Thursday, November 10, 2011

Gerry's - A Brand History

Gerry's

 The Gerry's Jewelry Company or Gerry's Creations, Inc. brand created costume jewelry from the early 1950s through 1996 when they went out of business. One of the items they're most known for is Christmas brooches/pins. In fact, depending on the brooch I've seen these posted online at over $100. Not sure if they're selling at that amount, but that's what they are listed as.

For the most part though, unless a rare, valuable Christmas brooch, Gerry's is considered a lower-rated costume jewelry brand and isn't usually priced too outrageously, so they're good for starting out vintage jewelry collectors, especially if you're young and don't have a lot of disposable income.

If you're a fan of brooches Gerry's created hundreds of styles, from the popular Christmas trees, to fun, funky animals and basic elegant flowers and leaf motifs.

My advice on purchasing items marked Gerry's - because it at least has a maker's mark it does have some more value than similar items that don't have makers markings, but typically the materials used to create Gerry's brooches were of average quality. If you're choosing between two similar brooches in materials and style and one is marked Gerry's and the other unmarked, I'd go with the Gerry's. But if you're choosing between a Gerry's brooch and a clear rhinestone brooch that's art deco in style and looks like it came from the 1920s I'd go with the rhinestones! 

Personally, unless you were purchasing one of the more coveted Christmas Tree brooches, I'd never spend more than $20 on a piece from Gerry's and that'd only be for something like the cameo necklace featured in this blog.

3 comments:

  1. Here's a listing for one of their famous seagull pieces: https://www.etsy.com/listing/102953724/vintage-1950s-gerrys-signed-enamel

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  2. i have the Gerry's pink and blue enamel butterfly pin! i love it

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  3. I have a gold elephant on a card that says "Republican". The card says, Gerry's Creations-146 W. 28th St. N.Y.C. Any idea of value or history?

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