Episode 47
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How Joseff founded the company and began renting to Hollywood studios.
- The movies and stars Joseff designed for, and what the company is most known for.
- Why Joseff decided to launch a retail line.
- How the studio rental process has evolved over time.
- The exciting new documents that have been found, including articles, photographs and jewelry, and what they plan to do with the archives.
- Why there is a resurgence of vintage jewelry.
- The differences between vintage and a reproduction piece.
Founded in 1928 by Eugene Joseff, Joseff of Hollywood became the premier costume jeweler in Hollywood, designing, manufacturing and renting jewelry to movie studios. Then, based on demand, he extended into a retail line. Joseff was the most prestigious name in on-screen jewelry during the Golden Era of Hollywood, providing up to 90% of the jewelry on-screen in the 1940s. Joseff jewelry was prominently featured on icons such as Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot; Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind; Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra; and many other legends. Each design was meticulously designed by Eugene Joseff to be genuine-looking on screen.
Three generations later, Joseff of Hollywood has over 100,000 pieces in their “jewelry box” and continues to rent jewelry out of their original Burbank studio, most recently for shows such as HBO’s Westworld, and to celebrity stylists for special occasions such as pop star Camila Cabello’s performance at the iHeartRadio awards.
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