Miriam Haskell Jewelry

We welcome  Miriam Haskell Questions   on Antique Jewelry Investor.  We are the global authority on costume  jewels by Miriam Haskell.

Miriam Haskell was born on July 1, 1899 - d. July 14, 1981 and  is a famous Costume Jewelry Designer.  She established Miriam Haskell Gift Shop on July 30, 1926,  at the McAlpin Hotel, 103, Sixteenth Street, New York City.  Shortly after opening she joined forces with Frank Hess,  a young window dresser from Macy's. The rest is Haskell History. 

Miriam  was described as a "lavish entertainer" in the History of Jewelry and this is reflected in   her creations which are  celebrations of her life and reflect her personality. The pieces  stimulate the senses  and  look  just as sensational today as they did when they were worn in the early days. 

 Miriam Haskell's friends were the glamorous New York and Hollywood celebrities and royalty. Her jewelry was worn for publicity shots, films and personal use by movies stars such as Joan Crawford,  Lucille Ball and  Gloria Vanderbilt. The Duchess of Windsor, one of the world's great Jewelry Collectors owned a  large collection of  Haskell Jewelry.

Miriam shared her  ideas with  the grande dame of designer costume - Coco Chanel often over "tea" while selecting the upcoming season's beads at Madame Gripoix's - the finest source in Paris.  Haskell  understood that choosing the right materials was one of the most challenging decisions to be made in Jewelry design.  And it is in this detail,  I believe,  where the brilliance of Miriam  Haskell Jewelry  can be found. 

Miriam Haskell Jewelry - Handmaiden of Costume Jewelry
Her Jewelry was All Made by Hand! 

Authentic pieces are  made up entirely by hand. They reflect an elaborate integration of beauty, color and life, yet an elusive subtlety lies just below their surface, reflected in each bead, each crystal, and each pearl that was, and still is today, hand selected.  

Her vintage pieces were  seldom signed before 1950.  It was Miriam's  own brother, Joseph Haskell  who introduced the first  signed Miriam Haskell piece of jewelry. For a  short time in  the 1940s,  a shop in New England did request that all pieces they received from Haskell should be signed — this signature is a horseshoe-shaped plaque with Miriam Haskell embossed on it. Pieces with this signature are considered rarer.

---

Miriam Haskell jewelry is first strung onto a  wire chassis and then hand-wrapped  onto an intricate brass filigree backing and concealed to a second filigree leaving no trace of its construction. The tight embroidery of the elements shows no sign of the base underneath.   Haskell's insistence on using materials of the highest quality, meant that she and Hess, and subsequent head designers, regularly traveled abroad to source.  Haskell components,  often combined with filigree antiqued gilt metal, include glass beads from Murano; faceted crystals from Austria, including flat-backed rose montées; and lustrous faux pearl from Japan - the latter, following multiple immersions in essence orient  displaying a peerless, deep, lustrous finish highly prized by Haskell collectors.

Jewelry by Miriam Haskell  was as much sought after in the early days as it is today. It has a style that doesn't ever seem to  date and will add value to the finest Jewelry Collection.

Photo top of page: Kind courtesy www.miriam-haskell.com

Image on this page courtesy of Miriam Haskell

Return to the top of Miriam Haskell Jewelry

Return to Antique Jewelry Investor