50s Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

The late 1950s and the l960s saw ornate and voluptuous beaded jewelry become the height of fashion. The company at the forefront of this trend was Coppola e Toppo.

Jewelry designer Lyda Toppo established her costume jewelry company in Milan, Italy, in 1946.

50s   Jewelry

 She worked with her brother, Bruno Coppola. The duo's early pieces, often multi-stranded strings of beads, were characterized by locally sourced beads of Murano glass and Austrian crystal, and by the exquisite use of graduated colored beads, which became a signature of the company. They also favored faceted glass rhinestones, plastic beads, faux pearls, and imitation seed pearls. These were set into gold-plated metal or tightly strung on brass wire. Coppola e Toppo's designs made the clasp integral to the overall look of the piece.



 Highly ornamental and often heart- shaped, clasps were worn asymmetrically or displayed in low-backed dresses. Famously, their designs adorned the whole neck, not just the front. The company's style was classical and tailored, creating a distinctive look that encapsulated the glamour of la dolcevita. Early pieces dating from the late 1940s and early 1950s were marked "Mikey," after their pet dog.

50s   Jewelry

The company soon came to the attention of major fashion houses Balenciaga and Christian Dior, who commissioned pieces for fashion shows and retail—relationships which lasted through the 1950s. Elsa Schiaparelli also commissioned Coppola e Toppo to create a line called "Bijoux Voyages" using faux coral beads, which was hugely successful and catapulted the firm to center stage in the late 1950s. Coincidentally, the company's prominence was also fuelled by its hometown taking over from Paris as the world's fashion capital.




50s   Jewelry

In the 1960s, beads enjoyed a resurgence in Western fashion unseen since Edwardian times. Design influences were drawn from India, Africa, and South America. Beads were "in" during the Swinging Sixties, diamante and faux pearls were out. Notably, Coppola e Toppo's work for Emilio Pucci, the "Prince of Prints,"

50s   Jewelry

often utilized in-vogue plastic beads. In 1962, the company also began making belts with crystal beads for Pucci's silk dresses. Extravagant and beautiful, Coppola e Toppo's 1960s beaded crystal bib necklaces are extremely valuable today. The quality of the work means that many pieces have survived.

Italian couturier Valentino, the "King of Fashion" who boasted such clients as Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor, provided many lucrative commissions during the 1960s. This work enabled Coppola e Toppo to create more pieces under their own mark—"Made in Italy by Coppola e Toppo"—in the 1960s and 70s.



50s   Jewelry

50s   Jewelry

Key features to look out for in Coppola e Toppo's work include necklaces and bracelets with elaborate, multi-stranded designs featuring the exquisite use of beads, often Swarovski crystal, Murano glass, or plastic, and with the company's signature bead-encrusted heart-shaped clasp.

Look for the mark "Made in Italy by Coppola e Toppo" from the 1950s onward. Earrings were usually marked with a cut-out star on the clip. Coppola c Toppo pieces are highly sought after and very expensive: Doyle in New York sold a collar and two-bracelet demi- parure for $11,400 (£7,200) in 2006.

In 1972, the company was bought out by a larger Italian firm, and production continued until 1986.