Hobé et Cie was founded by Jacques Hobé in France in 1887. While he was trained as a master goldsmith, his business focused primarily on finely crafted sterling silver jewelry. William Hobé, his son, moved to the United States around 1920 bringing his family’s acuity for producing high quality jewelry with him. He founded the Hobé Button Co. first and then a costume jewelry business called Hobé Cie Ltd.
William Hobé worked as a goldsmith and costume designer in Europe before his big migration to America so it’s no surprise that he was hired to costume Flo Ziegfeld’s Broadway productions during the 1920s. In fact, Ziegfeld was the first to use the term “costume jewelry,” according to Hobé family history. That may or may not be true since other famous individuals have also been credited for the term, but that opportunity did give William Hobé the chance to supply other theater productions and Hollywood films with costuming. Several starlets were photographed wearing Hobé jewelry during the 1940s as well including Carole Lombard and Ava Gardner. Marilyn Monroe also had pieces of Hobé in her personal jewelry cache.
The Hobé tagline used in advertising during the 1930s and ‘40s was “Jewels of Legendary Splendor.” That might seem rather haughty for costume jewelry if it weren’t for the fact that Hobé did design some remarkably intricate and finely crafted designs during the period. They were made used unfoiled stones to simulate colored gemstones along with, on occasion, lesser value natural gems like moonstone. They were set in sterling silver that was complexly twisted, braided, and coiled to create floral designs many of which included bows. While the silver prototypes were created by William Hobé himself, the actual manufacturer of the jewelry was a business owned by Ralph DeMassa of Providence, Rhode Island.
These designs, a number of which were patented, were sometimes based on antique jewelry while others incorporated Asian motifs. The patents filed during the 1940s credit either William Hobé or his wife Sylvia Hobé. Jewelry boxes and purse frames were also made in the same intricate styles encrusted with faux gemstones. All Hobé products sold for good sums in boutiques as well as upscale department stores when they were new.