#Elzac #Jewelry #Victims #Fashion #Face #Pins #WorthPoint
I remember running across a ceramic face pin many years ago and thinking it looked a lot like Josephine Baker, the American-born singer, dancer, and actress who famously made a name for herself working in France in the 1920s and ‘30s. I discovered that collectors had nicknamed those little novelty brooches “Victims of Fashion” due to their elaborate hats, headdresses, and trimmings made from various materials to create everything from fascinators to turbans.
I never found out if any of those pins were modeled after Baker. However, sometime later, jewelry historians revealed that a company called Elzac was responsible for producing those clever face pins, as well as some equally unique animal designs. This information was vital since none of these little cuties are marked unless their original tags from the 1940s are still attached. Do not worry; with a little study, you can easily recognize these pieces and learn which ones tend to bring the most to the resale marketplace. Before I get to that, though, let me backtrack to some company history because this is an interesting one.
How Elzac Got Started
If I mentioned Ruth and Elliot Handler, would you think of Mattel first, or would it be the Barbie doll? How about Elzac? Well, if you didn’t know the founders of those companies were the same, you do now. Elliot Handler’s work set this jewelry business in motion in the late 1930s when, as a young design student, he began experimenting with Lucite, making things like trays and photo frames. His young wife Ruth encouraged him to start a business from the couple’s California-based apartment. She was employed by Paramount Studios then but assisted him with sales on her days off.
After some success with a single-pin design, according to author Kathy Flood, who wrote Costume Jewelry Figurals, Elliot Handler began partnering with a fellow named Zach Zemby, who was already in the jewelry business. They conjoined their first names, and Elzac was formed in 1941. During a time when metals were hard to come as World War II raged, they began by creating figurals that combined Lucite elements with carved wood shaped like animals ranging from horses and cows to birds and dogs. They moved into ceramic animals and other figurals, some of which were also embellished with Lucite curlicues, wings, ears, and the like by 1943, as noted in patent records for the designs.
The fabulous face pins were conceived when a fashion designer friend of the Handlers named Bea Weld joined the business. Elliot Handler confirmed that one of her first inspirations was the 1940s movie sensation Carmen Miranda, who sometimes wore elaborate headpieces piled high with artificial fruit. All types of embellishments were used to decorate these ceramic face pins, including fabrics, leather, braiding, ribbon, straw, and even ruffled or twisted Lucite elements. By then, 300 workers were producing Elzac’s novelty jewelry that sold for 85 cents each as “gay ceramic pin-ups” in Sears-Roebuck catalogs. Some higher-priced pieces sold for $4-8 each in boutiques, but some of the Sears versions are the ones found most often today.
Both Elliot Handler and Zemby sold out to new partners in 1944 after having differing opinions. The business declined after that and finally closed in 1947, but not before making an indelible mark on costume jewelry history since vintage shoppers don’t feel victimized when they add one of these unique pieces to a collection.
The Most Valuable Elzac Designs
The real irony about today’s rarities regarding costume jewelry designs made in multiples is that those pieces usually didn’t sell as well back in the day. Either that, or they were priced out of range for most consumers, so they sold in limited numbers when they were new.
When it comes to Elzac, comparing the designs that sold for 85 cents (about $15 in today’s prices when adjusted for inflation) to the pieces that bring the most money today, some of them overlap, but most are moderately priced sellers that bring from $50-100 each. Some with especially large headdresses made of Lucite or those with extra fabric embellishments around the face and head can bring twice that, provided they’re in excellent shape. The face paint should be unchipped; all the original décor should still be in place, and plastic elements should be in pristine condition. Most are women, but a few male versions were made, too.
The ceramic animals made by Elzac have a following among collectors as well. One you can expect to sell for more than $200 is a Three Little Bears brooch, but most bring far less, topping out in the $50-75 range even if they have Lucite embellishments. The wood and Lucite pieces often sell for under $50, although they’ll occasionally go a bit higher.
Cautions When Attributing Elzac Pieces
This brand used very little metal in their work, so I question the attribution when I see pieces with a swath of metal accompanying a ceramic or Lucite element sold as Elzac. I also know many costume jewelry companies used alternative materials during World War II, so this wasn’t the only one using wood, ceramics, and plastics in novelty designs. Carved wood and Lucite pieces are particularly hard to attribute correctly.
Unless you’ve identified a piece using catalog references or patent information, or what you’re selling has the unmistakable look of a Victim of Fashion face—since many of them look very similar with closed eyes—pegging something as Elzac can be a mistake. Some sellers don’t care and add keywords to listings just to get attention, but that’s dealing underhandedly if you’re selling to someone who doesn’t know any better, and we all have to start somewhere.
My humble advice is to do your own research and stick to attributing things you feel quite certain are Elzac to build a reputation as a trustworthy seller.
Pamela Siegel is a freelance writer and author who has been educating collectors for more than two decades. In addition to three books on topics relating to antiques and collectibles, she frequently shares her expertise through online writing and articles for print-based publications. Pamela is also the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l (CJCI) and the proprietor of Chic Antiques by Pamela.
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