Archive for June, 2009
Marino Vintage Jewelry
Marino vintage jewelry is rather hard to pin down, age-wise. Why?
It's primarily because there were two different companies using the Marino mark! One was Marino Manufacturing Company, based in Providence, Rhode Island. They appear to have been making costume jewelry in the late 1950s to early 1980s timeframe. The jewelry is signed "Marino" in all capital block letters.
But there's a second player in the Marino jewelry search. The second company was Marino Jewelry Company, Inc. and they were located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. They made costume jewelry starting in 1932, and it's unknown when they stopped (or indeed if they actually have stopped). Their mark is "Marino" in script. However, they were in business at least until 1978, when an ad for their jewelry appeared in the magazine Vogue.
My guess is that most of the jewelry found for this company is for Marino Manufacturing (as that's what I've seen the most of.) I've not been able to identify a particular signature look for it, and it does seem to span several decade styles.
At any rate, here is some Marino jewelry for you to browse. Happy hunting! 
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 Vintage REU Sterling Enamel San Marino Charm New  US $27.99
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 VINT SIGNED MARINO LGE CHUNKY SILVER LEAF LIMB BRACELT US $45.00
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 Vintage Goldtone Marino Necklace Bracelet C133 US $26.49
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My Fair Lady Pin
The My Fair Lady costume jewelry collection is arguably the best known of the B.S.K. jewelry line. There are several brooches, each related to the movie the line was named after, My Fair Lady.
The My Fair Lady pins are quite lovely. They are enameled in colors of pinks, yellows, whites and more. The most popular of the pins is the floral hat. But if you can find the wheelbarrow loaded with flowers -- grab it if the price is reasonable.
Below are some My Fair Lady brooches. And if you're curious, here's some more information on the jewelry manufacturer, BSK.
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 My Fair Lady Pins Set of 8 US $99.99
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 Vintage BSK MY FAIR LADY Hat Brooch Pin Enamel Rhinestones Flowers Ribbon US $10.50
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 1964 My Fair Lady Series by BSK Flower Pin Earring Set Book Piece US $64.88
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“Jelly Belly” Costume Jewelry
Jelly belly costume jewelry is a term I see quite often in auctions. But are the costume jewelry really the highly collectible "jelly belly" or are they mis-named? Let's talk about what's real and what's not.
What is Jelly Belly Costume Jewelry?
Jelly belly is a term that really means Trifari jewelry in the 1940s time frame. What with the war, rhinestones were getting hard to come by and Trifari was experimenting with lucite as part of their jewelry designs. The lucite was clear to very slighly translucent, and used for the body/belly of the figural pin. I've only seen clear -- no colored lucite (as yet, anyway). Also, I have only seen these as figural pins.
A short while after, Coro (among others) came out with their own version of figural lucite jewelry pins. Coro's are the most sought after (after Trifari). Technically, only Trifari is the true jelly belly, but most collectors will extend the term to Coro's versions as well.
What Isn't Jelly Belly
I see many auctions calling the jewelry "jelly belly" when it merely has a plastic or glass cabachon. Sometimes the cabachon stone is transluscent, sometimes it's totally opaque. Sometimes even jewelry with pearls or rhinestones are tagged as being jelly belly.
I've also seen bracelets, necklaces, earrings and even rings referred to as jelly belly. Not!
(I think in most cases it's a situation where the person running the auction just isn't familiar with the real thing. They see the term used for other cabachon jewelry and figure theirs should be called that as well.)
While these pieces might be lovely and collectible in their own right, they are not jelly belly. Don't pay a high price thinking they are!
A Note on Jelly Belly
The very collectible jelly belly is from the 1940s timeframe. However, Trifari and Coro did make more of it along the way -- I've seen vintage ads from the 1960s for jelly belly pins. These newer version are also quite collectible, but won't bring as high a price as the older versions.
Somethiong you need to know -- Trifari also has done some re-releases of their older pin designs; fortunately, they have marked the re-releases with the year. (Remember, Trifari is still in business and manufacturing jewelry.)
One Final Thought
As with any highly collectible and high-priced piece of costume jewelry, there are fakes out there. Sometimes the not-really-real jewelry is listed as a "reproduction", which is absolutely fine. Just know it's a reproduction and not the real thing -- and don't pay a high price.
Sometimes, well, a fake is passed off as the genuine article. It could be an honest mistake -- the person thought it was real when they bought it, not realizing it wasn't. Then again, it could be someone looking to make big bucks.
So the moral of the story is this: if you love the look of the authentic jelly belly jewelry and want to add some to your collection, do your homework first. If you are uncertain, ask a more knowledgable person to help you out. Don't pay a high price for jelly belly costume jewelry without knowing for sure that it's real.
All that being said, here are some auctions listed as being "jelly belly". Take a look, you should now be able to tell the ones that definitely aren't!
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 CoroCraft sterling Adolph Katz jelly belly fox pin US $1,275.00
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 Vtg Alfred Philippe CROWN TRIFARI Sterling Silver RS Jelly Belly Penguin Pin US $20.50
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 CORO JELLY BELLY ANGEL FISH PIN US $15.50
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