Benefit Shop Foundation brings the bling with 35 lots of Schreiner costume jewelry Dec. 6

Signed Schreiner green and orange art glass brooch, estimated at $100-$250 at the Benefit Shop Foundation.

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – The holidays are the time to bring out the boldest, most colorful, and most sparkly pieces of jewelry. The Benefit Shop Foundation stands ready to help you improve your jewelry box with its December 6 Specialty Estate Jewelry Auction, which, as the sale’s title indicates, will take place on Wednesday, December 6. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Among the auction’s 720 lots are 35 pieces by Schreiner, the famed American costume jewelry company that was active between 1951 and 1975. A standout among standouts is a signed Schreiner pink crystal brooch featuring the firm’s coveted ruffle design, which features kite-shaped crystals overlapping and radiating from a central gem. The example in the Benefit Shop Foundation sale has an estimate of $100-$300, but as of November 17, a total of 12 bids had already pushed it to $400, with 77 bidders watching the lot.

Other vintage signed Schreiner pieces commanding the attention of dozens of bidders well before the December 6 sale date include a visually striking brooch in orange and green art glass with seed pearls, estimated at $100-$250; a pink and blue crystal brooch with a central green cabochon, estimated at $100-$300; and a gold-tone brooch with crystal decoration and a trio of yellow cabochons that is also estimated at $100-$300.

Vintage costume jewelry earns respect and hefty bids

A large sunflower-like costume jewelry brooch, unsigned but verified as a work by Schreiner, achieved $1,900 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2022. Image courtesy of Soulis Auctions and LiveAuctioneers
A large sunflower-like costume jewelry brooch, unsigned but verified as a work by Schreiner, achieved $1,900 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2022. Image courtesy of Soulis Auctions and LiveAuctioneers
A large sunflower-like costume jewelry brooch, unsigned but verified as a work by Schreiner, achieved $1,900 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2022. Image courtesy of Soulis Auctions and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK — Costume jewelry was once looked down upon as substandard. It’s true that this style of jewelry is made from cheaper materials and often mass produced to appeal to a wider audience, but it’s not cheap, junky jewelry any more.

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