Joseff of Hollywood Parure, ca. 1940
Watch
GUEST:
I bought it years ago at an antique auction, and it's a Joseff of Hollywood, and that's about all I know about it.
APPRAISER:
It's a company that is still in existence in Burbank, California. This is called a parure. A parure is a bracelet, necklace and earring set. And Joseff of Hollywood, he was born in Chicago.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
And he lived there, he was an artist, he worked in advertising, but before the Depression or during the Depression in the late '20s, he moved out to California, and he started working in jewelry design. And he met a fellow named Walter Plunkett, who was a costume designer for the major motion pictures. And he was complaining to Walter Plunkett that the jewelry they were using was not proper to the era that they were portraying in the movies. They were historically inaccurate. And so Walter Plunkett said, "If you can do better, do it." So Eugene Joseff designed a line of jewelry, and he was a smart man. He didn't sell it to the movie studios, he rented it to the movie studios.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yes. And he did a special type of matte finish on his jewelry, so just like we have these bright lights here, it doesn't reflect the Klieg lights and the lights they used to light the sets in the movies.
GUEST:
That makes sense.
APPRAISER:
He also used a lot of wonderful stones. Now, these are not real gemstones. These are glass. They're the color purple, which would be the color for amethyst, and they're signed "Joseff of Hollywood." He made movie jewelry for "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Casablanca."
GUEST:
Oh, yeah?
APPRAISER:
Yes. Now, the interesting thing was a lot of the movie stars that wore his jewelry on the sets loved it so much that they would wear it out in public. And he went, "Huh, I have an idea," and so he made a line that sold in department stores. And this is what you have. This piece was probably made between 1935 and 1945, and unfortunately, in September of 1948, he was killed in a plane crash.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
But his legacy lives with us. Now, this is an exquisite parure. This is original, authentic, vintage Joseff of Hollywood. This is not the pieces that they're reconstructing today. Do you remember what you paid at auction?
GUEST:
No, I do not.
APPRAISER:
Well, for these three pieces here, on a retail level, I would say they would be valued at $1,500 to $2,000 for the whole set.
GUEST:
Oh! Well, I'm pleased about that. That's very nice.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
