The Construction Characteristics of Juliana Jewelry

As this most popular jewelry is unsigned, or was signed w/hang tags and/or cards that have been lost or discarded over the years, the only way to identify it from other jewelry is to study its construction.

The most easily identifiable construction characteristic of D&E jewelry is known as figure 8 puddling. The term was coined by Cheryl Kilmer of Past Perfection Jewelry and refers to the soldering characteristics that occur between the cups of 2 and 3 section chaton (a small, round rhinestone w/8 cuts) settings. To save time and money, D&E employed a soldering technique that would string together these setting, and the result gave a figure 8 appearance. Also, the prong placements on these setting was different than that of a tradition setting, giving a claw-like appearance.

So… if you see a piece of jewelry w/figure 8 puddling, it is, no double D&E (at this time, I am unaware of any reproductions of this technique).

So what if a piece of jewelry doesn’t have figure 8 puddling? What are the other construction characteristics of D&E jewelry? Well… there are a number of other identifiable signs, that when put together, tell us that a piece of jewelry is or is not D&E. Those include (thumbnails click for a larger view):

An Attached Pin Assembly – while not all D&E had this pin assembly type (the figurals are one exception), this is the most common type of D&E pin. I will post an article highlighting all the types of pin assemblies that I have found on D&E at a later date – check back shortly.

Prong Set Stones – D&E jewelry was hand made and hand set. Most of that setting was prong setting, but not all. However, D&E jewelry will be all prong set or mostly prong set. If a piece is mostly pasted or it has faux prongs, it’s not D&E.

Earring Clips – the majority of D&E earrings have clips w/holes in them. You will, however, on a rare occasion, find a pair of earrings w/a sold clip – but these are few and far between. Below is a gallery of the earring clip types that I have come across on Juliana Jewelry.

Odd Number Construction – The symmetry of odd number design appealed to D&E and their pieces are found w/5 links, as in bracelets or necklaces, or 5 dangles, as on brooches. You can, on a rare occasion, find a bracelet constructed w/4 or 6 links – these are “customized” pieces designed to fit either a larger or smaller wrist.

Casted Portions w/Pasted in Chatons – D&E did employ pasted portions and these were done in parts of the jewelry that were casted – often making stems and design accents. This construction technique is why not all D&E is prong set, and it’s quite commonly found in D&E jewelry.

Rhinestone Chains – D&E often employed the use of rhinestone chains to create stems or necklace chains or dangles.

Wire Reinforcement – D&E did a lot of wire work and used long wires soldered onto the setting for stabilization and reinforcement. These are most often found on flower brooches. D&E also uses a round, washer-like wire to reinforce an entire setting, as seen in picture 2 below.

Wire & Wire Over Work – D&E used wire work to create stems and a 3D or layered effect to flower heads. Wire over work can also be seen on florettes that are designed to mimic leaves.

Square Wire & Eyelet Construction for Dangles – Competition was fierce, and still is, in the jewelry trade, and manufactures were all putting out similar designs based on trends and fads and what was selling. Dangles pieces were common, and in order to tell D&E from the rest, you need to look for the use of a square wire and an eyelet or rivet construction.

Florets – D&E employed what I have termed florettes to give pieces a 3D floral look, and attached them to the jewelry w/an eyelet.

Back of Setting – It’s often touted that D&E only has an all open-backed setting. This is simply not true. D&E has all 3 types of setting backs, and all are quite common – all open, combination open/closed, and all closed.

For my next article, I will be discussing the types of settings used by D&E and will put together a gallery of findings and stones – check back shortly.