Vintage Rare Pink and Smoke Grey SHERMAN marked Necklace and Earrings set

Vintage Rare Pink and Smoke Grey SHERMAN marked Necklace and Earrings set (image 3/[null, null, null])

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This lot includes 2 pieces of signed SHERMAN high-end costume jewelry in excellent condition.These pieces are from my personal collecting for over 25 years.F aceted Round and Navette cut Pink and Smoke Grey Swarovski crystals Necklace and earrings signed Sherman.Necklace is 16" Long X 1" WideEarrings are 1" Long X 3/4" Wide.PLEASE REVIEW ALL PHOTOS AS THEY ARE ALWAYS INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION. THE ITEMS LISTED ARE VINTAGE AND HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY WORN, UNLESS IT CLEARLY STATES NEW. YOU WILL GET EXACTLY WHAT IS SHOWN IN THE PHOTOS. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION.A little bit of history:When you think of North American costume-jewelry centers,glamorous cities like New York, L.A., and Chicago probably come to mind. Butone of the top-notch costume jewelers in the 1950s was actually located inMontreal, Canada. Gustave Sherman ’sJewish parents immigrated to Canada to escape persecution in Eastern Europe.Once in Montreal, young Gustave took a job as a jewelry salesman, which sparkedhis interest in the trade. Even though he had no schooling in business orjewelry-making, Gustave founded his Montreal manufacturing company, Sherman Costume Jewelry , in 1947. Hestarted with one employee, Ukrainian jeweler Dmytro Kurica, who went by Jim orJimmy and whose last name was pronounced Koretza, hence the confusion in somequarters about his name. Kurica was an expert craftsman who helped make Sherman ’s exquisite designs a reality.By the 1950s, Sherman hadestablished himself as Canada’s foremost costume jeweler, and his work wasstarting to appear on runways in Paris and New York. Sherman , whose slogan was “made to last a lifetime,” demanded thehighest level of quality in workmanship and material. Using Swaroskicrystals, special ordered to his exacting specifications, Sherman often copied examplesof fine jewelry. He was willing to pay for the best materials, so hispieces always featured Swarovski’s top-of-the-line stones, often withshimmering aurora borealis coating, which he then put in sturdy japanned, rhodium-,and gold-plated prong settings. Naturally, this meant his costume jewelry wassome of the most expensive on the market—even in the early days, his piecescould go for as much as $50. His less elaborate and more affordable items soldat Canadian department stores and through the major jewelry shop Birks. Thefinest pieces of Sherman jewelry,however, sold at exclusive jewelry boutiques across the country. Sherman was particularly enamored withluminous crystals cut into navettes and elongated marquis shapes, which couldbe arranged in flowing designs. Exploiting this fluid quality, he would setthese crystals in monochromatic schemes, exploring the different hues and tonesof a single color. His necklaces and bracelets would move from champagne to topaz(golds), sapphire to robin's egg (blues), fuchsia to pink (reds), and emeraldto peridot (greens). Sherman cameup with thousands of color schemes, some of which were only produced for oneseason. Collectors are especially interested in his pieces with deep redcrystals set on japanned backing. Sherman figural brooches, shaped like owls,cats, baskets, hearts, bows, and the like are highly sought by collectors.Marks include “ SHERMAN ” in caps,“Sherman” in script, and “SHERMAN STERLING. ” His bracelets oftenfeatured safety chains and hidden clasps, with the mark stamped on the backsideof the clasp; many of his crystal bead pieces, such as necklaces and earrings,are unmarked. In the 1970s, luxurious and glamorous rhinestones fell out of fashionin favor of angular, geometric pieces made-out of fake gold and silver, whichcaused Sherman ’s business todecline. He refused to produce cheap, low-quality pieces, and instead enteredthe fine-jewelry market just as the price of gold and other precious metal wasskyrocketing. Sherman had to close-up shop in 1981, and he passed away in 1984. read more

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