Q. Are the Joseff designs for sale on the website reproduction pieces?
A. NO! In order for something to be a reproduction, that implies that production must have stopped at some point. There is a common misconception that Joseff of Hollywood went out of operation at some point, which is not true. We note specifically the very old deadstock items, but otherwise we have been making the same pieces with the same vintage components from the beginning…and with the same crafting methods, each one by hand.
Q. Are these pieces Joseff of Hollywood originals?
A. YES! Joseff of Hollywood has been in the same Burbank location since 1938, when Eugene Joseff moved slightly outside of Hollywood in order to establish a bigger manufacturing operation and to be closer to the filming studios. Each piece was handmade on site at this location. Some pieces are old stock from the 50’s, 40’s or even 30’s (!), and others are newer assemblage from true vintage components of the day. When we run out of the vintage components needed to make a certain piece, we retire that design.
Q. Does Joseff of Hollywood still do rentals?
A. YES! While studio rentals for filming are not as prevalent as they once were due to changes in the industry, Joseff still rents out designs for filming, private art projects, photo shoots, events and more. Rentals require a deposit and an insurance certificate. Studio rentals for filming may take items on approval with completed account. Private rentals require a credit card hold which will be refunded once the items are returned to the studio.
For more information on rentals, please call us at (818) 846-0157 or contact us HERE.
Q. Is there a Joseff of Hollywood book?
A. YES! Joanne Dubbs Ball collaborated with Joan Castle Joseff to write Jewelry of the Stars: Creations from Joseff of Hollywood published in 1991. Although there are a few inaccuracies, it showcased many of Joseff’s works beautifully. This book is cited often in the collector’s community, and is the most often referenced publication whenever a Joseff item is referenced as a “book piece.” This makes it quite an important publication for those who collect Joseff of Hollywood jewelry. You can find a copy of Joanne Ball’s book HERE.
There have been no other books authorized by Joseff of Hollywood since, although the demand for one has been great. You may read about some of Joseff’s history and see some amazing images in the catalog from our 2017 auction, which doubles as a coffee table book, which can be found for sale HERE.
Q. How do you tell how old a piece of Joseff Jewelry is?
A. Look at the tag! There have been several different designs in the evolution of tags, although some look similar.
As shown, this one says simply “JOSEFF HOLLYWOOD” in block letters, with the name Joseff larger than the work Hollywood. This is the first known tag for Joseff, and was used primarily on Studio Rental pieces, and often accompanied by a rental inventory number (either on a similar looking tag, or scratched directly into the metal of a piece). This was used as early as the late 1920’s in his early works, and continued to be used for his rental pieces until his death in 1948.
Next is the uniform “JOSEFF HOLLYWOOD” tag. This is the oldest known retail tag, originally rolled out for the launch of retail jewelry by Joseff in the 1930’s. In this tag, Joseff is still stacked over Hollywood, but they are the same sized block lettering. In the later years of Joseff’s career, these were also used on rental items.
The oldest known retail stamp, any item with this identification is no older than 1940’s and may even date back to the late 1930’s
The “JOSEFF” imprint was introduced in the 1940’s for retail items only and replaced by the 1950’s by a script imprint.
The “Joseff” script imprint was employed in the very late 1940’s and was used throughout the 1950’s. The “Joseff” script tag (round) actually has two different generations. The first is an exact replica of Joseff’s signature on a small round tag that was soldered onto each piece by hand. This came into use during the 1940’s-1950’s transition, and continued to be employed after the other tags were no longer in use.
Round script “tag” one of the earliest runs. You can see that it is deeper than the later tags.
This original script signature was used as an imprint for in house castings and backing. Below is an example of the older script stamped directly into the item. This generally dates a piece from the 1950’s or 1960’s.
The back of a “Rio” pin stamped with the oldest Joseff script. A stamp like this usually means a piece was made in the 1950’s or 1960’s
A second version of this tag came into use some time in the 1970’s. Although they are very similar, you can see that the signature looks a bit smoother, especially in the J and last F. This is the tag currently in use today.
The second generation of round Joseff tag had a smoother script than the original.