| Vintage Trifari jewelry is a good choice for beginning | | | | dates from 1937. "Trifari Pat. Pend" is from the |
| collectors. The jewelry is beautifully made, was | | | | 1940s, and Trifari Sterling is from 1942-1947. The |
| plentiful over a long period of time, and vintage | | | | copyright symbol - (c) - appears after 1954. "Trifari" |
| pieces are still very affordable. | | | | with the (c) and a small crown in a rectangle is a |
| The company started to produce costume jewelry in | | | | modern mark, but the date it was first used is |
| 1910, and production continues to the present day. | | | | unclear. |
| The most affordable and available vintage Trifari | | | | Any Trifari jewelry that has original paper tags, was |
| jewelry dates from the 1950s and '60s. Trifari | | | | featured in vintage advertising, or jewelry that is in |
| produced so many different styles, that the beginning | | | | its original box make the piece more interesting and |
| collector can be choosy and select only those pieces | | | | more valuable. |
| that she truly likes. | | | | Collectors prize jewelry with carved or molded |
| For investment purposes, Trifari rhinestone jewelry | | | | stones. In the 1960s and 1970s beautiful molded |
| from the 1950s is affordable and a good long-term | | | | stones became available. Some pieces are designed |
| investment. And, as always, the piece should be in | | | | with irregular molded glass stones combined with |
| excellent condition. Keep that loupe or magnifying | | | | aurora borealis and other colored stones to give a |
| glass with you every time you shop, and look for | | | | sense of movement in the piece. |
| flaws, chipped stones, deterioration of the metal, and | | | | An easily recognizable style of Trifari jewelry is the |
| of course the designer's signature. | | | | use of both silver-tone and gold-tone metals in the |
| This brings us to identifying marks, or signatures as | | | | same piece. Another Trifari creation was the "Jelly |
| they are called in the jewelry biz. | | | | Belly", usually figures of birds or fish, with a clear |
| Recognizing the various signatures will help to date | | | | Lucite "belly". These were created during WWII. |
| the piece. Early Trifari pieces are signed "KTF" and | | | | Whatever your taste, and whatever your budget, do |
| are highly collectible. "KTF" was first used in 1935. | | | | seek out vintage Trifari jewelry - you'll find some |
| "KTF" with a crown above the "T" dates from 1954, | | | | gorgeous pieces at very reasonable prices. |
| and "Trifari", with no crown or with a thin crown | | | | |