss, but I'm hoping mine is one of those unsigned pieces! Here's a quick tutorial on how to spot authentic Weiss jewelry:
- Authentic Weiss jewelry has a smooth rhodium plated back which is quite pretty. A fake Weiss piece has a textured back which is not as appealing to the eye. Here are 2 photos of the back of my unsigned brooch:
2. Buy from only reputable dealers. If the dealer has a large stock of Weiss pieces with several of an identical piece, buy elsewhere. Weiss pieces are hard to come by, so if a dealer has a large quantity in pristine condition, the pieces were probably mass produced after 1971 when Weiss stopped production.I purchased my brooch from a reputable dealer in Chicago who had only one other Weiss piece for sale. My sister bought that one for me also! It is a smaller brooch, but it is marked Weiss, has the smooth rhodium plated back and it's brilliance is almost blinding! Here are some photos:
I hope you enjoyed "Vintage Weiss 101" in a nutshell. More vintage jewels to come! Ladies, look through your old jewelry before you sell them in your next yard sale. You may have some Weiss definitely worth keeping!
Looks like Lucy, but it's not! I was perusing the May issue of Country Home Magazine when I came across an advertisement for Armstrong laminate flooring. What caught my eye was not the Lucy look alike, but the gorgeously large vintage rhinestone brooch! Here's a closeup shot:
When I was in Arcola, Illinois shopping with my sister 2 weeks ago, I found a beautiful brooch look alike at an antique shop. My generous sister purchased it and other vintage pieces for me! Here is a photo of my brooch look alike:
I'm hoping my treasure is a Weiss brooch. Albert Weiss was a jewelry designer in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The Weiss Company was founded in NYC in 1942 and closed its doors in 1971. The company offered high quality costume jewelry with Austrian rhinestones of the highest quality and clarity. Weiss jewelry is highly sought after by many collectors today.
If a jewel is marked Weiss on the back, it may or may not be indicative of an authentic Weiss piece. There was a period of time when many designers did not mark their pieces. In fact, a majority of vintage, especially antique (pre-1930) pieces are unsigned. My brooch is not marked Weiss, but I'm hoping mine is one of those unsigned pieces! Here's a quick tutorial on how to spot authentic Weiss jewelry:
2. Buy from only reputable dealers. If the dealer has a large stock of Weiss pieces with several of an identical piece, buy elsewhere. Weiss pieces are hard to come by, so if a dealer has a large quantity in pristine condition, the pieces were probably mass produced after 1971 when Weiss stopped production.I purchased my brooch from a reputable dealer in Chicago who had only one other Weiss piece for sale. My sister bought that one for me also! It is a smaller brooch, but it is marked Weiss, has the smooth rhodium plated back and it's brilliance is almost blinding! Here are some photos:
I hope you enjoyed "Vintage Weiss 101" in a nutshell. More vintage jewels to come! Ladies, look through your old jewelry before you sell them in your next yard sale. You may have some Weiss definitely worth keeping!
