 If you're in town then come and visit us at: The Antique Connection Mall 12815 Central NE Albuquerque New Mexico, 87123 USA See More | VEGA Maddux was a California jewelry maker from the late 1960s to 1997 when she passed away. According to her son, Maddux was her maiden name. Those who knew her say she had a huge heart and was hospitable and friendly. It is thought that she worked for the Sasha Brastoff studios, possibly in the 1960’s, and she also did a cameo appearance in the movie, "Who’s killing the Great Chef’s of Europe" in the late 1970’s. She worked in the mid-1960s with Jimmy Durante and Eddie Jackson as a comedian. A friend remembers seeing her at the California Roadium Flea Market with caseloads of her wonderful jewelry and another customer shopped her wares at the Santa Monica Gem Show, saying that she sold out almost immediately as each show opened, so popular was her jewelry. Rumor has it that she was a real cat lover and had a lovely operatic voice, a lady of many talents and interests. Her work is colorful, whimsical, detailed and well-made, and her pieces are not easy to find. Be careful though because there are now other makers doing jewelry that looks very much like her pieces. There are also pieces out there that have the grooves but no enameling. Scroll down for on this page for a fascinating view of her work on stage. And HERE to see more about the woman and her work and life. CLICK HERE to see which of her jewelry we have for sale.
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VEGA necklace with black enamel, black glass cabochons, carved jade centerpiece, orange enameled butterfly and orange and lavender flowers, chain 20", pendant 8" long by 3-1/2" wide. View View View #X32392 NOTE: This is now a part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston thanks to Carole Tanenbaum. | VEGA bracelet with black enamel, black glass cabochons, carved jade centerpiece, orange enameled butterfly and orange and lavender flowers, 6-1/3" open back and 3" at front. View #X32394 NOTE: This is now a part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston thanks to Carole Tanenbaum. | VEGA MADDUX necklace with purple and deep honey colored stones set in black , deep purple and dull yellow enameling on a silver tone setting. It is unsigned but guaranteed to be definitely by her, wearable length 22" with a 7" front drop. The motifs include a butterfly, flowers and scrolls with a jade colored carved and pierced glass center.
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VEGA opal brooch with butterfly and blue, yellow and green enamel, 2-1/2" by 3-1/2". View #X33546 | VEGA opal bracelet with butterfly and blue, yellow and green enamel, 6-1/4" and 2" wide at the front. View View Both #X33544 | VEGA MADDUX butterfly brooch with burgundy, black, orange, yellow and green enameled butterflies and flowers, just amazingly beautiful as only Vega did it, it’s 4-1/4" by 2-1/2".
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VEGA lapis and malachite necklace with burgundy, blue and green enamel and silver tone spacers, 20" long with a 3-3/4" front drop. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat". All her pieces are beautifully fashioned and her colors are sophisticated. View View View #X33542 | VEGA ivory and malachite necklace, green, pink and brown enamel with yellow bird and yellow and peach flowers, malachite and ivory beads, 19-1/2" with a 5-1/2" pendant. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat". This necklace has all the rich coloring and detail that made her work famous. View View View #X33543 | VEGA butterfly necklace of carnelian and onyx with red, orange, yellow, green and black enamel, 22-1/2" long with a 5" pendant. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat". Rich autumnal colors beautifully set off the Monarch butterfly motif. View View #X33549 |
VEGA necklace with ivory, jade and lapis beads, carved lapis centerpiece with yellow, orange, blue and green enamel work pendant with bird and flowers. The beads are 30" long and the pendant is 4" long. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker. View View View View #X20143 | VEGA jewelry close-ups. | VEGA jade and rose quartz beads with pink, black, green, yellow, orange and rose enamel work bird, butterfly and flowers, necklace 24" with a 6" pendant. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker. View View #X5742 |
VEGA brooch with jet and pink quartz enameled butterflies, flowers and scrolls, 4-5/8" by 2-3/4". View View #X34858 | VEGA MADDUX lapis set with blue, green, maroon and pale yellow enamel necklace and earrings with a lovely floral motif, necklace 22-1/2" wearable length with 5-1/3" pendant, earrings 2-1/4". View View View View #X35270 | VEGA Maddux coral, black and enamel butterfly and flowers necklace 27" with a 7" front drop and 2" earrings. The orange, peach, green and black combinations is striking and her butterflies and flowers motifs are some of my favorite. This is a large necklace as you can see by the dimensions, circa 1970. View View View View View #X35544 |
VEGA ring, orange and green enamel flowers with turquoise and lapis stones, size 9, 2-3/4" at the front, signed "Vega". View View #X33153 | VEGA ring, butterfly and flowers in soft green, yellow, red and green enamel and lapis stones, size 11, measures 2-1/4 at front, not signed but guaranteed a Vega. View View #X33154 | VEGA ring, butterfly and flowers in soft green, yellow, brown and red enamel with amethyst and pink quartz stones, size 8-1/2, measures 2-1/4" at front, signed "Vega". View View View #X33155 |
VEGA enameled ring with jade and pink quartz stones and a peach rose with green leaves, size 9, 2-1/3". View #X33332 | VEGA enameled ring with a parrot design and red, green and burgundy enameling and Azurite/Malachite (The Azurite is the blue material and the Malachite is the green material), size 10, 2-1/2". Azurite was thought to be an aid to spiritualism by the Egyptians. View View View #X33331 | VEGA enameled ring with black and caramel enameling with pink quartz and black onyx cabochons, size 7 1-3/4". View #X33333 |
VEGA MADDUX ring in pink quartz with yellow and green enameling, size 10 and 2-1/2" along the finger.
