Joseff of Hollywood

Last updated
Joseff of Hollywood
Headquarters
Los Angeles   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
,
United States  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Website https://www.joseff-hollywood.com/

Joseff of Hollywood is a jewelry firm founded by Eugene Joseff. [1] The firm was particularly noted for creating costume jewelry for many of the biggest films and movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s, including Shirley Temple in The Little Princess , Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra . [2] [3]

Contents

Much of the jewelry seen in the movies was rented to studios, rather than being sold outright. [4] [5] For example, the bracelets and necklace worn by Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" were made by Joseff's and rented to the studio. [4] Many were designed for film studios out of a copper–gold alloy called Russian gold (rose gold), which was less reflective than polished gold and therefore not as likely to create unwanted reflections under studio lighting conditions. [6] [7]

Joseff was instrumental in convincing film studios in the 1930s to use more costumes appropriate to the historial period, including jewelry that was historically relevant. [5]

Family

Eugene Joseff (September 25, 1905, Chicago – September 18, 1948), aka Joseff of Hollywood, was born into a family of Austrian descent. [8] He died in a plane crash. [5] His widow, Joan Castle Joseff, owned the company until her death in 2010. The next generation took over the family business upon her death. [9]

Aerospace parts

Until 2018, the business also had an aerospace branch that did precision investment casting of parts for machinery and aircraft with the other company founded by Joseff, Precision Investment Castings. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "History". Joseff of Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  2. ↑ "Joseff of Hollywood: Jeweler to the Stars". SFO Museum. Archived from the original on 2020-02-05.
  3. ↑ Bailey, Jeff (2010-06-01). "Obituary: Joan Castle Joseff, 1912-2010". Inc. Vol. 32, no. 5. pp. 128–129. ISSN   0162-8968. Archived from the original on 2013-05-16.
  4. 1 2 Esquevin, Christian (2023-08-29). Designing Hollywood: Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age. University Press of Kentucky. p. 51. ISBN   978-0-8131-9792-0. The show's musical number "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" featured Monroe in a hot-pink, peau d'ange, silk-satin, strapless, and belted gown with a giant back-side bow and long sleeves. She wore diamond bracelets and a necklace created by the famous Joseff of Hollywood as costume jewelry, which it rented to most studios.
  5. 1 2 3 Flood, Kathy (2010-06-11). Warman's Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN   978-1-4402-1539-1.
  6. ↑ Miller, Judith (2009-06-01). Antiques Investigator: Tips and Tricks to Help You Find the Real Deal. Penguin. p. 182. ISBN   978-0-7566-5954-7.
  7. ↑ Codina, Carles (2005). The New Jewelry: Contemporary Materials & Techniques. Lark Books. p. 12. ISBN   978-1-57990-734-1.
  8. ↑ Davis, Carolyn N. "Joseff of Hollywood". Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry. Archived from the original on 2019-08-05.
  9. ↑ "Joseff of Hollywood". Joseff of Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  10. ↑ Joanna Mangan, as told to Lisa Hix (2012-03-07). "Hidden Gems: Lost Hollywood Jewelry Trove Uncovered in Burbank Warehouse". Collectors Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08.
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