Designer of the week
Who is Monet?
Dates of Operation- 1927 - today
Design Characteristics - Very good enamel designs, fashionable and well priced, good quality jewelry with a nice finish.
©2007 Vintage Jewelry Lane
There is some disagreement about when the company Monet actually began. Dates from 1927 to 1937 are listed in the various reference books, most likely because of the shift of focus of the early days of the company. The company was started when two young brothers, Michael and Jay Chernow decided to go into business together. The company was founded in Providence, Rhode Island. The first name of the company was Monocraft and their first designs were monograms for fashionable handbags. Later, in 1937, they began the manufacture of jewelry and the name of the company was changed to Monet.
Monet became one of the leading suppliers of jewelry in the 1940s - being the principle suppliers of the better department stores of the period. Their simple and classic designs, sometimes adorned with rhinestones or Austrian crystals appealed to the working woman of the post war era. They were some of the earliest suppliers of comfortable clip on earrings which became very popular and tended to replace the previous screw back styles.
The Monet company offered the public what it wanted. As fashion trends changed, so did their designs - from military designs of the 1940s, to bow pins and charm bracelets in the 1950s, through to hoop earrings in the 1960s and beyond. When pierced earrings became popular in the 1970s, the company, once again, changed their earring style with great success. This constant changing of styles to suit the public buying habits has ensured that they remain successful today.
The Monet company has changed hands several times. It was purchased by General Mills in 1968 and then later sold to Crystal Brands in 1987, who also had acquired the names Marvella and Trifari by that time. During the 1980s, Monet made jewelry for Yves Saint Laurent. The latest chapter in the succession of owners of the company began in the year 2000 when Liz Claiborne purchased the company and moved offshore to Puerto Rico.
Design Mark - There have been various marks used for Monet jewelry.
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Monocraft - all capital letters, all one word |
Monet Capital letters, first used in 1937 |
Monet sterling - all capital letters |
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Monet with copyright after the name. After 1955 |
Monet script with copyright before the word. |
Monet - capital M and lower case other letters |
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Monet in Script with copyright. Recent design mark. |
Monet necklaces were often signed on tags at the clasp area. |
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![http://vintagejewelryinformation.com/designerwords/images/8998.3L[1].jpg](http://vintagejewelryinformation.com/designerwords/images/8998.3L[1].jpg)
Value of the pieces today - Only purchase Monet designs in mint condition.
If possible try to purchase with the original box. Monet is not a design name normally collected by vintage jewelry collectors, since the designs were mainly not made with rhinestones, which vintage jewelry collectors prefer. Their Christmas jewelry is a good choice for collectors. Look for earlier Monet pieces from the 1930s and 1940s, which have art moderne designs of straight edges and open metalwork designs.
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