Unsigned HASKELL from the 1930's and 1940's

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HASKELL ads from the 1940's. Water color artist Larry Austin did these to be used as advertising for Haskell jewelry, and they show many of the wonderful unsigned pieces from the early days of Miriam Haskell Jewelry .

      I sign my name "Jane H. Clarke", and was asked several years ago if the "H" stood for "Haskell" because I am known a lover of Haskell jewelry. (It doesn't... it stands for Haley, my maiden name.) Haskell pieces are diminutive treasures with their artistic designs, beautiful hand work and rainbow of colors.

      It has been a delight to do the research for this article. I have had the pleasure of sharing pictures from my own collection, and Cathy Gordon and Mary Ann Legan were kind enough to share many fabulous pictures from their collections, as well as their comments. Without them, this article would not have been possible. 

     Camela "Millie" Petronzio, Larry Vrba and Bertl Groll all gave us the benefit of their years of experience with Haskell Jewelry. We cannot thank them enough for their insights.

     Haskell is the attributed maker for many of these pieces, but none are signed. Attributing unsigned jewelry is always dicey, so where possible I have shown old Haskell advertisements and/or other documentation. While beads and findings may be used as clues, they are not definitive. (An example of why can be seen in the comparison of  a Haskell and an Amourelle necklace at the end of this article).

Note: These items were photographed from private collections, and are for reference only.  Jewelry that is available for sale can be accessed at the links at the bottom of the page.

 
      MIRIAM HASKELL... the name alone conjures up images of tiny faux pearls, glass beads and rose montees fashioned into tapestries of dazzling jewelry. During the early days of her jewelry making in the 1930's and 1940's, many pieces were unsigned. Now the hunt for them is inspired by her wonderful sense of design, her intricate craftsmanship and the mystery of what IS and what is NOT Haskell.

Some pieces we will never be able to identify positively... the attribution of unsigned jewelry is always chancy... but we would like to share with you what we have deduced, and solicit your input, too. 

   HASKELL  early unsigned aqua faceted crystal beaded dress clip and bracelet.    View    View    View    #H19738  

 HASKELL Original watercolor written in  pencil on the back  #667

  Advertisement illustrates the same beads used in the clip shown in the photo to the right, center clip.    HASKELL CLIP    #H19736

CLIPS   Back
center  HASKELL CLIP    
#H19736

      On the left, hundreds of tiny aqua transparent glass beads wrap around the dress clip and the wire mesh bracelet in this matching set. On the back, the perforated clear plastic support and metal clip are typical of the World War II to 1950's era.

      On the right, gold tone metal leaves and flower-cup findings hold aqua glass beads in different sizes in each of the three clips.  View close up

      Notice how all these pieces are finished. The use of different sizes of glass beads, the finishing of each string of beads with a tiny seed bead, and style of the gold tone findings are all clues to the maker. Haskell probably made dress clips in the 1930's and 1940's . Necklaces, bracelets and earrings were made to match these dress clips, but now they seem even more difficult to find than the dress clips. 

HASKELL CLIP   View    View    View      #H19937

HASKELL early Hess dress clip in baby blue glass beads and poured glass leaves, 4". See an ad for this piece in Cera's "Jewels of Miriam Haskell" page 21.   Back   #H24298

The Jewels of Miriam Haskell
page 21

CLIP   Back

Pastel blue "moonstone" glass beads 2-7/8" dress clip highlighted with rhinestones and roundelles... what a combination! Again, note the tiny seed beads at the tip of each strand.

This lush dress clip looks like a fantasy sky-blue grape cluster. These beads and pressed glass leaves are seen in later Haskell creations and demonstrate the fact that Haskell sometimes bought findings and beads in large lots and used them over a long period of time, which can make dating difficult. 

The advertisement for this dress clip and the matching bracelet is on page 21 of Deanna Cera's The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, and shown above. It is dated 1937 and attributed to Frank Hess.   #H19702

This snowy white cascade of small-to-larger glass beads suspended from bakelite leaves is finished off with a tiny bead at each tip. This is the kind of detailing that makes Haskell so artistically desirable.  #H19701

Millie says although the shape of the logo tag is not always a definitive method of dating, in general the horseshoe shaped mark was used in the late 1940's through the 1960's. The more common oval shaped mark was used from then to the present. 

