Trifari

Dates: 1918-Present

Ah Trifari.. there is so much history to this company as they were the creators of history. Jewelry is the heart and soul of Trifari and their mark in the world of costume jewelry still echos today. They commissioned jewelry for Broadway plays, they had the first coast-to-coast advertising campaign for a costume jewelry manufacturer, they even won a lawsuit in 1955 that defines costume jewelry as works of art!

The dynamic trio that are responsible for the KTF signatures you see in the late 1930s.

Leo Krussman - Ran the firm

Gustavo Trifari Sr. - Head of design and oversaw manufacturing

Carl Fishel - Head of sales

  • In the 1940's, Trifari chief designer Alfred Philipee created a line of whimsical animals with lucite centers he dubbed Jelly Belly.

Alfred Philippe's attention to detail was such that Trifari's costume pieces could be favorably compared with fine jewelry, and by 1953 Mamie Eisenhower broke with tradition and wore Trifari to the inagural ball of the new presidency. Philippe designed a pearl choker, a three-strand bracelet and earrings to complement the First Lady's pink silk peau de soie gown by Nettie Rosenstein of New York.

As part of their World War 2 efforts, Trifari installed plexiglas lucite windshields and turrets in military bombers. Since Trifari would only use flawless materials for the bombers, there was a lot of excess rejected material. Alfred Phillipe came up with the idea to cut away cabochons from the plexiglas and incorporate them into the jewelry designs we know today as jelly bellies!

Identification Help

  • Trifari stones are almost always pasted (glued) in.
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