Designer of the week
Who is Hobé?
Dates of Operation- 1883 in Europe, circa 1915 in the USA - sold late 1990s, still in operation
Design Characteristics - Large cushion rollers on earrings, large bezel set stones, lots of sterling and gold washed sterling, hallmark written with an accent.
©2007 Vintage Jewelry Lane
Pronounced Hoe-bay. Jacques Hobe' was a well known jewelry designer in France. Four generations of the Hobé family were involved with jewelry. Jacques' son William sold theatrical costumers for the Ziegfeld Follies in New York at the start of his career in the US. While the Hobé name was under the direction of the Hobe' family, the company enjoyed many years of fame as a premier manufacturer of high quality costume jewelry.
The jewelry designs included real jade, turquoise and other semi precious stones - often bezel set. Many of the pieces were sterling silver, often plated with platinum or gold. The designs were often reproductions of fine jewels from the royal courts of Europe.
William's sons Robert and Donald continued the family business. Much of their business catered to Hollywood stars who wanted jewelry that looked like the real thing without the price tag normally associated with fine jewelry.
Value of the pieces today - Highly Collectible
Because of the quality of the construction, most Hobé pieces on the market are in very good condition today. Still, you should examine any that will be bought for investment purposes well. The early sterling silver pieces with elaborate rhinestone construction are much in demand and command very high prices. A good piece of Hobé jewelry is a wise investment.
Design Marks
The company changed its logo approximately every 20 years. There are 6 recorded changes in the almost 120 years of business under the Hobe' family name. I have photos of the later Hobé marks, but not the earlier ones. Illusion Jewels has line drawings of the early Hobé design marks on her reference site. The earliest marks are-1883-1902 Crossed Sword Logo - 1903-1917 Hobe' written with an accent in an oval cartouche - and 1918-1932 Hobe' with an accent inside a house shape.
|
|
|
1958-1963 Hobé sterling with an accent and copyright symbol in an oval |
1999 - Hobé with an accent with copyright over the letter O. |
To view other articles on the designers, please visit the designer of the week archives.
