DeROSA JEWELRY, ART and ILLUSTRATION

 

  DeRosa jewelry is known for its complex dimensional design, high quality components, translucent enameling and wonderful coloring. Ralph DeRosa jewelry designs tend to be florals, figurals, retro motifs, and designs inspired by the precious jewelry of the era.  DeRosa jewelry is not easy to find, but is certainly worth the search. This New York City firm made jewelry from the mid-1930's until the 1970's, but like many jewelry makers, their 1940's jewelry is the best.

Hand painted illustrations from the De Rosa Jewelry Company were the first step in the design process. These miniature art works are from a collection of over 500 similar illustrations. Several are dated in the 1940's, and many have hand written notes about how each piece would be produced. They seem to have been done by several different artists, as the painting styles and designs vary. Where possible, finished jewelry pieces made from these or similar designs are also shown. Many jewelry designers never worked on paper first, but for those who did, these illustrations are illuminating as to the thought processes and design sense that went into the jewelry itself.

My thanks to the many jewelry lovers who have shared their De Rosa jewelry, both signed and unsigned examples. I have tried to match the actual jewelry with the closest illustrations and advertisements I currently own, and would be glad to received more De Rosa information to share on this page. I cannot confirm that all the unsigned pieces are indeed de Rosa, but comparisons to the illustrations are certainly interesting and has helped me identify several unsigned pieces.

DeROSA FLORALS

    
DEROSA unsigned 2-1/2" fur clip with lavender enameled violets on a crystal circle.  View  #d21154

   De Rosa original art work design for the clip shown at right... the note at the bottom reads "violets", and the clip was indeed done in violets instead of the forget-me-nots originally illustrated.  #140 

  DeROSA bouquet of violets fur clip, 2-1/2 inches.    View   View   View   #d18705

      DeROSA matching violet earrings. 
View #d20433

   DeROSA unsigned clear rhinestone links necklace with  tiny pastel porcelain roses and matching signed clip.    View   View   View   View   #d22193

   DeROSA 2-7/8" floral basket dress clip with tiny pastel porcelain roses.   View    View   #d21672

 DeROSA art work design #307

    DeROSA large 4-1/3" floral bouquet fur clip in pastel enamels and rhinestones.   View   #d21673

DEROSA fur clip with orange and green enamel, clear rhinestones and artificial pearls, 3-1/2".   View   #d34650

DEROSA original design art work for a brooch or clip similar to the clip shown at left.

FLOWER enameled thistle brooch with clear and purple tiny rhinestones, light enamel wear, 3-5/8". This is not signed and may not be a DeRosa at all, but it is interestingly similar to the Derosa art work shown at right.   View   View   View   #Y34547

DEROSA original design art work for a brooch.

  De Rosa #102

 DeROSA sterling cream and green enameled floral fur clip, 2-1/2".  View   #d23488

De Rosa #103

De Rosa #57

De Rosa design art work #89

 DeROSA purple enameled lily 1-1/4" earrings.   View   #d21703

  De Rosa design art work #90

    DeROSA red roses 3-1/8" clip with enameling and rhinestones.  View    View   #d21162

    DeRosa #1   

    DeROSA red floral and berries clip.   View   #d21164

 DeRosa #24

  DeRosa signed pink enameled flower clip with faux pearl stamen and rhinestone accents.   View   #d20434  

  The De Rosa original art work design for the flower brooch shown at the left.  #202    

DE ROSA huge 3-dimensional rose bud 4" fur clip with invisibly set rose colored glass, rhinestones and faux pearl.    View    View    View    View   #d19517

DeRosa #58  

    DeRosa #426

     DeROSA red "carved" petals 2-3/8" floral clip with a glass opalescent center.  View    View  #d21163

DeROSA 3" flower fur clip with blue enameled petals, free-standing pink crystal stamen, and a faux pearl center.   View   View    #d20622    

    De Rosa #231
This illustration shows the same unsupported rhinestone flower petals as are used in the flower clip shown at left.

FLORAL 3-1/2" brooch in the style of DeRosa, but with no signature. Lovely purple glass beads as stamen, transparent green enameled leaves and clear rhinestones.  View   #d20383

De Rosa #104

  DeROSA  re-enameled fur clip with rhinestones and faux pearl center, 3-3/4". Shown in the ad at right.  View   #d23570

De Rosa ad courtesy of Pat Seal.

