Very good vintage condition for its age. Some fine surface scratches, a few dings on underside, spots of enamel loss, wear of the original gold wash and rich patina. NOTE: Turquoise stones were missing; we replaced them with undrilled glass turquoise beads of the same size and color salvaged from an Art Deco dress clip. We did not heavily clean or polish the clip to avoid damaging the remaining enamel and patina.
Hinge cover is signed TRIFARI with a crown over the "T." Back is also marked STERLING and DES. PAT. NO. 140,844. It was patented by Alfred Philippe in April 1945. The CHESS MEN set, which included other chess piece themed jewelry named The Queen and The Knight, along with matching earrings (NOT for sale in this listing. Only The King is for sale here) is the subject of Carla & Roberto Brunialiti's "American Costume Jewelry, Art & Industry, 1935-1950, N-Z, at page 134.
The set was also promoted in, for instance, the September 1st, 1945 issue of Vogue, September 1945 issue of Town & Country, and the September 1945 issue of Harper's Bazaar.
Carefully packaged and shipped in a jewelry gift box.