Coro Costume Jewelry and Vendome
Coro costume jewelry is one of the best-known in the collectable market. Manufactured from 1901 all the way through to 1979 in the US and 1998 in Canada, Coro is an enduring classic.
Coro had two main design "arms". First was the Coro and Corocraft, which specialized in everyday costume jewelry. From simple to glitzy styles, the price range was for the average family.
Rhinestone Costume Jewelry Earrings by Coro
The other side of the design arm was Vendome. Vendome vintage jewelry was aimed at a wealthier audience, with higher-end pieces. Glitz and glamour were the catchwords, and quality was the mainstay when it came to Vendome jewelry.
Coro's History
Coro started business in 1901. The two partners in the business were Emanuel Cohen and Gerald Rosenberg. "Coro" was a blend of the first two letters of their last names (Cohen and Rosenberg).
Neither Emanuel or Gerald were designers, but rather they contracted with talented individuals. Nor did they manufacture the jewelry; it also was contracted out. This left the pair to concentrate on the marketing. And market they did!
By the 1920's Coro jewelry was sold in the five-and-dime stores all across the country. Accessible and affordable, even during the Great Depression they were able to continue making and selling their jewelry. And in 1929, they were able to actually build a manufacturing facility in Providence, Rhode Island. By this time Adolph Katz had joined in, and ultimately it was he who made Coro jewelry so famous.
Adolph oversaw the manufacturing and it's also believed that he carefully selected the designers for the jewelry; it's unclear if he actually designed any himself, though. Three designers that Adolph selected include Francois, Gene Verecchio and Oscar Placco.
In 1943, Coro incorporated to become Coro, Inc. Along the way they made a name for themselves with the Coro Duette, a pin that had two parts that could be worn together or separately. Business was booming!
The Vendome line was added to the company shortly after incorporating, but the majority of the pieces were manufactured after about 1953, and all the way up through 1979.
Coro continued manufacturing jewelry up through 1979 (1998 in Canada), then closed their doors. Meanwhile, they contributed so very much to the popularity and history of costume jewelry.
Jewelry Marks Used
Coro used quite a few marks spanning the years, and they didn't necessarily abandon one when they brought out another. Therefore, it can be difficult to date Coro pieces, based on their marks. The exception is that anything with a copyright symbol was manufactured after 1955.
Here are some of the most common marks used for Coro costume jewelry:
- "Coro" in script, written at an angle or with no angle was first used in 1919.
- "Duette" and "Coro Duette" in script was first used in 1931.
- "Coro Craft" in script, 1935.
- "Corocraft" in script, written at an angle with a Pegasus, 1938. This mark also appeared without the Pegasus at the same time.
- "Coro" in a thick script, 1940.
- "Coro" in script, at an angle with a Pegasus, 1945.
- Pegasus next to an empty rectangle, 1945.
- "Made in Mexico" in a small circle, "Coro" and "silver" dates are from 1943 through 1950.
- "Coro" in script with the copyright symbol, dates from 1956.
Now for the Vendome marks...
- "Vendome" with a large V on an oval cartouche, used from 1944 through 1979.
- "Vendome" impressed into the metal, also 1944 through 1979.
Whew! Like I said before, Coro has a long history in the jewelry business.
Collecting Coro and Vendome Vintage Jewelry
Everyone should have a piece of Coro and/or Vendome costume jewelry in their collection (unless you are specializing in one specific manufacturer). Coro is very collectable, and prices are reasonable for a beginning collection. Vendome pieces are a little more expensive, but can still be had for a reasonable price.
Coro is all over the map when it comes to style. Ranging from simple pieces, through plastic and all the way up to glitzy rhinestones, there's something for everyone.
Some of the most collectable Coro pieces are the . A Duette in excellent condition with all parts working can easily command prices in the hundreds, especially if they are a book piece.
I expect you want to look and see what kinds of offerings are available for sale! You can see a and
with these links, and you can see a very small sample of Coro below. Enjoy!
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US $9.95
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I was looking for help. I have a pair of earrings.
They are hallmarked 1/20 12kgf RECORO
They are very old in a art nouveau style each with 3 rhinestones.
I cannot find mention any where on this incorporation of “RE”
Can you help me?
Thank you for your time.
Kind Regards,
Robin
Hi Robin,
What you have is probably not Coro, as I can’t find any record of them working with gold-filled metal. That isn’t to say that they didn’t — just that I can’t find any information on it.
There is one possibility, though, and that it’s something from very, very early on. The two founding men were Emanuel Cohn & Carl Rosenberger. Possibly the “Ro” prefix of the signature was for Rosenberger. Now I have no proof of that — it’s just speculation — but I also couldn’t find anything on a ROCORO jewelry mark.
Sorry I am not able to help more, but if you ever get a definitive answer, please come back and let us know.
Gail
hi i have a piece of coro from my grandmother who got it from her mother in 1936 it has coro in script in a box with wat looks like to be pegasus on the out side to the left of it we would like to find some information about it like how old it could be an worth dont plan on selling keeping it in the family thank u hope to hear from u.
Hi Danielle,
My guess is that the piece is from around 1936 to 1939. Since you said 1936, that would be about the right timeframe. As far as how much it’s worth, that depends on the piece and how good of a condition it’s in. Your best bet is to look up some ebay auctions for “coro pegasus” which should give you some items for comparison.
Best wishes on a nice costume jewelry find!
Gail
hi, I have a necklace and earring set that my mother got from her best friend, it has coro with a c in a circle to the right side, I would like to find out the age of it.
Rose
Hi Rose,
How nice to mave a necklace and earring set! From the sounds of the jewler’s make, your set was made between 1956 (when Coro first started using the copyright mark) and 1979, when it ceased operations.
Gail