The “Frosted Leaves” Collection
November 21, 2012
The Napier Ballerina Brooch
December 15, 2012
Vintage Napier jewelry
Top Five Things to Know When You Buy Napier Jewelry:
1. All sterling jewelry made after 1955 will have the copyright mark.
2. Not all base metal jewelry made after 1955 will have the copyright mark.
3. Napier used the block NAPIER trademark (not in the cusped hexagonal shape as shown below) from “not less than one year” of the trademark filing date of 6/28/1923 until its closure. Other marks were used during this period as well.
Napier Trademark
Registered in July 1921. First used 10/25/1920
4. If a piece does not have the word “Sterling” on the item, it’s not sterling.
5. Charm bracelets are the most “faked” piece of jewelry in the realm of Napier collectibles.
Melinda Lewis
Jewelry historian, Melinda Lewis is co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l (CJCI) and author of The Napier Co.: Defining 20th Century American Costume Jewelry.
3 Comments
Your post, Top Five Things to Know When You Buy Napier Jewelry, is really well written and insightful. Glad I found your website, warm regards from Domenic!
What jewelry clues suggest the piece was designed by Warren Dontigney?
Warren’s work has been harder to identify in terms of the specific pieces he created. However, he was known for his carving from fancy clasps, figurals and giftware. He said he designed a “prestige” line, but I’ve yet to unearth what those pieces were. I would have very much loved to have discovered more of his designs than I’ve been able to thus far.