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Who is Florenza?

Dates of Operation - 1948-1981

Design Characteristics - Antiqued goldtone settings, Old World designs, Creative use of novelty glass stones

The Florenza jewelry company was started in New York by designer Daniel Kasoff. A story is told of how, as a young man, Daniel had his coat stolen in a restaurant in New York. The owner of the Speier Jewelry Company happened to be dining in the same restaurant and came to his rescue with money to purchase a new coat. Daniel repaid his debt as soon as he could and was rewarded with a position at the Speier jewelry company because his honesty. He worked there for 10 years and learned the business from the ground up.

By 1948, young Dan was able to open his own business - The Dan Kasoff Company. He sold his pieces to wholesalers around the world and his jewelry was found in department stores and specialty shops across the USA. The next 8 years was an enormous growing period for his company.

In the 1950s, his son joined him in the business and the name Florenza was introduced. They chose this name as an honor to Daniel's wife Florence. It was this line that became known for the elaborate old world designs with antiqued goldtone settings which were made to simulate fine antique jewelry. Some of their noted customers were Weiss, Kramer, Hattie Carnegie, Coro and Revlon. These customers would bring in the instructions for jewelry and their instructions found their way into design pictures which then often resulted in the finished product with the well known designer's name. These designs were the property of the customer and carried their name.

Only Kasoff original creations carried the name of Florenza. These designs were marketed in such upscale stores as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor and Bloomingdale. The company closed its doors in 1980.

Value of the pieces today - Only purchase Florenza designs in mint condition.

The prices of Florenza pieces have been undervalued but are rising on the collectibles market now. Collectors appreciate the varied use of glass stones and cameo collectors prize their pieces which use shell cameos. It is still relatively easy to acquire a nice collection at fairly reasonable prices. Look for full sets, shell cameo designs and some of their ornate bracelets. As always, there is no need to sacrifice quality. Keep looking for the best specimien you can find.

Design Mark - There were two known Design Marks - script and block:

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