Hollycraft Jewelry

Hollycraft pastel necklace, 1953. $150-$175 Photo: Jay B. Siegel

By Pamela Wiggins Siegel

Years ago, when I met Joyce Chorbajian at an event for jewelry collectors, her passion for her late father’s work was clear. His legacy as the man behind Hollycraft was important to her, and she freely shared that history with the collecting community. This includes providing some much appreciated and simply beautiful artist’s renderings of Hollycraft holiday pieces published as jewelry as art features in CJCI Magazine years later.

Many of the facts, anecdotes, and tidbits of information we have to cherish about the costume jewelry of yesteryear were gleaned from folks like Joyce Chorbajian. Given the holiday season is upon us, it seems like a great time to explore the topic of Hollycraft, including the company’s collectible Christmas jewelry.

Hollycraft rhinestone earrings, 1955, $30-$45. Photo: Jay B. Siegel

A Brief History of Hollycraft Jewelry

The business responsible for making Hollycraft jewelry—Hollywood Jewelry Mfg. Co.—was established in New York City in 1936 by Joseph Chorbajian. As the firm grew, Archie Chorbajian and Jack Hazard joined the business as his partners. By the 1940s, the company was marking jewelry with foiled string tags that read “Hollycraft” on the front and “Created by Hollywood Mfg. Co. New York” on the back.

When collectors think of Hollycraft jewelry, pieces decorated with a bevy of pastel rhinestones often come to mind. These styles were indeed popular in the early 1950s, and some were made again later in the decade. However, the company used a wide array of rhinestone hues during this period in both monotone and multicolored designs.

Swarovski introduced the aurora borealis rhinestone in 1955, and Hollycraft embraced the look to produce many attractive pieces accented with these iridescent stones thereafter. In 1958, they also incorporated specialty stones shaped like shells and foiled cabochons in eye-catching designs. Most of these 1950s pieces are dated, making them attractive to collectors who like to know the exact point in time when their jewelry was made. Unmarked pieces of Hollycraft jewelry from this era are found occasionally, but most pieces were indeed signed.

Moving into the 1960s, the look of Hollycraft jewelry changed. Pieces dating to this era have more metalwork in the designs and a thicker type of gold or silver plating. The styles are also more distinctively 1960s and ‘70s, with large necklaces and drop earrings being some of the most remarkable. They are usually marked Hollycraft© without a date. Hollycraft jewelry from the ‘50s and ‘60s is often moderately valued, with a few elaborate necklaces and bracelets selling for higher-than-average prices.

Hollywood Jewelry Mfg. Co. produced many pieces of jewelry under their Hollycraft brand, but over time, they made jewelry for other companies like Pakula, Kramer, and Weiss, to name a few. Even though the business was sold in the late ‘70s, Joseph Chorbajian worked as a jewelry designer through 1980. He died in 1991 at the age of 91.

Hollycraft multicolor bracelet, 1954, $100-$125. Photo: Jay B. Siegel

Hollycraft’s Christmas Jewelry

During the 1960s, Joseph Chorbajian also put a great deal of emphasis on creating Christmas jewelry. His holiday designs were varied, ranging from clever triangular Santa pins and lanterns decorated with enameled holly to a bevy of multicolored Christmas tree pins.

Hollycraft Christmas tree pin, 1960s, $65-$80. Photo: Jay B. Siegel

The tree pins were the most popular sellers, with shoppers who often picked them up as holiday gifts. Given that they sold well back in the day, they still come on the secondary market fairly frequently today. Some marked Hollycraft, in fact, are similar in style to examples produced for other companies like Pakula. These were worn seasonally and largely fell out of fashion by the 1970s. Given their limited wear when they were new, they’re often found in nice condition overall with very little plating damage.

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when vintage Christmas jewelry became very collectible, Hollycraft tree pins were among those snatched up by eager buyers. Demand elevated the prices of these little beauties, but values have moderated somewhat since then. If you’re looking to add one to your collection, expect to pay $35 to $75 for most designs. A few more unusual styles will top $100 and may sell for even more since advanced holiday jewelry collectors still avidly seek them. Earrings to match select Christmas tree pins can be found reasonably priced in the $25-$40 range, depending on the style.

Caring for Hollycraft Jewelry

While Hollycraft jewelry is quite lovely to wear and makes for a really pretty collection on display, there are some caveats to keep in mind. First, most of the stones were glued into the settings. Over time, that old glue has given way, so it’s quite common to find Hollycraft pieces missing stones. The good news is that most are round stones in common colors, so they can be replaced without too much bother.

The exception is that some of the baguette stones in their Christmas tree pins are odd sizes and shapes, making them a bit difficult to replace. Overall, though, the stones in their Christmas pieces tend to discolor more frequently than falling out. That can be a condition issue you need to watch for as well in terms of value.

Storing Hollycraft pieces, especially ones dating to the 1950s, in small archival plastic zipper bags is recommended. This won’t keep the stones from loosening up and falling out, but at least they’ll be contained so you can glue them back in place if necessary.

Also, keep an eye out for excessive plating wear on the back of 1950s pieces, especially necklaces and bracelets. While this condition issue does impact the value of Hollycraft jewelry somewhat, it’s also quite endearing since it means that someone wore the heck out of a piece when it was new. The thicker plating on 1960s pieces wore much better and usually doesn’t show a ton of wear.

As for cleaning Hollycraft, I’ve personally gotten many pieces wet without an issue. Sometimes, that’s just necessary when vintage costume jewelry is extremely dirty. However, you can often get away with spraying a little glass cleaner on a cotton swab and lightly running it over the face of the jewelry to remove light dust. Sunshine Polishing Cloths do a good job of brightening up metal work, too, but won’t restore worn plating once the base metal is exposed.

Even though you’ll have to plan on babying much of your Hollycraft jewelry to keep it looking its best, seeking out this brand can yield an eye-catching wearable collection.

PAMELA WIGGINS SIEGEL has been buying, selling, and collecting costume jewelry for more than 30 years. She is the author of Warman’s Costume Jewelry and the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l, an organization dedicated to hosting events and providing educational resources for collectors. Visit her online at Chic Antiques by Pamela and Costume Jewelry Collectors International.

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