Very rare vintage silver Louis C. Mark's famous Water Carrier brooch or pin with patent #D129573.  The patent is dated September 16, 1941 (see attached images).  The man's jacket is embellished with green cloisonne enamel and his shorts are studded with bezel set blue cloissone enamel. The two water carriers are covered in green cloisonne enamel and one has a blue bead at both the top and bottom. There is some wear to the cloisonne on the water carriers.  The brooch measures approximately 3" tall x 3.1" wide.  The patent is vertical and can be found underneath the pin on the back of the brooch.  Other than some wear to the water carriers, the brooch is in excellent condition for a vintage piece.  

Louis C. Mark was head designer of Rice-Weiner in 1940 and 1941.  During that period, 16 of his designs were patented but none of these pieces were produced with the Rice-Weiner name.  Louis C. Mark’s patented designs for Rice-Weiner featuring Oriental motifs seem relevant and all are very large pieces.  Louis C. Mark left Rice-Weiner in 1946 and went to Barclay Jewelry.  He died in 1954.

Most costume jewelry collectors have encountered the famous water carrier brooch patented in 1941 by Louis C. Mark.

The water carrier brooch appears in two main variations, both with enamel dots on the man’s shorts and Chinese cloisonné beads.  One version bears the patent number, and the second version bears a pair of Chinese characters, identified as “Qun Li”.   The pin is positioned vertically.  It appears that someone imported a stock of Chinese cloisonné beads around the late 1930s, at least two distinct costume jewelry designers used them in the early 1940s and then they were gone.

A second and subsequent version features rhinestones instead of enamel dots on the shorts, and Venetian lampwork beads, pressed glass, or wood beads. The pin is positioned diagonally.  The rhinestone pieces lack any identifying mark.  It is believed that the second version was produced  1) when the original supply of Chinese cloisonné beads ran out and could not be restocked (trade interruption due to World War II or Chinese civil war), 2) as a design variant, or 3) both.  

New England Glass Work, founded in 1911, changed its name to Rice-Weiner & Company in 1938.  They were famous for the quality of its’ design, materials, and manufacture and became an important manufacturer of premium costume jewelry. The company had offices and a showroom in New York City, a plant in Providence, Rhode Island, and showrooms in Chicago and Los Angeles. In 1946, the firm’s partners split: Alvin and Robert Rice created Barclay Jewelry, Inc., while Alexander Weiner continued to operate Rice-Weiner. Rice-Weiner ceased its retailing business in 1951 to concentrate on wholesale trade.