Vintage Juliana Faux Pearl Swirl Gold Tone Hair Barrette IIJJ#9347

A beautiful and unusual vintage Juliana (DeLizza & Elster) hair barrette featuring sculptural swirling gold-tone metalwork centered by a large pear-shaped faux pearl.

Measuring approximately 3.5 x 1.6 inches, this is a substantial hair ornament with an elegant openwork design. Graceful loops and sweeping curves of gold-tone metal surround the prominent pear-shaped faux pearl cabochon, creating wonderful dimension while allowing the wearer's hair to show through the design.

Hair jewelry has a documented place in the history of DeLizza & Elster. In his book, Frank DeLizza includes barrettes among the company's early products and later discusses several styles of barrettes produced by D&E, including rhinestone barrettes and the popular “Pony Tail” barrettes. He also discusses aspects of the specialized hardware used in their construction.

This particular example has additional supporting documentation through comparison with pieces preserved in Frank DeLizza's collection. Approximately 15 barrettes were found among the jewelry from his collection, and most also used barrette clips marked “MADE IN FRANCE.” In addition, this distinctive swirling decorative metal design was found on other jewelry from Mr. DeLizza's collection, providing another important connection to documented D&E design.

The clip on this barrette is marked “MADE IN FRANCE.” Importantly, the marking appears on the barrette clip mechanism itself and not on the decorative portion of the jewelry. The marking relates to the manufactured hair-clip hardware and is not being presented as a French maker's signature for the Juliana design.

The combination of the oversized faux pearl, dimensional swirling metalwork, unusual hair-jewelry format and multiple points of comparison with documented DeLizza & Elster material makes this an especially interesting piece for the Juliana collector.

Details

• Designer: Juliana (DeLizza & Elster)
• Item: Hair Barrette
• Design: Dimensional swirling openwork
• Center: Large pear-shaped faux pearl cabochon
• Metal: Gold-tone
• Measurements: Approx. 3.5" x 1.6"
• Clip Marking: “MADE IN FRANCE” on the barrette mechanism only
• Documentation: Comparable barrettes with Made in France clip hardware were found among pieces from Frank DeLizza's collection; related swirling metalwork was also found on other jewelry from his collection
• Authentication: Confirmed Juliana (DeLizza & Elster) | IsItJulianaJewelry Database | IIJJ#9347