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RESEARCHING COSTUME JEWELRY
originally created and published by Dotty Stringfield on IllusionJewels.com

Jewelry History – Jewelry Research – Jewelry Marks – Jewelry Signatures – Jewelry Articles – Jewelry Galleries

COSTUME JEWELRY MARKS – N*

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N

N inside a chalice shape — See NEW ENGLAND GLASS WORKS

*N* inside horizontal oval — See NAPIER
NACO — See NAPIER
NADJA BUCKLEY — See BUCKLEY, NADJA
NANCY & RISE, NY – 1987

• Mark:      
• Acquired by Frank Jedda, of Frank Stella, and Ezra Sheena in 1997.

NANCY LEE – 1934 – See PROVIDENCE STOCK COMPANY
NAPIER –The Napier-Bliss Co., Meriden, CT — 1878 (Bliss) — Oct. 15,1999 –

• Mark:   BLISS first used 9-5-1915
• Mark:   Napier inside a cartouche first used 1920
• Mark:   Napier —  block print first used June 1922       Photo courtesy Erik Yang. Special note: The block lettering was used throughout Napier’s history both with and without the copyright mark.
• Mark:   *A* inside triangle 1923     Courtesy RCJ
• Mark:   *N* inside oval elongated side-to-side 1923
• Mark:   NACO 1923 This is reference to a special coating used by Napier.
• Mark:   NAPIER trademark tag ( c. 1920- 1930)     Photo courtesy Cathy Gordon.
• Mark:   Trianon — first used 1924
• Mark:   Du Barry Bag
• Mark:   The Dolly Madison Bracelet – first used 1925, renewed 1986, now dead     from US Trademark site
• Mark:   Palm Beach Vanity
• Mark:   by Napier in shield-shape 1942
• Mark:   Napier Quality — inside circle — first used 1946
• Mark:   Napier Sterling     Photo courtesy Beth Rowlands. This image is reflective of Napier sterling manufactured in the 1950s. The font is the same size. Sterling pieces made in the 1940s were marked with two different fonts sizes for the words “NAPIER” and “STERLING.”
• Mark:   Napier Pat. Pend.     Courtesy RCJ
• Mark:   With copyright, after 1955     RCJ
• Mark:   This Napier mark (Mistral font) was first used in 1965 (US Trademark records)       Photos by RCJ
• Mark:   Mark on necklace with patent number from 1988
• Mark:   Napier in script was used in the early 1990s WITHOUT the copyright symbol.
• Mark:   Napier © – incised in the top of a pin stem of a brooch introduced in 1993     Courtesy RCJ
• Mark:   This Napier mark  first used in 1996 (US Trademark records)     Courtesy RCJ
• Mark:  © Napier in Mistral font.  Raise trademark in oval cartouche for items made in 2000s + .
• Napier marketed 14K gold jewelry on a limited scale in the 1960s and the early 1970s.  Pieces were usually small: stud, hoop and dangle earrings; diaper pins; delicate brooches. Some pieces had cultured pearls or small diamond accents. All 14K jewelry was manufactured by an outside source. Information from Melinda L. Lewis

Company Origins — Old School of Thought

• Original company, Whitney And Rice was founded in 1875 in Attleboro, MA.

• Became E.A. Bliss Co. by 1883 .

New Historical Documentation

• Although conventional belief has been that The Napier Co. began in 1875 as Whitney and Rice, it actually began as The E. A. Bliss Co. in 1878.
• “The E.A. Bliss Company,” an incorporated stock company, manufacture chains and novelties in the Union Power Building. The business was commenced by E.A. Bliss and James E. Carpenter, in September, 1878 at Attleborough Falls. The present location (No. Attleboros, MA) was occupied January 1, 1881. Incorporated July, 1882. The company employs seventy-five hands, with a payroll of forty thousand dollars.”  Courtesy of The Napier Book, www.napierbook.com   featuring 60 pages of Napier marks and trademark history.

1928 Napier 50th Anniversary Card

• The E. A. Bliss Co. moved to Meriden, CT in 1890— See Bliss listing.
• The E. A. Bliss Co. became The Napier-Bliss Co. — July 27, 1920.
• Name changed to The Napier Co. — May 31, 1922.
• The company was closed 10/15/99 by its parent company Victoria & Co.
• The Napier brand is still used by an investment firm. Formerly purchase by Jones New York, but the jewelry is not the same quality as pre-1999.
• Unmarked jewelry on Napier cards is still being sold in department stores.
• Information from Rainwater, Dolan and Keystone Jewelry, Melinda Lewis: Author of The Napier Co.: Defining 20th Century American Costume Jewelry.
• Post 2002 company/brand information needed.

Note: The legal name of the company was “The Napier Co.” not “The Napier Company.”

NATALIE KAHN — See KAHN, NATALIE
NATALIE — See NAT LEVY
NATALIE ORIGINALS — See NAT LEVY
NATASHA BROOKS — See BROOKS, NATASHA
NATTY CREATIONS — See NAT LEVY
NAT LEVY – NEW YORK, NEW YORK – c. 1930’s

• Mark:   Natty Creations    Courtesy Mabel Thomas
• Mark:   Natalie Originals – 1943
• Mark:   Natalie     Courtesy Gail Harrison

NATURA — See MARVELLA
NAUTIQUE — See TRIFARI
NAVIGATOR – 1934 – See PROVIDENCE STOCK COMPANY
NEATRON — See SILVERMAN
NEGRIN, MICHAL — contemporary designer — Israel

Mark:
  Photo courtesy Erik Yang.

