1980s Trifari Enamel Earrings

About Trifari

Gustavo Trifari, the son of an Italian goldsmith, founded Trifari in the 1910s. He partnered with sales managers Leo Krussman and Carl Fishel in 1925, forming the Trifari, Krussman, and Fishel company. Under the leadership of French designer Alfred Philippe, who served as the company’s chief designer from 1930 until 1968, Trifari became a major costume jewelry company.

Philippe brought design and manufacturing processes used in fine jewelry that elevated Trifari’s pieces above the rest. Most Trifari patents of the era include his name, even if he wasn’t the principal designer of those pieces.”

The Trifari Crown brooches from the late 1930s to the 1950s led the company to stamp pieces with the crown logo, resulting in the name ‘Crown Trifari.’ In 1953, Mamie Eisenhower wore a Crown Trifari necklace, bracelet, and earrings set to the inaugural in 1953 and again in 1957.

Like many other storied costume jewelry houses, Trifari’s sales faced impacts from cheap imports starting in the 1970s. The Monet Group purchased the company in 1994, and Liz Claiborne acquired the Monet Group in 2000. Trifari still produces jewelry today, albeit of much lesser quality.”