Old Haskell advertisements are a way of documenting unsigned pieces. Most of them, as you can see by the ones shown in this article, were actual pictures of real jewelry designs, not just generalizations.

French earring clip

Flat back earring clip

Screw back earring clip

   Contemporary earring clip back.

   In the 1940's the switch was made to the "French clip", the thinner wire clip back we see on many older Haskell earrings.

The "flat back clip", the clip back style used by many costume jewelers even today, was used first in the earlier years, usually due to the heavier weight of the earrings.  

   In the 1950's, as a result of complaints that the other style was too uncomfortable, Haskell changed to the use of the "screw back-clip" earrings.

 This is the earrings back most commonly used in Haskell jewelry today.

According to Millie Petronzio, another clue for dating is the style of earring back. The "flat back clip", the clip back style used by many costume jewelers even today, was used first in the earlier years, usually due to the heavier weight of the earrings. 

In the late 1940's the switch was made to the "French clip", the thinner wire clip back we see on many older Haskell earrings.  

In the 1950's, as a result of complaints that the other style was too uncomfortable, Haskell changed to the use of the "screw back-clip" earrings.  

In about 1990, they returned to the use of flat back clip earrings. 

CLIP   Back

The Jewels of Miriam Haskell
page 79

Original watercolor with foil "Miriam Haskell" sticker, 8" by 10", signed in  pencil on the back "Austin" and numbered #1259.

   HASKELL CLIP early unsigned dress clip in amber-colored glass beads and faux pearls.     Back    #H19737

The green glass beads and faux pearls dress clip is lovely, and on page 79 of  Deanna Farneti Cera's The Jewels of Miriam Haskell you can see the matching necklace and bracelet set. Cera attributes the set to designer Frank Hess, and dates it 1940.

On the far right is very similar design of amber colored glass beads and faux seed pearls, again with the wonderful detailing.  #H19737

Haskell early unsigned 3-1/2" cranberry glass beads and clear rhinestones dress clip, typical Haskell findings and finish work.  View    View    View  #H19938

Haskell yellow glass bead 3-1/3" dress clip. #H19942  

Haskell early unsigned maroon glass beads dress clip 3" long.   View     #H19943

These sets use a gold tone metal floral motif in the findings. Note the similarity of the beads and findings of the clips on the left and right to this parure by Frank Hess from the 2^nd half of the 1930s. From Cera, The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, Page 87

"The use of clips not just as a lapel ornament but also as the central feature of a necklace was very common during the years between the two wars." From Cera, The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, p. 25.  Both Bertl and Millie say there were far more dress clips made than fur clips.

There were five fashion seasons every year, with collections made for each season. There could be ten to twelve lines in each collection, with multiple necklaces, bracelets, brooches, dress clips and earrings for each line. Colors and style changed seasonally, just as they do today.

The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, Page 76

HASKELL blue and yellow beads, seed beads and green glass leaves clip.    Back

HASKELL Clip  Persimmon slightly flattened glass beads, enameled metal leaves (seen in many different Haskell pieces) and large brass flowers adorn this fur clip. You can also view the matching necklace and wrap bracelet, which was purchased in Paris in the 1930s.   Back   Necklace    Back   Bracelet

HASKELL Clip with the slightly flattened glass beads and painted metal leaves.    View    View   #H19523

On page 76 of Deanna Farneti Cera's The Jewels of Miriam Haskell are photographs of two dress clips in the same style as the beautiful blue example shown above. One is done in black beads and the other in yellow and white, with both attributed to designer Frank Hess, circa 1938. Cathy Gordon has a necklace in this same style, VIEW HERE.

Interestingly enough, however, the pressed glass leaves from Cera’s pictures look very different from the ones shown here on the blue clip. Note, though, that the back of the blue clip shows atypical Haskell-style metal clip and clear plastic mounting circle.

