Dress Me Up - Vintage Rhodium Plate Signed 'Sherman' Swarovski Crystal Earrings (VE291)

Dress Me Up - Vintage Rhodium Plate Signed 'Sherman' Swarovski crystal Earrings.  These wonderful earrings are crafted from a silver toned metal, and rhodium plate. The seven rows of hand-wired crystal form a tassel, this gives the earrings a waterfall effect as the light reflects, the crystal sparkles like diamonds. The colours of the crystal are clear, soft pink, champagne, yellow, and hues of blue and green.  They are signed "SHERMAN" and are in remarkable condition. They would be perfect for any formal occasion or addition to any jewellery collection. 

Note:  Gustave Sherman's Jewish parents immigrated to Canada to escape persecution in Eastern Europe. Once in Montreal, young Gustave took a job as a jewelry salesman , which sparked his interest in the trade. 

Even though he had no schooling in business or jewelry making, Gustave founded his Montreal manufacturing company, Sherman Costume Jewelry, in 1947. He started with one employee , Hungarian jeweller Jimmy Koretza, an expert craftsman who help make Sherman's  exquisite designs a reality. By the 1950s, Sherman had established himself as Canada's foremost costume jeweller, and his work was starting to appear on runways in Paris and New York. 

Sherman, whose slogan was" made to last a lifetime", demanded the highest level of quality in workmanship and material. Using Swarovski crystal, special ordered to his exact specifications, Sherman often copied examples of fine jewelry. He was willing to pay for the best materials , so his pieces always featured Swarovski's top-of- the- line stones, often with shimmering aurora borealis coating, which he then put in sturdy japanned, rhodium, and gold plated prong settings. 

Naturally this meant that his costume jewelry was some of the most expensive on the market-even in the early days, his pieces would sell for as much as $50. His less elaborate pieces and more affordable items sold at Canadian department stores and through the major department shop Birks. The finest pieces of Sherman jewelry, however, sold at exclusive jewelry boutiques across the country. 

Sherman was particularly enamoured with luminous crystals cut into navettes and elongated marquis shapes, which could be arranged in flowing designs. Exploiting this fluid quality, he would set these crystals in monochromatic schemes, exploring the different hues and tones of a single colour. His jewelry would move from champagne to topaz(golds), sapphire to robin's egg(blues), fuchsia to pink (reds), and emerald to peridot (greens). 

Sherman came up with thousands of colour schemes, some of which were only produced for one season. Collectors are especially interested in these pieces with deep red crystals set on japanned backing. Sherman figural brooches, shaped like owls, cats, baskets, hearts, bows, and the like are highly sought by collectors. 

Measurements: Earrings 42.00 mm x 17.00 mm 

Weight: 16.90 grams

Condition: Excellent

Origin: Canada 

Date: Circa 1950