History of Coro Jewelry
Coro is a much sought-after vintage costume jewelry brand. Emmanuel Cohn (Co) and Carl Rosenberger (ro) founded Coro at the turn of the century in New York. The company was incorporated in 1913. Because of this, some sources cite 1913 as the founding year.
Cohn and Rosenberger hired designers to create Coro’s pieces. Designers included Gene Verrecchia (chief designer from 1933 to 1963), Adolf Katz, Oscar Frank Placco, Marion Weeber, Sidney Pearl, Charles Pauzat, Robert Geissman, Carol McDonald, Victor DiMezza, and Lester Gaba. Despite this, the jewelry was reasonably-priced. Their pieces included a variety of materials such as crystal, silver and gold plating.
Initially, Coro jewelry was simply marked CR. Sadly, Emanuel Cohn died in 1910 but the Coro name remained. In 1937, the company began using the Corocraft name for their higher end pieces. Later, Coro’s most luxurious pieces were branded Francois (1944 to 1960) or Vendome (1944 to 1979). Other marks included Coro Pegasus and Coro Originals.
At its height, Coro had facilities in Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, California, Florida, Canada, England and Mexico. Although Coro manufactured most of their pieces, they had help from Hedison and Catamore. Catamore manufactured Coro’s silver and vermeil pieces until about 1970.
Kidde Inc bought Coro in 1970 and renamed it Richton International Corporation. By 1979, Coro was bankrupt and ceased production.
Collecting Coro
Coro’s jewelry is highly collectible. In particular, their Duette pieces (patented in 1931) are in great demand. Interestingly, these featured two separate clips joined together to create one large piece. Also, Coro also copied Trifari’s Jelly Belly idea and created their own pieces. Additionally, for dating purposes, please note that Coro necklaces began using a J hook in 1948.
Coro jewelry is available in a range of price points. Luckily, they created simple pieces for everyday wear as well as exclusive luxury items. Their rarer pieces fetch up to $200.00.
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[…] Vendome pieces are in great demand among collectors. The jewelry has a reputation for high quality construction and materials. Some jewelry enthusiasts believe the quality is so superior to the general Coro quality that they consider it an entirely separate company. For additional information, see our Coro entry here. […]