10/28/08Does anyone know the name Miriam Haskell? If you are a serious vintage jewelry connoisseur you do. If not, this could be a new name for you. But she is the Marilyn Monroe of collectible jewelry. She is the icon to which all jewelry makers and collectors aspire.
She opened her first jewelry salon in 1926 in Manhattan. She was famous for her use of intricate baroque pearl designs and for the rich Russian gold patina that is present in most all of her vintage work. Many of her pieces didn't survive as the pearls were hand wire-wrapped. Through the years, moisture and time take their tole and pieces are found in varying states of seeming disrepair. But their beauty shines through in spite of the damage -- that's just how gorgeous it is. It's like even when it's bad it's good. Does that make sense?
Well I tweak and re-bead, add and embellish, and stop in mid-stream the piece from sustaining further damage, and then put it back into the world to be loved yet again. Haskell speaks to me, and as I claim, Haskell channels me. Her older more collectible pieces sell for THOUSANDS of dollars. So it's probably not a bad investment to get this piece of double layer art. If you're into collectible costume jewelry and you haven't ever researched Haskell, you simply must. It is some of the most profoundly beautiful jewelry you will ever see.
Signed Kay Adams. $295
A0747, SOLD
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