Do you remember buying Schreiner costume jewelry at Thalhimers?
Schreiner Jewelry Co. was founded in 1939 in New York, NY, by Henry Schreiner. The small, family run company manufactured extraordinary costume jewelry throughout the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Admired by collectors and fashion enthusiasts alike, many believe that there is no other costume jewelry designer who consistently made such fine, diverse, and original pieces. In addition to creating their own collections, they collaborated with many of the top couturiers including Christian Dior, Norman Norell, and Pauline Trigère. At the height of their popularity, pieces by the Schreiner Jewelry Co. graced the covers of Vogue, Glamour, and Harper’s Bazaar and were touted by celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, and Audrey Hepburn.
Schreiner jewelry was sold in the fashion department at Thalhimers Department Store. Take a look at the images…do you remember purchasing or selling these incredible jewels? If so, researcher Eve Townsend wants to know. Eve works for the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, and the pieces depicted here are part of Ms. Tanenbaum’s personal collection. They are collaborating on a book and gathering research. If you have a story to share, contact them through the website www.caroletanenbaum.com or on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/caroletanenbaumvintage
How do I know if a piece of jewelry I own was made by Schreiner?
The Schreiner Jewelry Co. never signed pieces going to the couturiers, leaving many Schreiner pieces to be found unsigned today. When pieces are signed they have a cartouche marked Schreiner New York or Schreiner.
The following list of signature characteristics can help you identify unmarked Schreiner jewels:
Inverted Stones:
One of the most famous characteristics of Schreiner jewelry is their use of inverted or “upside down” set stones. The Schreiner Jewelry Co. intentionally set their stones with the point up to optimize sparkle and to add depth and dimension to their pieces. When placed on a garment, the unfoiled stones allowed the fabric to show through creating the illusion that the jewelry was an extension of the clothing.
Hook-and-Eye Construction:
As any collector of costume jewelry will tell you- examining a piece from the back can often tell you as much as the front. The Schreiner Jewelry Co. is well known for their use of the hook-and-eye construction. Utilizing this method allowed them to produce pieces (particularly brooches) in separate parts and then later layer them on top of one another like a wedding cake. This innovative method meant they could eliminate the use of soldering between sections. As a result, today we find a tremendous amount of Schreiner pieces in pristine condition because they haven’t fallen victim to weak soldering. It is important to note that other designers such as Warner and Regency also produced pieces with this type of construction so the presence of hook-and-eye alone does not necessarily identify a piece to be Schreiner.
Crimped “Cupcake” Settings:
Another well-known Schreiner characteristic is the use of crimped settings. Known to collectors as “cupcake” settings because of their likeness to cupcake holders they add a decorative detail to a piece. Again, there were various designers who incorporated crimped settings into their pieces. So the presence of cupcake settings alone do not, by themselves, attribute a piece to be Schreiner.
Fancy Prongs:
Schreiner stones are almost always prong-set but it is really the types of prongs they chose to use which sets the Schreiner Jewelry Co. apart from the rest. Fancy prongs, Fleur de Les prongs, and elaborate houndstooth prongs are all used by Schreiner.
When trying to attribute a pair of earrings to Schreiner the key is to examine the earring backs. Although Schreiner is known for using a couple of types of earring clips the most common is the donut hole, which features a single round hole at the top of the clip. Schreiner necklaces often feature a five-ring extension accented by five prong-set stones.
If any of these jewels look like something in your jewelry box (or your mom’s or grandmother’s), please get in touch with Eve!
Beautiful jewelry! I’ll check the large collection I inherited from my Mom and Grandmother this weekend.
can u tell me about schreiner belts–rarity, collectibility, value thx steve
Thanks for writing, Steve. I just spoke to Schreiner expert Eve Townsend, and she says, “Schreiner Jewelry Company also made belts. They range in price depending on materials (glass vs. Lucite/plastic) but on the low end $180 up to around $650 for pieces with large rhinestone details.” So it sounds like if you have a vintage Schreiner belt, it certainly has a bit of value!
Hello there, my hubby recently purchased an unsigned Schreiner necklace set which is really lovely for me. Could you kindly let me know the email address of Eve as I guess she might be interested in having a look? Thanks…. Helen
i have a very nice brouch i was trying to find in your collection. it is rather large yellow stone in middle with 4 blue looking turquious stones and yellow and Smoky Quarts with smsll pearls set aroynd the large yellow stone. The large yellow stone is secured in the middle with the fluer de leaf prongs around the yellow stone in middle. It is signed with Schriener New York. Eve, do you have an email address i can send you a photo of this piece? Roxanne
I think I might have a schreiner earring/necklace set. How can I verify this HELP!
today a man came into my store with a Schreiner en tremblant pin in peridot green…thought it was worth $8o,ooo.oo….It was very pretty, but I had to tell him, I didn’t think it’s value was that high…he was a bit pissed. I offered to research it for him, and to have our appraiser write an appraisal. I hope he comes back…he had to consult with the wife…I’ll probably never see him again since I popped his bubble, but I hope he comes in since it was beautiful…It needed the spring replaced as it was bent almost to breaking…
Wow…$80,000 is a big number! I hope the man returns to your store with the Schriener pin. Keep us updated!
I have a signed Schriener brooch set that is amazingly beautiful! It is very large, hand painted owl shape with a large pink hanging stone. Could anyone help me out by looking at a picture for me and possibly help me find more information! Please and thank you! 🙂
Hi I have a Schreiner New York necklace/belt. I’m not sure which. it has the usual extender. It’s on gunmetal – the top row has rectangular purplish red and clear oval faceted rhinestones. The middle line is faceted large blue alternating with smaller oval green rhinestones and the bottom row is oval pinkish rhinestones alternating with round pearls. Have you seen one like this before? is it a belt? Does it have any value.
You’ll want to get in touch with Eve Townsend, an expert in Schreiner jewelry. You can reach her at evetownsend@hotmail.com. Good luck!