    DeROSA bleeding heart floral 3-3/4" fur clip with enameling and rhinestones.  View  #d21158

De Rosa #201      

DeROSA arrowroot floral clip.   View   #d21160  

   De Rosa Arrowroot design art work for the clip shown at left.  #146      

De Rosa design art work for the clip shown at right.   #128

   DEROSA sterling vermeil aqua and clear rhinestones fur clip, 3-1/4". View #d24925   

DeROSA 3-7/8" floral clip with aqua rhinestones.   View   #d21161

    De Rosa design art work very similar to the clip shown at left.   #130

 DeROSA 4-5/8" floral fur clip in gold tone with red and clear rhinestones.   #d19809

DeROSA  146

    DeROSA sterling vermeil bouquet fur clip, 3-1/2" by 2-1/2" and stands 3/4" deep. It has faux pearl flowers and the petal edges are accented by clear rhinestones with rich red emerald cut rhinestone buds.  View
Courtesy of Christi Chapman

De Rosa #142

    DeROSA red and clear rhinestones floral pin, 2-7/8".   View   #d23051

DEROSA original design art work for jewelry.   #377

DE ROSA red and clear rhinestones 2-1/2" brooch, re-made from a fur clip  View   #d19792

De Rosa #127

De Rosa #122

 DE ROSA 3 inch gold washed sterling brooch with green glass cabochons and tiny clear rhinestones.   View    View    View     #d19201 

De Rosa #175

   DeROSA fur clip
Courtesy of Tammy Hellberg

    DeROSA  topaz-colored and clear rhinestones 3" three dimensional rose fur clip.   View   #d21701

    DeROSA sterling 4" stylized flower fur clip with green rhinestone petals.  View   #d21700   

De Rosa #263 

  DeROSA green and white enameled fur clips with multi-colored rhinestones.   View   View   View   #d23551

DeROSA gold tone large three-dimensional 4" wild rose fur clip with green rhinestone center and faux pearl accents.   View   #d22076

De Rosa #132

 DE ROSA gold tone wild rose 2-5/8" fur clip with a very three-dimensional design.   #d19671    View 

De Rosa #143

De Rosa #10

DE ROSA pink rhinestone and enameled bracelet and fur clip.  View    View    #d19062

De Rosa #7

DeROSA FIGURALS

    DeROSA 2-11/16" face motif fur clip made from the design shown at right.  View   #d20623

    Original art work design for the face clip shown at left.

   The De Rosa original art work design for the bird brooch shown at the right.  #174    

   The real but unsigned De Rosa brooch made from the design at left.   #d20435   

     DeROSA gold tone poodle 2-1/4" clip with clear rhinestones. View  #d21157

DeRosa #215

De Rosa #17    

De Rosa artificial pearls clip.

    De Rosa #151

DE ROSA very three-dimensional enameled 3" fish fur clip. Some of the finish is missing from the tail, but this is still cheerful and lovely!    View   #d19516

De Rosa #153

De Rosa #154

DeROSA RETRO

   DeRosa art work for the clip shown at right.  #99

   DeROSA retro-style 3-1/3" sterling vermeil fur clip with red baguettes, faux pearl and blue rhinestone.   View   #d22511

De Rosa fur clip

Reinad brooch which looks almost exactly like the DeRosa fur clip shown at left.
Courtesy of Bobye Syverson

   De Rosa advertisement from 1941. Note the similarities to the two pieces at left.

   DeROSA 3" long by 2" wide fur clip matching the advertisement at left. The center 1" aqua rhinestone is highly faceted, and this entire clip is very three-dimensional and substantial.   View
Courtesy of  Christi Chapman

De Rosa design art work  #366

Unsigned De Rosa style brooch. The center stone is dark red, and there are rhinestones around the edge of the circle and on the scrolls. 
Courtesy of Bobye Syverson

  UNSIGNED retro purple and clear rhinestones brooch, 3-1/2".   View   #Y22107

  De Rosa art work  #400

De Rosa #29  

De Rosa #365

Clip marked only "sterling".
Courtesy of  Deborah Kosnett

DE ROSA 2-1/3" fur clip with a large oval faceted red rhinestone center and clear rhinestone accents. This clip also came in another color, VIEW here.  View   #d19834

De Rosa #205

De Rosa #12

   De Rosa fur clip, identical in design to the pin back brooch shown at right.    View   #d19782

   DeROSA brooch with both rose colored and regular gold wash, 2-3/4" long by 1-3/4" wide. This is interesting as it shows that DeRosa made the exact same designs in both pin backs and fur clips.   View
Courtesy of Christi Chapman

De Rosa #2

De Rosa #8

De Rosa 2-1/8" fur clip with aqua rhinestone center.    View   View  #d19070

De Rosa #9

DeROSA Miscellaneous

De Rosa #533

DeRosa #306

DeROSA necklace and earrings advertisement.

