This company began in 1948 as Hollywood Jewelry, but the mark was soon changed to Hollycraft because of possible confusion with Joseff of Hollywood. Known for its quality pieces, Hollycraft is very popular with vintage costume jewelry collectors. Hollycraft designs were sold to jobbers who were then responsible for the production and distribution of the actual pieces.

To the delight of present day collectors, Hollycraft pieces from the 1950s were often, but not always, marked with the date of the design. In fact, there are some costume jewelry enthusiasts who collect Hollycraft jewelry only from a specific year!

Some of the most popular designs from the 1950s are those using pastel stones of amethyst, aqua, citrine, pink, olivine, etc. in rich and complex patterns. These pieces are nearly always done in goldtone metal findings.

Because coordinating sets of jewelry were so popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, Hollycraft created wonderful complete sets, or parures, which included necklace, earrings, bracelet, brooch and sometimes a ring. Matched sets are more difficult to come by as pieces get lost or become damaged over the years, therefore they often have an increased value to collectors.

The company was sold by founder/designer Joseph Chorbajian in the early 1970s, and manufacture of Hollycraft jewelry ceased sometime in the late 1970s. But with the excellent craftsmanship and designs, the legacy lives on.

The Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing Company, maker of designer costume jewelry, opened for business in 1938 located in New York City. There were three founders: Joseph Chorbajian, an Armenian immigrant; a cousin of Chorbajian whose name has since been lost; and Jack Hazard. The Hollycraft Jewelry name The Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing Company started using the Hollycraft name in 1948, perhaps because of customer confusion between Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing’s jewelry and jewelry produced by Joseph of Hollywood. Hanging tags with Hollycraft on one side and “Created by Hollywood Jewelry Mfg. New York” on the flip side originated during that same year. Hollycraft costume jewelry of the 1950s The heyday for many Hollycraft collectors is jewelry produced during the 1950s. For one thing, Hollywood Jewelry Manufacturing started marking dates on Hollycraft costume jewelry around 1950, making the jewelry easier to identify. In fact, because of the dating process, and the addition the © sign to Hollycraft costume jewelry after 1955, many collectors choose to collect Hollycraft vintage jewelry by the year. The look of Hollycraft vintage jewelry There are two interlocking Hollycraft jewelry signatures to look for. First, Hollycraft vintage jewelry is prized for its beautiful designs using rich, pastel-colored rhinestones. Some designs used a single color, while others used several sparkly colors. The other line for which Hollywood Jewelry Company is famous is the Christmas Tree Line, which included Christmas tree pins and Christmas tree earrings, one of founder Joseph Chorbajian’s projects. There was other Christmas jewelry, including a charming red-enameled Santa Claus marching along while carrying a sack of presents, and cute Christmas lantern earrings. Collecting vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry The costs of vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry are on the rise, particularly for Christmas Tree jewelry, rhinestone bracelets and rhinestone necklace and earring sets. Make sure that all of the rhinestones are still in place before buying a piece. While you may be able to purchase a replacement stone, replacing the stone will add to the overall cost of the piece, and the replacement stone may not be available. Try to buy vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry in sets if that is the way that the jewelry was originally sold. It also adds to the value if you can find vintage Hollycraft costume jewelry in its original box.