Stanley Hagler Jewelry

Stanley Hagler Jewellery review  

Part two

Hlagler's attention to detail made his designs exemplary.

 To this end, pieces were adaptable: accessories could be added to change the look of earrings; necklace clasps doubled as hair clips or pins; necklaces could be worn as bracelets; and pieces were designed to look as stunning from the back as the front.

 A design classic, his "wardrobe necklace" consisted of three necklaces made up of two strands of pearls, held together with a large, oval, gold vermeil pin. Each element could be worn separately or in a range of combinations.

Hagler also designed non-jewelry items, such as boudoir clocks, and gold filigree box bags, as part of his "boutique" collection, and created a collection of Obi sashes, bedecked with large pendants, for Japan's Seibu department stores.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, he designed collections for New York's biannual Press Week fashion shows, which he described as "Shocko" pieces, as opposed to the more feminine designs he favored normally.

 In 1968, Hagler won the Swarovski-sponsored "Great Designs in Jewelry" award for the first of 11 times. In the 1950s, many costume jewelry companies produced Christmas tree pins, of which Hagler's are considered exceptional. Also immensely popular was his range of jeweled crosses, as worn by Madonna.

In the 1970s, Hagler used found metal off-cuts from instruments to create a structural, modern range, called "Tomorrow." Although appreciated for its originality, it did not sell well.

Hagler later moved to Europe for a time, where lie worked in precious stones, gold, and silver. However, he found that his clients still demanded his characteristic jeweled and beaded pieces and he returned to New York.

In 1989 Ian St Gielar  joined the company as chief designer and in 1993 the business relcoated to Florida. After Stanley Hagler's death in 1996, the company was continued, w ith St Giclar at its head.

Marks include "Stanley Hagler" straight across an oval disk, from the 1950s until 1983; "Stanley Hagler N.Y.C." on the curve of the oval from 1983 until cl993; while "Stanley Hagler N.Y.C" was used from 1993 onward for designs by Ian St Gielar, who also used tags bearing his own name from this date. Reproductions made by former employees of Hagler's are also on the market, bearing Hagler marks.