Draft:Emmons Jewelry

Emmons Jewelry was an American costume jewelry company which was one of the pioneers of the jewelry home party plan. Established on April 21, 1949 as Emmons Jewelers, Inc., the company then created Sarah Coventry 8 months afterwards (and was eventually surpassed by this "sister" company) Emmons and Sarah Coventry were under the umbrella of C.H. Stuart -a decades long family run operation with roots in landscaping, cosmetics, housewares and jewelry among other endeavors. As with its sister company, the jewelry sold by Emmons was manufactured by "jobbers" who created pieces based on sketches provided for designs. In later years some pieces were assembled by the in-house company owned by C. H Stuart, called Royal Crest. The namesake for the company was the grandmother of the founder, Lyman K. Stuart, whose name was Caroline Emmons.

Emmons costume jewelry was often promoted by celebrities and can be seen on popular stars in the early years. Piper Laurie is shown in a 1954 Town & Country full page ad. One of the prizes (starting in 1960) for the Miss New York winner was an Emmons Jewelry wardrobe. Miss New York winner, and subsequently Miss America 1976, Tawny Godin, is shown wearing a rhinestone set called Crystal Lights during her victory walk. Emmons made sure to get their jewelry on public figures. The jewelry was sold exclusively at a home party, where a hostess would invite guests to view and try on pieces. As with most pyramid home parties, recruiting was aggressive and hostess gifts were exclusive items that were only available to those willing to host the parties. This method was the only selling venue that Emmons used up until its last days. Emmons merged with Sarah Coventry in 1981, and was no more. Emmons Jewelry is a highly collectible vintage costume jewelry, fetching high prices due to its rarity in the market. The pieces from 1949 to approximately 1956 were unsigned, early marks were EmJ and EMMONS as shown here:



Emmons logo marks


 * EMMONS EMJ approx. 1956-1958


 * ©EMMONS ©EMJ 1959-1970


 * caroline emmons ©EMMONS 70s-80s

IMAGES OF EMMONS COLLECTIONS
Emmons jewelry was made in goldtone and silvertone, often with elegant faux pearls or bright sparkling rhinestones. Shown here his a sampling of clip earrings from 1959 through 1966. The majority of the earrings listed in the catalogs were clip on earrings, with pierced earrings becoming more popular towards the 70s. The earliest sets were almost all screw back style, with a smattering of clip ons.



A gorgeous unsigned set circa 1955 provided by a former sales representative is shown here. The early set has screw back earrings and no maker's mark. The set has been verified both by sales paperwork and original packaging.

Links to Articles/Blogs
Worthpoint Article Sarah Coventry/Emmons

Vintage Emmons Jewelry from America