The matching necklace is interesting because it has a non-detachable clip on the center element. The woman of style could clip the necklace in an asymmetrical fashion if desired. Note the filigree gold tone floret and the slightly flattened shaped glass beads, both of which are typical Haskell elements.
 

HASKELL early unsigned Frank Hess design from the 1940's. This dress clip of green glass beads is 3-3/4" long.   View    #H19699

   HASKELL early unsigned dress clips with poured glass leaves and citrus-colored glass beads. (These were purchased directly from Haskell Jewels' collection of early pieces.)     View    #H19561

   HASKELL early unsigned dress clip with gold tone filigree backing, aqua glass beads and green enameled leaves. These same enameled leaves are seen in later years in some of Bob Clark's designs.    View    View    #H19521

On the right is an early Haskell unsigned necklace and bracelet set with aqua glass beads and clear rhinestones.

On the left, the matching necklace/clips combination.

   HASKELL early unsigned aqua glass beads wrap necklace with rhinestone pave leaves, 21" with 2" dress clips.  View   View   #H23378

 Courtesy of Cathy Gordon

CLIP    Back

CLIP gold tone clip with green glass beads, 2-1/2".   View   #Y25126

 HASKELL original gouache art work, probably by Larry Austin. Advertising Miriam Haskell jewelry, a bracelet and dress clip with heart-shaped glass beads and pressed glass leaves, numbered "#82" in pen on the back, 8" by 10".       #H31845

Wrap necklace/clips    View    View    View    #H19486
HASKELL CLIP    Back    #H19703

   Green marble-like beads are set into gold tone cups in this design. This clip has some of  the characteristic Haskell materials (beads, center "flower," etched brass) but Bertyl says this it is NOT Haskell.

   Green translucent glass beads with faceted crystal spacers dangle from three ornate rods. An eBay find—advertised as "beads used by Haskell, but not a Haskell". My bet is that they were wrong... this is indeed an early Haskell!

   The matching necklace is a wrap style, with clips on each end, definitely Haskell in style, findings and finish.

    Larry Austin watercolor used as an advertisement for the set shown here at right.   View
 HASKELL Larry Austin original watercolor advertising illustration for Haskell bracelet and clip/necklace of pastel blue glass leaves and beads, marked in pencil on the back "930A" and "left", 8" x 10".  #H27268

   HASKELL early Hess unsigned dress clips and coil bracelet made of baby blue glass beads and poured glass leaves.  View   #H16620

  HASKELL early Hess dress clip in baby blue glass beads and poured glass leaves, 4".    Back   #H24298
    HASKELL Larry Austin original watercolor advertising illustration for Haskell pink glass beads and leaves bracelet and clip, foil "Miriam Haskell" sticker, 8" by 10",  written in  pencil on the back  #615.   #H24366

    HASKELL  Attributed to designer Frank Hess, the necklace, bracelet and clips date to about 1940.  View   View   View   View   View   View    #H12331

   On pages 84-85 of Deanna Farneti Cera's The Jewels of Miriam Haskell are photographs of this water color drawing by Larry Austin, used as an advertisement, and of the dress clip.

 HASKELL art glass and seed beads and enameling in dainty pink and blue. Some of these transitional pieces are signed and some are not.    View   View   View   View    View     #H8872

HASKELL early Hess unsigned dress clip.  #H18844 

  HASKELL 26" lariat necklace with 2" clips at each end, 15" necklace and 3-3/4" fur clip.  View    View    View    View    View    #H19404

   HASKELL early unsigned purple, green and pink beaded 3" dress clip with silver tone leaves.   View   #H21831  

Pieces matching the pink clip on the left and the necklace in the middle are shown on page 73 of Deanna Farneti Cera's "The Jewels of Miriam Haskell". She attributes this design to Frank Hess circa 1939.   The clip is also shown on the bottom right of the cover of her book. 

  

HASKELL pierced back pin on a wooden beads pin circa 1945.    View   View   View   #H31323  

Pressed glass leaves on a wooden beads pin circa 1945.

HASKELL push clasp on a artificial pearls and rose montee pendant on black velvet neck band, 14-1/2" with 2-1/4" front drop, catch patent #3427691, circa 1969.  View   View   #H51089

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