History
Trifari, one of the most successful manufacturers of costume jewelry in the United States, has been around since the 1920s.
The founder, Gustabo Trifari, was born in Naples, Italy in 1883, and gained knowledge of jewelry while working at his grandfather's goldsmith business.
In 1904, he immigrated to the United States and started making costume jewelry with his uncle.
In 1910, Gustabo and his uncle founded Trifari & Trifari, but Gustabo soon left to create his own company, Trifari, in 1912.
Leo Krussman became sales manager in 1917, and the company's name was changed to Trifari & Kussman the following year due to its success.
Karl Fishel became the salesman in 1923, and the company continued to grow, changing its name to Trifari, Kussman & Fishel (TKF), but it was commonly known as Trifari.
Alfred Philippe
Between 1930 and 1968, Alfred Philippe were the main designers for Trifari. Alfred Philippe was also a designer for Cartier's costume jewelry line, and William Scheer whos clients included Van Cleef & Arpels.
His work helped make Trifari famous, with Alfred's designs being particularly popular among collectors and fetching high prices.
He earned the nickname "Dynamite King" due to his frequent use of Swarovski crystals in his creations.
Alfred's work with glittering rhinestones. Many of them are gorgeous
Crown and jelly belly
The crown and Jelly Belly is a famous piece designed by Alfred.
It is a large round cabochon piece that is very popular.
One of Trifari's most famous pieces is the crown brooch, which was first released in 1941.
It was produced in three different colors and sizes until the 1950s.
A special edition was also created in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Since the early pieces were made during the war, sterling silver was used as the base material. The larger ones are traded at the highest prices.
The brooch consists of colorful large left and right cabochons with small clear Swarovski crystals studded between them. If you are a Trifari collector, this is a piece that you will definitely want to add to your collection.
Jelly Belly has several animal and insect motifs.
The stamp "TRIFARI PAT PEND" (1932-1954)
jewelry designs were not copyrighted at that time.
Therefore, the designer Alfred applied for an exclusive patent to protect his designs during this period. This applies mainly to the designs created by Alfred during that time frame.
Trifanium
Trifari was the second most popular vintage jewelry brand after Coro, but known for its superior quality. Trifari's plating technology, called "Trifanium," was highly advanced, making it resistant to peeling or becoming too thin over time, unlike other vintage jewelry.
Even if it appears dull, it can be polished to restore its original shine, giving it the appearance of real gold.
During the 1942 war, Trifari faced metal restrictions, forcing them to use sterling silver as their base material. This caused the selling price to rise, but it did not affect sales. After the war, Trifari introduced Trifarium to satisfy consumers who were drawn to its high quality.
Trifalium is as smooth and shiny as sterling.
Day&Night dual use parure
During the 1950s and 1960s, parures featuring rhinestone pearls with various designs and natural motifs were commonly worn as daywear and were incredibly popular.
These parures, crafted by Trifari, are characterized by delicate and intricate textured metal designs, making them easily recognizable.
The set's popularity stemmed from the fact that women had to frequently change their jewelry between day and night. This particular set, however, could be worn as both day and night jewelry, making it a versatile choice.
There are many natural motifs decorated with pearls. Very popular and becoming hard to find
Reprint design
Around this time, there was a line that was sold by redesigning the Alfred design from the early 1950s to better suit the trends of the time.
The shiny one is Alfred's original. The ones with texture were released later.
Collection by Japanese designers
There was a Japanese designer called Kunio Matsumoto who created Trifari jewelry pieces around 70s.
His designs feature natural motifs and abstract designs, and are highly sought after by collectors due to their rarity. Many of his pieces are large and showcase exquisite beauty.
The engravings include Trifari and Kunio Matsumoto. All pieces are rare and are traded at high prices.
The Last Trifari and Limited Edition Jewelry
The Trifari™ line is a relatively new collection that dates back to the 1990s, so it's not quite vintage yet. However, it is being sought after by collectors as the "last Trifari" for its modern design featuring enamels and small rhinestones.
One of the notable products from this line was the "Limited Edition" collection, which was sold in the late 1990s.
Each piece was produced in limited numbers, with only about 300 pieces per design.
These were reprints of the iconic Trifari designs from the 1940s and 1950s and were of high quality.
These limited edition pieces are rare and command higher prices than other Trifari products. Jewelry that come with boxes or cards are particularly expensive.
™ engraved limited edition piece. Rare in box and with card
In 2000, TRIFARi was acquired and is now selling accessories under another company. Though treated as completely different modern accessories, they are mass-produced in Asia and other countries and are inexpensive.
Marks & Sign
Trifari was one of the first brands to advertise that all its jewelry are signed.
There is NO " Usigned Trifari" piece.
However, some fake products surfaced when Trifari became a popular brand.
Although it's rare, some Trifari brooches have the exact same design as jewelry from other manufacturers, which could be due to Trifari outsourcing the design.
In recent years, fake Trifari jewelry has been made in China and Italy, which is of poor quality and has cheap plating.
If you own few Trifari jewelry, you'll know right away if it's fake.
