Signed: Hobe' Sterling Design Pat.'D
Manufactured: 1940's
The Brooch:
So 'classic' Hobe'. Presenting a beautifully stylised Floral Spray tied with a Ribbon this is a great craftsmanship piece in sterling silver. A simple subtle day wear piece for yesteryear and yet still perfect for that special occasion where a simple statement is wanted.
Condition:
The complete brooch is in excellent Vintage condition
The Company
HOBÉ
(United States, 1927 – 1995)
Founded by German-born William W. Hobé (1881 – 1961) who immigrated to New York in 1910. He worked in jewellery in various locations for a number of years, and later founded the business of the Hobé Button Co., Inc., at 127 Madison Avenue”. He applied for his first design patent in 1916 and continued to patent button designs until 1929.
In 1923, Hobé, Inc., was incorporated and in it is believed by late 1927, transitioned from button-making to costume jewelry. By 1928, Hobé Cie was making costume jewelry at the same address. The company began selling their pieces in up-scale department stores and boutiques in the 1930s. By the 1940s, renowned actresses such as Carole Lombard, Bette Davis and Ava Gardner were wearing Hobé jewelry, on and off stage.
In the 1960s, William’s sons Robert and Donald took over managing the company followed by William’s grandson James who ran it from the 1980s to 1995. Though still in operation, the firm is no longer associated with the Hobé family.
Except for Lou Vici, who worked for the company from the 1930s to the 1970s, until 1995 all Hobé pieces were designed by members of the Hobé family. From the beginning, Hobé’s designs were often inspired by historical European jewelry, and their production was always top quality. The company used many of the same techniques and craftsmanship standards as those employed in the making of fine jewelry. Sterling silver, 14K gold plating, semi-precious stones and high-quality pastes were typically used by artisans who crafted each piece by hand. In the 1940s, designs mainly featured leaves and flowers, bows, baskets and hearts. Late in the decade, William’s wife, Sylvia, designed a series of Oriental figures known as bandores. By the 1950s, the company’s designs incorporated more bling, in response to contemporary tastes for more glamour. However, the designs were still original and the pieces well made. Hobé jewelry was marketed under the slogan “Jewels of Legendary Splendor”, with Hollywood actresses and top models used in advertising campaigns.
Among the most well-known of Hobé’s designs today are the reproductions of 16th- and 17th- century European fine jewels and the floral pins produced in the 1930s and 1940s.
DIMENSIONS:
Length - (approx) 9.2 cm
Width - (approx) 4.3 cm