She called her favourite colour Shocking Pink. She put a lobster on a dress. She turned a shoe into a hat.
In this blog, we will explore the history, signature styles, and enduring collectibility of vintage Schiaparelli jewellery — one of the most extraordinary bodies of wearable art produced in the twentieth century, and one of the most rewarding areas of vintage costume jewellery collecting today.
Elsa Schiaparelli was not simply a designer who made jewellery to complement her clothes. She was an artist who understood that adornment could be as radical, as funny, and as intellectually serious as any work on a gallery wall. That philosophy is precisely why vintage Schiaparelli jewellery continues to command serious collector attention decades after the house closed its doors.
Elsa Schiaparelli and the Art of Wearing Art
Born in Rome in 1890 into a cultivated family (her uncle was the astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who identified the so-called canals of Mars), Elsa Schiaparelli arrived in Paris in the 1920s and immersed herself in the city’s thriving artistic avant-garde. By 1927 she had opened her own fashion house, and within a few years, she had become the most talked-about couturier in Paris, a direct rival to Coco Chanel.
The contrast between the two women was stark and deliberate. Where Chanel’s aesthetic was elegant, restrained, and classically modern, Schiaparelli’s was provocative, surreal, and unabashedly theatrical.
She collaborated openly with Surrealist artists — crediting them in print, which was highly unusual for the period — and her collections reflected a sensibility that was as much fine art as fashion. Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti, Man Ray, and Méret Oppenheim all contributed to her work. Jewellery was central to this vision from the very beginning.
Jewellery as Surrealism: The 1930s Couture Era
The jewellery Schiaparelli produced during the 1930s in conjunction with her haute couture collections represents the most rarefied tier of vintage Schiaparelli jewellery, and the most difficult to find.
These pieces were designed to accompany specific collections, produced in small numbers, and are today considered museum-quality objects. The majority are unmarked, and correct identification typically requires cross-referencing against documented exhibition records or the house’s own archives.
Her collaborators during this period included Jean Schlumberger — who would later become Tiffany & Co.’s first named designer — as well as Jean Clément and Roger Jean-Pierre, who went on to design for Dior and Balenciaga. Schlumberger created ostrich clips, clown brooches, and harlequin pins for the celebrated 1938 Circus Collection, joining Dalí and Cocteau in a remarkable creative collaboration that remains unmatched in costume jewellery history.
The pieces from this era reflect Schiaparelli’s most overtly Surrealist impulses. There were brooches in the shape of a human eye, with a pearl teardrop, designed with Cocteau. There were lip-shaped brooches with pearls for teeth. Earrings in the form of telephones. A 1938 Rhodoid necklace by Jean Clément, made from a newly developed clear plastic, that appeared to have coloured metallic insects crawling directly on the wearer’s skin. Méret Oppenheim contributed fur-lined metal cuffs. Elsa Triolet designed the “Aspirin necklace” — glass paste beads, metal wire, and beige cotton braid. Each piece was not an accessory to a dress; it was an idea made wearable.
If you encounter a piece attributed to this era, approach it carefully. Authentic 1930s Schiaparelli jewellery is extraordinarily rare, always unsigned, and best authenticated by a specialist with access to primary documentation.
The Licensed Jewellery Era: What Collectors Actually Find
In 1949, Schiaparelli opened Schiaparelli Jewels, a New York-based company through which she licensed her name to produce costume jewellery. D. Lisner & Co., the authorised American importer and distributor of her jewellery since 1938, along with several Philadelphia jewellery makers, executed these designs. Some pieces from this period carry a torso-shaped hangtag reading “Designed in Paris — Created in America,” which research by jewellery historians attributes to Ralph DeRosa’s company.
Schiaparelli closed her Paris fashion house in 1954, but the licensed jewellery production continued through the late 1950s. It is the pieces from 1949 through this period — bold, colourful, and clearly signed — that form the core of what collectors encounter today. While they lack the museum provenance of the 1930s couture pieces, they are genuinely beautiful objects in their own right, and they carry the unmistakable Schiaparelli DNA: unusual stones, unexpected colour combinations, and a refusal to be anything less than dramatic.
In 2006, Italian entrepreneur Diego Della Valle acquired the Schiaparelli archives and the rights to the name. The couture house was formally reopened in 2012 at 21 Place Vendôme, Paris — the same address Schiaparelli had occupied. Under creative director Daniel Roseberry, the revival house has attracted significant attention and a new generation of high-profile clients. Collectors should be aware that jewellery produced by the revival house will carry a distinctly different mark from vintage pieces and represents an entirely different category of collecting.
