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Katharine Hepburn Wears a custom Paul Flato Brooch in “Holiday.”

by Angela Magnotti Andrews

There is nothing more awful than to wear some new jewelry and have nobody notice it, a contingency you can easily avoid by making sure yours are Jewels by Flato, which is to say, conversation pieces. ~Ad copy from the 1930s.

The conversation piece in question was a brooch consisting of jeweled radishes, complete with Flato’s signature naturalistic leaves and a diamond tie holding the bunch of red radishes together.

Conversation pieces by Paul Flato were all the rage in the 1930s and 1940s, especially among New York’s socialites and Hollywood’s elite. Known as one of the first of the Jewelers to the Stars, Paul Flato infused every piece with whimsical humor, exquisite gemstones, and flamboyant style.

His fascination with jewels began when he encountered a Gypsy at the age of 8. Out hunting for birds in the woods near his boyhood home in Texas, he and his friend accidentally burst into a Gypsy encampment.

Wild-eyed with wonder and more than a measure of fear, they watched as a Gypsy man twisted and bent silver wires into a necklace. Paul, fascinated beyond his fear, spoke up and asked the man if he was going to put a coin in it. Before the man could answer, the two boys high-tailed it home. {1}

Days later, Paul returned to the camp. All that was left was a large patch of matted grass, blackened ash, and a fragment of silver wire. He tucked that piece of metal into his pocket, just as he had tucked the memory of its transformation into his memory. {1}

After abandoning his pursuit of medicine as a late teenager, Paul turned that boyhood memory into a monumentally successful business venture. Collaborating with the likes of Harry Winston, who sold him diamonds and gemstones, and a team of top-notch designers, including Fulco di Verdura and George W. Headley, Mr. Flato launched himself into the jewelry stratosphere.

His jewels adorned some of Hollywood’s hottest stars, including Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, and Ginger Rogers. Among his most notable celebrity jewels are a diamond and ruby bracelet patterned after Mae West’s corset, and a gold pickax with black enamel sign language clips for Katharine Hepburn. {11}

Mr. Flato also collaborated with debutantes and socialites, including Millicent Rogers Balcom, heiress to Standard Oil, who designed a heart brooch, which Mr. Flato studded with rubies and sapphires. During his heyday, Mr. Flato opened two stores, one on East 57th Street in Manhattan and one on LA’s Sunset Strip across from the Trocadero nightclub.

Alas, in 1943 Mr. Flato took a sharp nosedive. Convicted of grand larceny, Mr. Flato served 16 months* in Sing Sing. A $60,000 diamond, given to him on consignment by a trusted client, vanished from his store. Turns out, Mr. Flato had made a practice of pawning such consigned pieces.

Upon his release, he moved to Mexico, reportedly to avoid another prison sentence. Some reports place him back in the US for a spell in the 1950s. However, his old friends Winston and Verdura had upstaged him by then.

Ultimately, he reinvented himself in Mexico City, opening a successful shop on the Zona Rosa. He thrived in New Mexico, but after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck near his home in 1986, his family insisted that the 85-year-old jeweler return to the US. America’s first Jeweler to the Stars died amid his family in 1999, at the ripe old age of 98.

Today, Mr. Flato’s “chic, timeless, blood-stirring, intriguing, thrilling, and absolutely unforgettable” {cited} jewels are among the cream of the crop for jewelry enthusiasts and collectors.  Many of his pieces have sold at big-name auction houses for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Truly, if you have the opportunity to lay your hands on one of his pieces, don’t let go!

*some reports say 18 months

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Bray, Elizabeth Irvine. Paul Flato: Jeweler to the Stars. China: Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd., 2010.
2. Grima, Francesca. “Jewellers from the past…” Francesca Grima’s Jewllery Blog. December 29, 2009. http://francesca-grima.blogspot.com/2009/12/jewellers-from-past.html.
3. “Jeweler to the Stars: American Creative Genius.” Paul Flato Website.” http://paulflato.tntmax.com/history.
4. “Jewelry in Focus: ‘Say it in Jewelry’–Flato’s ‘Deaf & Dumb’ Sign Language Clips.” Jewels du Jour Blog. March 21, 2013. http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2013/03/say-it-in-jewelry-flatos-deaf-dumb-sign-language-clips/.
5. “Obituaries: Paul Flato; Jewelry Designer.” Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1999.
6. “Our Story.” Paul Flato Website. http://paulflato.tntmax.com/our-story.
7. “Paul Flato.” Lucas Rarities Website. http://lucasrarities.com/paul-flato-jewellery/.
8. “Pual Flato.” Wikipedia. Last Updated April 8, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Flato.
9. “Paul Flato Hollywood Whimsical Jewelry.” Learn to Bead Blog. December 19, 2010. http://blog.landofodds.com/2010/12/19/paul-flato-hollywood-whimsical-jewelry/.
10. Rodriguez-Arguelles, Ines. “The Duke of Verdura.” Jewels Bijoux Joyas Blog. January 3, 2012. http://jewelsbijouxjoyas.blogspot.com/2012/03/duke-of-verdura.html.
11. Sarah. ”Life on the Roadshow.” The Pink Shoe Diaries Blog, March 31, 2010. http://ilookgood.blogspot.com/2010/03/life-on-roadshow.html.

