Rare Juliana Necklace by DeLizza and Elster

Rare Cocktail Necklace by Juliana (DeLizza and Elster) 1967-1968 

DeLizza and Elster Company was founded in 1947 by Harold Elster and William (Guillermo) DeLizza. In 1948 Guillermo’s sons Anthony and Frank joined the team. They had their showroom on Fifth Avenue, New York and were very successful makers and designers.

DeLizza and Elster became renowned for its use of high -quality glass stones. Many of their pieces were unmarked and relied on their hangtags which simply said Tara, Juliana or Gloria which were their main ranges. Over time these hang tags have been removed and so it necessary to research their pieces carefully in order to authenticate them.

The Juliana range was made in 1967 and 1968 named after the Frank and Anthony’s mother Julia and Anthony’s mother-in-law Anna but this information was kept secret until 2003 when Vintage Fashion and Costume Jewelry magazine revealed the story. There are approximately 2000 pieces of jewellery in this range which included brooches, buttons, bracelets, and necklaces. The Juliana range was made from a large number of glass stones with very little metal showing, this was the main distinction between other costume jewellery being made at the time. The Juliana range also used rhinestones and Aurora Borealis, often stacking the glass to make the jewellery really catch the light.

The company also designed and made pieces for other leading fashion jewellery companies including Alice Caviness, Coro (c1950), Kramer, Weiss, Hattie Carnegie, Joan Rivers and Kenneth Jay Lane. Production ceased  in 1990 but Frank continued to design pieces for a contractor in Brooklyn, New York until at least 2010.

Our necklace appears in one of the books on Juliana and on the searchable online resource “Is It Juliana?”  The price is £395, in fine condition, made in rich green, mulberry and purple beads with crystals, available from The Design Gallery, Starborough Farm, Marsh Green, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5RB  01959 561234