NEMO — See BRIER MFG. CO.
NEMO — Milton A. Fischer, NY, NY
Nemo — block print with closed “O” –April 1920 — appears on scarf pin findings
NEPTUNA — See ROYAL CRAFTSMEN
NEPTUNE — See MARVELLA
NETTIE ROSENSTEIN — See ROSENSTEIN, NETTIE
NEW ENGLAND GLASS WORKS – 1911 – 1957/1958; Providence, RI

• Mark:   American Beauty – 1921 – used for imitation pearls (Dolan)
• Mark:   NE inside a chalice     Courtesy Debbie Robinson
• Mark:   Outline of a chalice     Courtesy Stefanie Brawner
• In 1938 the New England Glass Works Co., became Rice-Weiner & Co., but the NEGW name continued to be used. (Brunialti)
• A number of years ago Susan Felby in Australia purchased a very old cardboard box of jewelry. The box had a label of a goblet with an NE inside the outline, the words “New England Glass Works”, a 2 or 3 digit phone number and “New York”.  Some of the jewelry had the goblet/NE mark, some pieces had the goblet without the NE. On the inside of the box was a handwritten note in lead pencil that read, “factory closed 1920’s”.
• Thanks to Susan in Australia and to Sammie for their contributions.

NICKY BUTLER — See BUTLER, NICKY
NIELSON, LAYNE — c. Sept. 1967
NIFE-SLIDE — See ANSON
NIGHT OWLS — See CORO
NINA RICCI — See RICCI, NINA
NLH — Hyman Companies, Inc. — Allentown, PA

• Opened first boutique in 1987.
• Company owns and operates Landau Costume Jeweler, Landau, NLH Jewels and Boccelli

NORDIC SILVER CO., New York–c.1945

• Mark:   Sterling by Nordic
• Designer–Frederick Bieberbach
• Info courtesy of Jeri Steenwerth and Linda Kripke.

NORMA — Mark of Joseph H. Meyer Bros., Brooklyn, NY

• Mark:   Norma in script– used since 1938

NORMA — Norma Jewelry Corp., NY, NY — c. 1944 – 1950’s

• Mark:   NORMA     Photo courtesy Beth Rowlands.
• Founded by Alfred Shawl

NORMA JEAN DESIGNS, Providence, RI — 1984 – still in business as of June 2003

• Mark:   Norma Jean    Courtesy Carolyn Henry
• Norma Jean Bassett, first show in 1984.

NORSELAND — See CORO
NOV-E-LINE MFG. CO., 1650 Broadway, NYC, NY — c. 1934

• Mark:   The Nov-E-Line     Courtesy Lyn Peightal
• Mark:   Nov-E-Line     Courtesy Barb Jackson

N. S. MEYER, New York — 1868-2000

• Mark:      
• Made military insignia for US and other countries.
• Purchased by Vanguard in 2000.

NU KAY — See KREMENTZ
NU-LOK — See SWANK, INC.
NUMUM — See FORSTNER–FORSTNER CHAIN CORP.
NYE — STUART NYE SILVER SHOP 1933 — present

• Mark:   Shamrock with NYE in the 3 petals
• Mark:   NYE     Photo courtesy Stefanie Brawner
• Founded by Stuart Nye in 1933 in Ashville, NC; he died in 1962.
• Products are all handmade.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PAT SEAL: research files
DOTTY STRINGFIELD: research files
BOBYE SYVERSON: research files.
A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA by Carla and Roberto Brunialti
AMERICAN COSTUME JEWELRY by Carla and Roberto Brunialti
AMERICAN JEWELRY MANUFACTURERS by Dorothy T. Rainwater
COLLECTIBLE COSTUME JEWELRY by Cherri Simonds
COLLECTING COSTUME JEWELRY 101 By Julia Carroll
COLLECTING COSTUME JEWELRY 202 By Julia Carroll
COLLECTING RHINESTONE COLORED JEWELRY by Maryanne Dolan
COPPER ART JEWELRY by Burkholz and Kaplan
COSTUME JEWELRY A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK AND GUIDE by Fred Rezazadeh
COSTUME JEWELRY (2nd Ed.) by Harrice Simons Miller
EUROPEAN DESIGNER JEWELRY by Ginger Moro
INSIDE THE JEWELRY BOX By Ann Pitman
LUCILLE TEMPESTA: owner-publisher of the Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry Magazine
MASTERPIECES OF COSTUME JEWELRY by Ball and Torem
MID-CENTURY PLASTIC JEWELRY By Susan Klein
MIRIAM HASKELL JEWELRY by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff
OLD JEWELRY by Jeanenne Bell
WARMAN’S JEWELRY 2nd Ed. by Christie Romero
WARMAN’S JEWELRY 3rd Ed. by Christie Romero

*DISCLAIMER: As in the past, we make every effort to ensure all information contained in the RCJ pages is accurate. However, errors can occur. Neither the prior owner of RCJ, CJCI or its representatives are responsible for your use of these resources.

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