Michelle Obama Has Revived a Trend in Vintage Flower Brooches.

Google “Michelle Obama jewelry”, and you will discover a beautiful woman whose time in the White House has released her inner shimmer. Mrs. Obama exudes as much style, grace, and elegance as the quintessential People’s First Lady, Jackie O. In fact, she has been called Mrs. O by more than one writer out there, and it’s easy to see why.

Though her public celebrity style did not emerge over night, it’s clear that she is living in her sweet spot now. It is also clear that she passionately promotes individuality, while at the same time personifying the modern middle-class American woman. And she pulls it off to perfection with poise and verve, often gracing her audience with a beaming smile.

Mrs. Obama has broken the stuffy codes of White House fashion, bringing the image of America’s First Lady solidly into the 21st century. Gone are the days when “behind every successful man is a good woman” applied. The message of the modern American woman, demonstrated brilliantly by our First Lady, is “beside an influential man, you will likely find an influential woman.”

While it is her actions, and her husband’s deep respect for her, that ultimately prove this out, it is her look that punctuates the claim. Bold brooches, glamorous necklaces, bright colors, versatile hairstyles–Mrs. Obama’s signature fashion choices have redefined how a First Lady presents herself.

Rather than allowing fashion trends to dictate her style, Mrs. Obama takes a more intentional, and oftentimes, practical approach. Hers is definitely one to emulate.

She chooses pieces that enhance her best features. Gone are muted colors and shades of brown and taupe. Our eyes have lately enjoyed a feast of glorious colors, which complement her beautiful skin tone: Lemongrass yellow, deep champagne, burgundy wine, blush pink, Caribbean blue, and royal purple! Mrs. Obama also favors sleeveless tea-length skirts with wide belts, which accent her athletic figure, and she wears jewelry that draws the eye to her face, where you are sure to find her direct gaze and a genuine smile.

She “routinely [mixes] Thom Browne and Alexander McQueen with J. Crew and Target” {cited}, and she has made a habit of wearing the jewels of up-and-coming American designers. My favorite thing about her is that she wears the same dress and jewelry more than once without making it look like a tired uniform. Stunning!

Finally, and most importantly, she chooses jewelry that tells her own unique story. Her statement necklaces reveal her bravery and her confidence in herself and her message. Her brooches reveal a playful side, but also an honor for the past and a simple elegance. Oftentimes a brooch is all she will wear, and her one brooch can present a very powerful image of grace, simplicity, and intelligence. Other times, her brooches present her playful and whimsical side.

On April 30, 2011, Mrs. Obama presented her sensual side with jewelry by Irit Design. A chain lariat choker featured an alluring strand of chain mail cascading down her decolletage. A daring metal bracelet stack hearkened back to the middle ages, and a snake necklace and ring charged her look with mesmerizing mystery.

Our First Lady is not afraid to be who she is in public, and it is her jewelry that affords her the most freedom to express herself fully.

How does your jewelry allow you to express yourself fully?

Fashion Designer Carolina Herrera. Photo by Christopher Peterson.

A single weighty cabochon emerald hangs elegantly from a fluted cup attached to six round brilliant diamonds. The emerald drop is further enhanced by a line of tiny diamonds embedded directly into the emerald. How do they do that??

Decidedly chic, these stunning earrings epitomize the effortless elegance of the woman who wears them. The beautiful and sophisticated Carolina Herrera, credited with creating some of the most sensationally classic fashions of the past four decades, has been celebrated for her own sense of style nearly as often as those who wear her designs.

Her classic uniform of white blouse and tailored slacks or skirts, paired with earrings fashioned of pearls or diamonds/emeralds, is as iconic as Jackie O’s uniform of tailored suit dresses, pillbox hats, and strings of natural pearls.

