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Miriam Haskell designer costume jewelry is all handmade from fine materials. The jewelry was made in limited quantities and was expensive. Materials included seed pearls, Austrian crystals and Murano glass beads. Miriam Haskell jewelry is known for its asymmetrical designs and for its floral designs. This jewelry was often hand wired. The filigree was usually a gold tone. Making matters difficult for collectors, most Miriam Haskell jewelry was not marked until 1947.

Miriam Haskell jewelry was not inexpensive. Pieces from the Gardenia line advertised in 1951 for between $12.00 and $100.00, or from about $92.00 to $760.00 in today’s money.

Miriam Haskell, the beginnings
Miriam Haskell, born in 1899 in Indiana, opened her first shop, Le Bijou de l’Heure, in 1924 in the McAlpine Hotel in New York City. By 1926 Haskell was ready to start making jewelry on a larger scale. By the time that Haskell opened the Miriam Haskell Co., she had hired Frank Hess, a former window dresser from Macy’s, to be her chief designer.

Hess was the creative force behind the success of Miriam Haskell jewelry while Haskell drove the business. It is not known if Haskell ever designed jewelry herself, but she did hire talented designers to work for her in addition to Hess.

Miriam Haskell Jewelry and celebrities
Clients such as Lucille Ball, Joan Crawford and the Duchess of Windsor bought Haskell jewelry. Photographs of celebrities wearing the jewelry added to the popularity of the company. The jewelry was included in movie and theater productions and their credits, adding to the status of her product.