Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Vintage Monet Link Bracelet

This chunky goldtone bracelet is from 1955-60 and made by Monet.  I think every woman in the modern world has heard of Monet jewelry!  I am learning from writing this blog that much of the most popular american costume jewelry has been made in the Northeast at some point.  Monet began as Monocraft in 1929 and was manufactured in Providence, Rhode Island.  Brothers Michael and Jay Chernow started this business producing gold-plated monograms for handbags.  After building a good reputation, they began manufacturing Monet jewelry from approximately 1937 through 1960. 

Besides producing high quality and affordable products, Monet was also an innovator in jewelry technology, inventing both the friction ear clip (an adjustable earring clip that fit firmly but caused less pressure on the ear lobe) and the pierced earring barrel clutch (an alternative to the well-known butterfly clutch).  Monet switched ownership several times since the late 60s, with Liz Claiborne purchasing the Monet jewelry line in 2000.  Several major department stores still carry Monet today.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on www.etsy.com is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Collectible Jewels. Retrieved 1/11/2011 from http://www.collectiblejewels.com/monet.html

Ehow.  Retrieved 1/11/2011 from http://www.ehow.com/how_2190220_collect-vintage-monet-jewelry.html

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