Gustavo Trifari was born in Naples in 1883. He emigrated to America in 1904 & joined the jewellery makers Weinberg & Sudzen. After five years, he left and went into partnership with his uncle Ludovico Trifari producing costume jewellery. Gustavo went solo in 1912 and was joined by Leo Krussman in 1917 and Carl Fishel in 1925 and the three became known as “the Rhinestone Kings”.
In 1930 Frenchman, Alfred Philippe joined Trifari as chief designer and the company enjoyed a period of amazing growth & popularity for the next 40 years. This was achieved by producing a large range of designs to appeal to as many tastes as possible and they also became fashion leaders. Trifari jewellery was used in Broadway musicals and sold in department stores throughout America and abroad. After Mamie Eisenhower wore Trifari faux pearls in 1953, their popularity increased still further.
Trifari produced many different designs including “Fruit Salad” and “Tutti Frutti” jewellery with glass moulded in the shape of leaves and fruits. The “Jelly Belly” jewellery, introduced in 1941 featured animals and flower brooches with a Lucite “belly”.
During the 1940’s, white metal including tin was prohibited in America due to shortages caused by the war and Trifari started using sterling silver which proved very popular. In 1947, Trifanium was introduced which was a soft aluminium based metal which could be cast into intricate shapes.
The original mark used by Trifari was T.K.F., which was discontinued in 1936 & replaced by Trifari with a crown. In 1955, Trifari won a historic court case against the jewellery firm Coro which established jewellery design as a work of art so that the designs could be copyrighted and after this date Trifari jewellery shows the © mark.
In 1968, Alfred Philippe retired and thus ended Trifari’s great era. The company was sold to the Hallmark Corporation in 1975 and still continues to produce jewellery to the present day.