Vega Maddux was a 1960-1980s California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in
"Jewel Chat". View View #X36363 | VEGA Maddux opal and enameled ring with swirls and flowers, size 9 and a whopping 3" along the finger. Vega Maddux was a 1960-1980s California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in
"Jewel Chat". View View #X33677 | VEGA Maddux ring in caramel, gray and honey colored stones set in gold and silver tone with enameling in two colors, size 9-1/2 and 2-1/4" along the finger. Vega Maddux was a 1960-1980s California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in
"Jewel Chat". This is signed lightly on the back, typical of her signature, and there is some scratching on the back as well, as though someone was testing for gold. The 3-D asymmetrical design with elements curling around and over each other is just one part of the appeal of her work. #X36306
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VEGA MADDUX ring with lovely butterfly, flowers and leaves and a purple smooth stone surrounded by lovely enamel work in orange, yellow, green and caramel, size 7-3/4 and 2-1/8" along the finger. Circa 1970-1980 it’s signed on the back faintly as are many of her pieces. What a special piece and in excellent condition.
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| VEGA MADDUX ring with opals and enameled butterfly in bronze color, green and deep orange, size 8 and 2-1/3" along the finger. View View #X36798 | VEGA ring, enamel and brown butterfly and flowers, size 9-1/2, measures 3" at the front, not signed but guaranteed a Vega. View View #X33156 |
VEGA opal earrings with red, green and yellow enamel, 1-1/2". One opal has a very stable crack in it, visible under magnification. View #X33550 | VEGA carved amethyst and enameled brooch, 3". Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat". View #X33548 | VEGA MADDUX ring with a violet flower in enameling and a coral carved bird, size 7-3/4 and 2" along the finger. This is beautifully made with several layers for dimension, all in excellent condition. It is not visibly signed, but it is guaranteed to be a Vega piece. She signed with a hand etched signature "Vega" that was often so faintly done that wore off a bit, circa 1980.
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VEGA Maddux ring of carved ivory in orange, caramel, cream and black enameled setting, size 6-3/4, 1-1/2" along the finger and 1" high. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat". View View View #X33703 | VEGA necklace with black and pink quartz stones, black, orange, yellow and green enameled butterflies and flowers set in gilt silver, signed "Vega" on the back, 27" long with a 7-1/2" front drop. View View View #X33152 | VEGA MADDUX pendant with tiger eye and malachite highlighted with black, burnt umber, chartreuse and cream enamel, 2 7/8" long x 1 1/2" wide. View View #X36705 |


| Many thanks to Paul G., who shares his memories of Vega Maddux: I met Vega as a kid through my grandparents. She performed with my grandfather, Eddie Jackson, and Jimmy Durante. I enjoyed hearing her reminisce about the old days in show business with my grandparents. She was close to my father as well. She was part of my Grandfather’s act with Jimmy Durante. She would sit in the audience and sometime during the show Jimmy would come out on stage with a VERY small one piece outfit. Of course it was beaded and very red and very small, and he would ask for a volunteer to put it on and perform on stage with he and my grandfather. Vega would jump up and (you know in her hey day she was a large women) and run on stage to put on this tiny little outfit! It got a lot of laughs. She would then come out and perform with them using her "hips" and pushing both of them (Eddie and Jimmy) all over the stage as they danced and sang together. In the early 1990’s a group of us would meet at a restaurant called Vitello’s in North Hollywood on Cahuenga Blvd. where she would sing her beautiful operatic music. The help would also sing while you were having dinner, but NO ONE could come close to matching her magnificent voice! As I got older I use to go to the swap meets with her and Leslie, her husband, in their motor home. I would unload all of the display cases and tables and help her set up for the day. To see her pieces spread out on a table was absolutely incredible! In the morning I would pick out a bracelet and or a ring and wear it during the day so people could see it on. I would generally watch everything at the tables while Vega was in her van/motor home either making new pieces or doing repairs for people who would be coming by our booth that day. When Vega, wanted to be "on" she was so flamboyant, it was contagious. People were drawn to her. She was like family to me because of her closeness with my grandparents. I knew her for most of my adolescent years growing up. |


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VEGA and her wonderful operatic voice. | July 1968 "Vega Maddux, a… blonde bombshell who… danced right into your heart with a bang!" I am told the act included pulling Vega, supposedly an audience member, up on stage wear a teeny costume, which she donned to dance in. | Jimmy Durante, Vega Maddux, Sonny King and Eddie Jackson. |
USO Show Carib Amphibious Ready Group 2nd USS Guam, February 16, 1967 | La Copa Supper Club, San Juan, Puerto Rico Jimmy, Eddie and Vega February 11, 1967 | Jimmy Durante January 28, 1968 Whiting Auditorium, Flint, Michigan |
Caesar’s Monticelllo Restaurant Menu and program, October 24 – November 3, 1968 | Desert Inn, Las Vegas October, 1970 | Vega Maddux and Eddie Jackson |
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