It is Mrs. Herrera’s effortless grace, her classy style, and her sophisticated attention to detail that have secured her a place among the world’s best dressed, including induction into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1981 and a banner spot on Elle Magazine’s Ten Most Elegant Women in the World.

As I peruse the many stunning images of one of New York’s most stylish women, I am left with only one question: Who made these delectable earrings?

Perhaps they were designed by Mimi So, an up-and-coming jewelry designer on whose board of directors Mrs. Herrera sits. Or perhaps they were designed by internationally acclaimed Avakian, who offer some beautiful emerald tassel earrings similar to the ones Mrs. Herrera wore to the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscars Party.

Mrs. Herrera clearly favored Van Cleef & Arpels in her early days, as the rumor of her exchange with Andy Warhol demonstrates, and I’m sure the House of Cartier has earned their fair share of her business. These earrings definitely emit a ring of classic Cartier or VC&A. Alas, so far this writer has not been able to solve the mystery.

Do you know who made them? Visit our Facebook page and leave us a comment if you do.

FBI Badge, circa 1935. Photo Credit: Greater Cincinnati Police Museum.

The year is 1924, and the jewel in question is a gift from Annie to her son, J. Edgar Hoover. It is a “small star sapphire ring.” {1} According to Clint Eastwood’s film, J. Edgar, the ring was made from platinum and set with six diamonds and a star sapphire. Upon J. Edgar’s death, on this day in 1972, Mr. Hoover bequeathed the ring and two cuff links to John Edgar Nichols, son of Mr. Hoover’s faithful publicist, Louis Nichols.

Mr. Hoover also willed his platinum watch with a white gold wristband to his other namesake, John Edgar Ruch, son of the FBI Director’s first ghostwriter, George Ruch. {2} In pictures of Mr. Hoover, his customary uniform of suit and tie is often minimally ornamented with a few choice of personal ornaments, most distinctly a ring which he wears on his left ring finger, a watch and/or bracelet he wears most frequently on his left wrist, and on at least one occasion a small lapel pin. Unseen in the photographs would be the conventional cuff links, likely FBI issue, though he may have had a few personalized pairs.

His biographers credit it him with affection and generosity, reporting that he often bought jewelry for his mother. However, there is scant record of which jewelers he favored, though several reports indicate that he was friends with Paul Flato, renowned “Jeweler to the Stars”.

It is likely that the lapel pin was associated with one of the many fraternal organizations he belonged to, either the Shriners, the Masons, or even the FBI. According to public records, the declared value of his personal property at the time of his death, including jewelry, books, antiques, and other household effects, was at minimum $70,000, with some indications that this was a very low estimate.

While the trail on his personal jewelry seems to dry up at this point, there is one piece of ornamentation that J. Edgar Hoover had with him at all times–his FBI badge. His first would have been issued in 1917. The pattern for this initial badge was a miniature ornate shield, branded “US” in the center, which was encircled by a banner reading “Bureau of Investigation/Justice Department”.

In May 1927, three years after Mr. Hoover was promoted to Director of the Bureau, a new badge style was issued. This one featured a flat miniature shield crested by an eagle. In the center of the shield, between the branded letters “U” and “S”, Lady Justice (the blindfolded Greek goddess Dike) holds the scales of justice and her double-edged sword, symbolizing the power of reason and justice. In banner style, the words “Bureau of Investigation” and “Department of Justice” border the edges.

After the 1927 issuance, two different variations of this badge style were adopted. In 1934, they increased the size of the badge and cast it with a slight curvature. And, in 1935, the present style was adopted which demonstrates a more androgynous Lady/Lord Justice. The curvature of the badge is more pronounced, and the banner now reads “Federal Bureau of Investigation”, reflecting the final name change for the agency.

The first 1000 of these badges were manufactured in Attleboro, Massachusetts by the Robbins Company. Numbered 1 to 1000, these first official FBI badges are still in circulation. When retiring agents turn them in they are typically reissued to new agents. However, one of these original FBI badges will not find its way in the hands of a rookie agent.

Badge No. 1, issued in 1935 to first-in-command, Director J. Edgar Hoover, will soon take its place among over 2,000 items from the late Director’s estate at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC. Scheduled to open in 2015, the museum promises to “tell the story of Director Hoover and the FBI like no one has been able to tell it before.” {cited}

Notes
1. Gentry, Curt. J. Edgar Hoover. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Ltd., 1991.
2. Ibid.