Vendome Jewelry Lives Up to the Very Elegantly Yours Expectation

If you’re among the unacquainted, Vendome is a signature related to one of the largest marketers of vintage costume jewelry during its heyday – Coro. Even though I already knew some of the basics about this brand, I relished meeting a former employee of this business in Rhode Island several years ago. In addition to getting to know a great person, that introduction led me to take another look at what makes Vendome jewelry special.

Learning more about this branch of Coro, what makes these pieces stand out when compared to others, and some of the most highly valued Vendome designs might encourage you look at them in a different light, too.

Vendome History

This division of Coro was established in the 1940s but became more prominent during the 1950s. Pieces with Vendome branding were sold by upscale retailers where other Coro jewelry was not marketed including Saks Fifth Avenue.

By the late 1950s, advertising including Vendome jewelry included one magazine feature with Natalie Wood wearing “Marjorie Morningstar” pieces. These were created in conjunction with the movie of the same name starring Wood and Gene Kelly. The tag line for these rhinestone selections was “very elegantly yours … Vendome Couturier Jewelry,” which emphasizes the marketing of these pieces as high-end designs.

Interestingly, collectors mainly associate Vendome with beaded jewelry today since that’s what we find most often. The vintage magazine advertisements we use to circa date and glean reference material from, however, showcase a mix of beaded designs and rhinestone styles from about 1958 through the late 1960s. “Bolder than Gold” plated jewelry took center stage by 1968 along with an eye-catching array of Vendome adjustable rings in 1969.

Vendome Employee Insight

My personal knowledge of this jewelry expanded when I met Tony Angeli who began working with Vendome’s lead designer Helen Marion (who changed her name from Eleanor Mariani when she migrated from Italy) in 1956. He was only 17 at the time and eagerly learned about not only the making of Vendome jewelry, but the costume jewelry industry overall while shadowing Marion.

After attending the Rhode Island School of Design where he learned about making jewelry models and samples, Angeli took a more prominent role as a designer for Vendome. During a well-received presentation in 2015, Angeli educated Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l convention-goers about what Coro considered to be the “expensive jewelry line” he helped to create. Many of these designs were more elaborate than other Coro styles, some were hand wired, and the fine materials used to craft these pieces also boosted the selling prices along with the quality.

Even after leaving Coro in 1966 and starting his own jewelry business, Hillcraft Inc., he remained close to his mentor. When Marion passed away, in fact, she bequeathed to Angeli all the Vendome prototypes and remainder components she’d been holding onto since she retired. Many of those prototype designs were not put into production because they were too labor intensive to create, or the materials were too costly to source.

What Makes Vendome Special

One of the things that makes Vendome jewelry appealing to collectors is quality craftsmanship that stands the test of time. While some of the styles, especially beaded necklaces, and earrings, are akin to pieces marketed by other brands during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the components used in Vendome jewelry set them apart. This includes an abundance of Austrian crystal beads and rhinestones that still sparkle brightly today.

The plating on Vendome jewelry is also superior. Gold plated Vendome jewelry usually holds up extremely well. Pieces with silver-colored metal work are very often thickly plated with rhodium and look close to new when viewed from the back. Even most of the hand wired designs have held up remarkably well with all the components in place 50 to 60 years after they were made.

Another exceptional feature found on many pairs of Vendome earrings are adjustable clip backs. Using a small screw head, you can adjust these baubles to have just the right amount of tension, so the earrings stay in place without pinching your earlobes too tightly. This isn’t the only brand that used this type of clip back, but Vendome did incorporate them frequently and it’s a definite plus for collectors who love to wear their vintage pieces.

Values for Vendome Jewelry

One series of Vendome brooches that have a following among collectors were influenced by the art of Georges Braque. Marion designed these clever pieces in 1963 offering a wearable nod to Cubism to Vendome’s clientele. They’re considered hard to find today with each one in the set of six easily selling for $300-500 apiece.

DeLizza & Elster, the makers of Juliana jewelry, also produced a few ornate rhinestone necklace styles that were branded Vendome. These collar necklaces are quite elaborately embellished with rhinestones and usually sell for $500 or more when they occasionally come on the market. Other large, extravagant necklaces branded Vendome can also sell in the hundreds. These are generally decorated with rhinestones or very intricately beaded pieces.

Most of the Vendome prototypes that Angeli inherited have been sold to dealers and collectors at this point. When they re-enter the marketplace, they usually sell for more than average since they’re largely one of a kind. How do you know you’re really getting a prototype? That’s where trusting the seller comes into play. Of course, when you try to find another Vendome piece exactly like one of the prototypes through online research, it can become evident that you’re being offered a unique item.

At the other end of the spectrum are Vendome earrings featuring clusters of beads. These can frequently be purchased for less than $30 a pair. The vast majority of Vendome jewelry, however, falls somewhere between these extremes in value. Many 1960s multi-strand “granny” necklaces sell in the $50-100 range, or even less depending on the beads used. A number of brooch styles can be found moderately priced as well.

No matter the price, though, Vendome jewelry very often lives up to the “very elegantly yours” expectation with remarkable quality and style. It’s a brand most certainly worth looking at more closely the next time you get the chance.

You May Also Like:

How To Identify Unmarked Jewelry

How To Identify Juliana Jewelry

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