Signature Stones and Materials in Vintage Schiaparelli Jewellery
Learning to recognise Schiaparelli’s material signatures is one of the most useful skills a collector can develop. Several recur so consistently that they function almost as a visual fingerprint:
Faux Tourmaline and Shocking Pink
Shocking Pink — which Schiaparelli described as “the nerve of red, a neon pink, an unreal pink” — was her signature colour and permeates her jewellery throughout both eras. Faux tourmaline in vivid pink tones is her signature stone, appearing in brooches, bracelets, and parures across the 1950s licensed line.
Watermelon Stones
Among the most recognisable Schiaparelli stones are what collectors call “watermelon” stones — the official Swarovski name is Vitrail Medium II — which display a shifting spectrum of pink, green, and gold that resembles a slice of watermelon tourmaline. Wide bracelets and bold earrings set with these stones are among the most sought-after vintage Schiaparelli jewellery pieces on the market.
Lava Rocks
Chunky, irregular stones nicknamed “lava rocks” by collectors appear in a number of 1950s designs. Their deliberately rough, organic texture stands in deliberate contrast to the polished rhinestone aesthetic of most mid-century costume jewellery — a Schiaparelli choice through and through.
Aurora Borealis Rhinestones
Aurora Borealis rhinestones — the iridescent Swarovski stones developed in conjunction with Christian Dior in 1955 — appear in a number of Schiaparelli pieces from the late 1950s. Their presence is a useful dating tool: any Schiaparelli piece featuring aurora borealis stones was made after 1955.
Unfoiled and Moulded Glass
Large unfoiled glass stones — including kite-shaped examples — and moulded glass in leaf or textured forms are also characteristic. These give Schiaparelli pieces a depth and translucency quite different from the foiled rhinestones common in American costume jewellery of the same period.
How to Read a Vintage Schiaparelli Mark
Marks are essential to dating and authenticating vintage Schiaparelli jewellery, but the timeline is more nuanced than many collectors realise:
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Unsigned — 1930s couture era pieces; extremely rare; identification requires specialist expertise and primary documentation
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Block lowercase letters — pre-1949; hard to find; among the earliest signed pieces
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Script “Schiaparelli” — from 1949 onward through the late 1950s; the mark most commonly encountered by collectors today
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All capital letters “SCHIAPARELLI” — post-licensing era; used after Schiaparelli sold the rights to her name; a key distinction from authentic vintage pieces
Authentication red flags to know:
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Letters in the hallmark that are scrunched or compressed together
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The Schiaparelli name misspelled on an oval cartouche — long considered a definitive fake indicator, though recent research suggests a small number of authentic pieces from the early 1970s were marked this way in error; when in doubt, consult a specialist
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All-capitals marks on pieces presented as vintage — these post-date Schiaparelli’s own involvement with the jewellery
Because vintage Schiaparelli jewellery commands strong collector interest, fakes are a genuine concern. Purchasing from reputable dealers with documented provenance is always the safest approach.
Top 5 Vintage Schiaparelli Jewellery Pieces
The 1950s licensed pieces form the most accessible entry point for collectors, and certain forms and features consistently command attention:
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Parures and demi-parures — matched sets of necklace, bracelet, brooch, and earrings are considered a particular prize; finding a complete suite is relatively uncommon
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Wide bracelets — the chunky bracelet is arguably Schiaparelli’s signature piece form; examples set with watermelon stones or lava rocks are highly sought
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Large earrings — bold, oversized clip-on earrings in unusual stone combinations are consistently popular with collectors and wearers alike
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Unusual colour combinations — Schiaparelli’s willingness to pair colours that conventional jewellery avoided — dark grey with aurora borealis, deep honey with brown, vivid pink with green — makes individual pieces immediately recognisable
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Condition — original stones intact, no replaced components, clasp mechanisms functioning; even a single missing or replaced stone affects value and desirability significantly
Vintage Schiaparelli Jewellery at Around the Block
As one of the most influential costume jewelry brands of all time, vintage Schiaparelli jewellery is among the most rewarding — and most requiring of care — areas of the costume jewellery market. The combination of unusual materials, strong collector demand, and a well-documented problem with fakes means that provenance and authentication matter enormously.
At Around the Block, our CPPAG-accredited appraisers assess vintage costume jewellery with the same rigour we bring to fine silver and decorative arts. When vintage Schiaparelli jewellery comes through our doors, we carefully examine its marks, materials, and construction before it reaches the floor.
Browse our collection of previously owned marked costume jewellery and semi-precious jewelry on consignment from popular brands, including Coco Chanel, Trifari, Joseff of Hollywood, Gucci, and more. Or stop by our Lesmill showroom to look at our full collection of fashion accessories. We look forward to welcoming you.
