Kigu jewellery of London England

Kigu jewellery of London.

The Kigu company manufactured compacts for which it was most famous for - as well as a small range of Kigu jewellery. They also produced enamelled pillboxes, folding mirrors, combs, clocks and other handbag type accessories.

The first powder compact was created by Josef Kiaschek in Hungary. Gustav Kiaschek, his son went on to start the company KI-GU in Budapest.

Gustav's three sons emigrated around the world. George arrived in London in 1939 and founded Kigu of London. The Second World War stopped production as with most of the manufacturing companies in the UK. All the factories concentrated on producing items for the war effort. Paul his brother joined the company after World War 11 in 1947. After George died in 1977, his son David joined the company until the early eighties when the company was sold to another compact firm called A S Brown who produced the range of Mascot compacts. Later Laughton & Sons (Stratton) took both the Kigu and Mascot brands and amalgamated it with their own famous brand Stratton.

Jewellery produced by Kigu was well made and seems to have been produced from the fifties. They produced some gorgeous cuff bracelets, earrings, brooches and necklaces. A range of simulated marcasite in earrings and matching brooches called Marquetta were produced in the 1950s. This jewellery was rhodium-plated or 22 CT gold plated. Some of the range were hand enamelled in three alternative colours. The earrings were either clip on, screw or in French wire form. The clipped earrings have a very distinctive clip finding not seen on any other earrings. 

Production continued into the eighties. The mark they used was Kigu.

For more photographs of their jewellery and the Marquetta range. Also extensive information with photographs on the Kigu compacts and other accessories visit their informative website. 
Kigu of London - Kigu manufactured compacts for which it was famous for as well as a small range of Kigu jewellery. They also produced enamelled pillboxes, folding mirrors, combs, clocks and other handbag type accessories.

Part 7-Sarah Coventry. Jewellery from the 1976 Spring brochure

Sarah Coventry Jewelry Collection 1976 Spring brochure

Continuing with showing the pages of vintage jewellery from the seventies brochure today. This is now part 6 - almost half way through the booklet. By showing the pages, it can help to identify the name and the other pieces that were available at the time. Also it is one of the best ways to date vintage jewellery.

Page 26

A = Half Circles, earrings in silvertone.
Gold tone not shown but were also available.

B = Holiday Circles, earrings for pierced ears in silver tone.
Gold tone were also available.

Holiday Garden Necklace

C = Tortoise tone
D = White
E = Black
Available in 33" & 36" chains.
Other colours were available of melon & eggshell/aqua & eggshell - see the booklets front cover. View the first Part1 in this blog under Sarah Coventry.

Page 27

  

A = Flip set earrings (3 pairs)
B = Summer Flirt necklace in 22" & 29" chains.
C = Summer Flirt earrings

Page 28

A = Contessa pin/pendant
B = Contessa ring
C = Contessa bracelet
D = Contessa earrings - pierced, dangle removable.
E = Centurion earrings
F = Centurion pin/pendant
G = Antiqued chain 24" in gold tone
Available in silver tone but not shown.

Page 29

Charisma necklace 16" adjustable in gold tone.
Also available in silver tone but not shown.
Charisma earrings in gold tone
Also available in silver tone - not shown.
The pierced earrings were also available and can be found on page 46 of this booklet - to be produced in a later blog this year.

Below are a few vintage and pre-owned jewellery brooches.

Marcasite vintage brooch - signed Kigu

Vintage brooch signed MASJ '85

Vintage blue agate Celtic brooch signed Miracle

Centurion Roman soldier cufflinks - pre owned

More from the booklet in future blogs, as well as book reviews on jewellery and much more...

Sarah Coventry and other International designers and companies vintage & second hand jewellery is available in our International jewellery category. UK companies and designer jewellery can be found in our UK signed jewellery category.

Exquisite Jewellery Signed or Unsigned Information & Dating

For those of you that collect vintage Exquisite jewellery from WAP Watson, may have discovered that many pieces are unsigned.
The company was in production (except the Second World War years) from 1914 until around 1979.
It may surprise you that before 1953 all jewellery was unsigned. Sometime between 1953 and the end of the fifties, they started to add a plaque with the name "Exquisite" in script.

 Script plaque says Exquisite but now worn

The large scarab brooch is signed Tutankhamun - But is by Exquisite and made for the 1921 tour of Tutankhamun's tomb.  

I was lucky to talk to an old employee of W A P Watson who was one of the people who made the jewellery's molds and invented many of the finishes. He worked for them until 1953 and in that time none of the jewellery had a signature. They were sewn onto a fabric pad and boxed. Both of these were named with the trade mark Exquisite.
Up until 1955, the jewelers would patent their designs. So you may see "Pat pend" (patent pending) or "Des Pat no" or "Des Reg" (design registered) on some pieces of vintage jewellery and a number. Copying other company designs was a widespread practice (and still is today). Many designers would submit their jewellery design to be patented. This process would often take several months. Thus the Pat Pend signature.

 Registered patent on these vintage clip earrings signed Kigu

However in 1955 with the changes to the US Copy Right law, because of Trifari winning a historic case against the company Coro. This established that jewellery designs were a work of art. They were then able to use the copy right symbol. The symbol is the small c in a circle (© ) UK soon followed and most jewellery was signed

 Vintage enamel and marcasite brooch signed BJL - but note there is no © therefore probably pre 1955

I have to mention that the first plaques with the script signature of Exquisite did not stand the test of time and can be worn and almost indistinguishable.

So if a piece of vintage jewellery has Pat Pend or a reference to patent then it is probably dating pre 1955. (there are a few exceptions to this) but in general use this rule.

Avon key ring showing the © sign

Back to Exquisite - how to identify non signed jewellery and there are over 40 years worth!

It will match signed pieces. The Scottish luck heather brooches is one range that this is easy to do this with. Also an unsigned pair of earrings will match a signed brooch. In my experience brooches are signed more often. Necklaces are usually unsigned but have the characteristic "bow" tag. Earrings are usually signed and also rings underneath. Bracelets are rare anyway and may be signed or unsigned.

 Love this Exquisite brooch - as can be found with various type of Exquisite signatures and different thickness of the MOP pieces. This one is pre copy right vintage jewellery

It would be ideal if after 1955(ish) we could say the jewellery was all signed but unfortunately this was not the case.

I can now attribute some souvenir jewellery with a plaque to Exquisite because of their early souvenir spoons. But they produced a large range of scatter pins for the 1951 exhibition in London. These I can guess but not confirm due to the large number that can still be found in Solihull and Birmingham. So my search goes on for news clippings, adverts and hopefully jewellery brochures. If you have any I would be very interested.

   Now are the above vintage clip earrings from Exquisite, Hollywood or Jewelcraft?     

Update preview and new additions to websites

Just a quick blog again today. Have now managed to take lots of photographs of the antique, vintage and pre owned jewellery that we will be listing shortly. I do like to have the photographs taken in natural sunlight as the colours are truer and the condition is seen much clearer

So to Jewels and Finery we will be listing these shortly:

 Vintage clip earrings by Kigu

Vintage brooches by Corocraft

 Pre owned Hair accessories and vintage clips