DeRosa #530

   DeROSA leaves and strawberries jewelry.

  DeROSA  rhinestone and enameled 3-1/8" strawberry fur clip.  View   #d23233

   DeROSA leaves and strawberries jewelry.   View

De Rosa #519

    DeROSA strawberry 15" necklace and earrings.  
View   View   View   View    View  View   View #d20199

   DeROSA blue and clear rhinestones necklace.   View   View   #d21250

DeRosa art work for the necklace shown at left.   #542  

  DEROSA sterling vermeil and faux pearl 14-1/2" necklace and 1" earrings with rhinestone accents.  View   View  #d21239   

   De Rosa #

   DEROSA clear rhinestones set in silver tone 15" necklace.    View   View   #d23415

De Rosa #530

  DEROSA unsigned sterling clear rhinestones set in silver tone 7" by 3/4"  bracelet.   View   View   View   #d23417

 De Rosa #11

   DEROSA sterling and clear rhinestones  6-3/4" by 3/4" bracelet.    View   View   View   #d23416  

De Rosa #503

   DEROSA clear rhinestones set in silver tone 1-1/4"  earrings.  View   #d23418

 De Rosa #8

    DeROSA clear rhinestones and faux pearls brooch with a feather motif, 1-7/8".  View   #d23050

  DEROSA green rhinestone earrings with clear rhinestone accents.   View   #d22148

     De Rosa #517

De Rosa #170  

De Rosa #523

DE ROSA bracelet with green enameled leaves and an aqua rhinestone with faux pearl accents, all on a gold tone band, 7" x 1-1/3".     View    View    View    View    View     #d19512 

DeROSA clip with pale aqua enameled flowers and red and clear rhinestone accents.   View   View   #d21152 

    De Rosa #210    

     DeROSA  8" by 1-7/8" antiqued gold tone bracelet with blue and red cabs.   View   View    #d21702

De Rosa design art work #466

De Rosa #28

DE ROSA enameled and rhinestone fur clip.    View   View   #d18851

De Rosa #164
     The hand written note at the bottom says, "tres en relief", meaning very three-dimensional.

       DE ROSA 1-3/4 inch clip in antiqued gold tone with pomegranate glass beads tucked into the petals.   View   View   #d19141

    DeROSA sterling vermeil 2" by 1-1/2" fur clip with faux pearls.  View
Courtesy of Christi Chapman

   DeRosa gold tone petals earrings with faux pearls.   View  #d20625

De Rosa advertisement
Courtesy of Pat Seal and Cathy Gordon

   DeRosa  2-1/4" fur clip with gold tone petals and red bead center.   View  #d20624

  De Rosa sterling fur clip
Courtesy of Linda Kripke

  De Rosa illustration somewhat similar to Linda's brooch shown at left.   #188

Unsigned brooch courtesy of Bobye Syverson. This has been identified as a Staret, not a De Rosa, by someone who has a signed version of it!

De Rosa #160

De Rosa #177

  De Rosa ad
Courtesy of Pat Seal 

De Rosa #180

De Rosa #193

DE ROSA pink rhinestone fur clip.

De Rosa #397

   DeROSA sterling vermeil 3" bow fur clip.  View  #d21837

DeRosa #3

1946 De Rosa advertisement
Courtesy of Pat Seal

De Rosa #159

De Rosa #113

De Rosa advertisement from Harper's Bazaar February 1947.
Courtesy of Pat Seal 

De Rosa necklace #233
De Rosa earrings #238

   DeROSA sterling vermeil fur clip with artificial pearls, 2-1/2", circa 1945.  View   #d24924

De Rosa advertisement from Harper's Bazaar 1946.
Courtesy of Pat Seal 

De Rosa #232