Absolutely Stunning Red/Clear 1970's "Jewel Creations"  Maltese Cross Brooch!

Hundreds of stones--Very Glitzy Book Piece!

****Update 11/17/2009!****

I cannot stress how important it is to continue your research into costume jewelry, and this piece of jewelry has definitely solidified the proof of that little pearl of wisdom for me.  For more than a year now I've advertised this piece as unmarked KJL, and I JUST discovered LAST NIGHT that this is incorrect.  To add insult to injury, the legitimate version of this piece wasn't even created by KJL, but rather by DeNicola!!  Worse yet, it's not even DeNicola, but another animal altogether that I'd never even given any thought to in my studies of costume jewelry.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused.  I Thank God that I haven't sold this piece yet, as I would have felt terrible about selling it under such false pretenses.  It just goes to show that you never stop learning things in this business, and I'm still somewhat of a baby in the big picture, having only been dealing for about three years now.

As  it turns out, these brooches were marketed in catalogs during the 1970's by a company called "Jewel Creations," a company that specialized in offering kit's to crafters during that era who enjoyed creating their own costume jewelry pieces rather than buying them at department stores.

The reason that I know that this is one of the "Jewel Creations" kit's and not one of the "DeNicola" Brooches is because of the construction of the DeNicola Brooch.  The DeNicola was constructed from two pieces that were soldered and attached with a riveting process to hold the two together.  The Jewel Creations piece was created all as one piece.  Once you see the differences, they are very obvious.

In Julia Carroll's 2009 Book "Collecting Costume Jewelry 303" the author outlines this practice of wholesale companies selling jewelry kits to the public, and how that practice is effecting costume jewelry collecting of unsigned jewelry today.  It's an excellent read, and I can't thank Ms. (Mrs?  Miss?) Carroll enough for her insights into this subject.  Please, pick up the book and give it a read.  You certainly won't regret it.

The Catalog describes this piece as having been sold as a frame only (with pendant bale) for $1.60 (at the time) and as having required:  one 8x13mm oval center stone, eight 8x6 mm ovals, eighteen #12 stones, sixteen #10 stones, and finally one hundred eighteen #8 stones.  I imagine that the stone colors were subjective and left up to the consumer to choose, although recommendations were probably given.

Although the discovery of this information has effected the price that I've put on this piece of jewelry considerably, I still count it among my favorites.  I Love the Maltese cross look, and the red and clear stones give the piece a very regal look.  If you decide to purchase this, you will not be disappointed.

Condition:  I would grade this brooch to be in Very Good Vintage Condition.  There is some scratching to the Gold-tone finish on the back, and also some light scratching that is not really visible on the oval center stone.  The scratching is not noticeable when the piece is worn.  There is a little bend in the pin in one area, but the pin is in no jeopardy of breaking anytime soon.  It's still very smooth and shiny. 

*Note:  This brooch was originally missing two of the red stones near the bottom of the brooch.  I sent this to Mr. Matt Ribarich for replacements stones and setting, and he managed to find a perfect match, and did a great job with the resetting too.  You would never know that anything had been done to it!

If you want to make a statement or strike up a conversation anywhere you go, this pin is for you!

Price:  $35.00

or Make me an Offer!

It's Huge as you can see--tucked into this little decorative chest

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Another shot of this in the chest.

Photo of the back showing shiny gold tone rhodium plate and slight pin bend.