Sarah Coventry

History of Sarah Coventry Jewelry

William Stuart of CH Stuart Co. and Rex Wood founded the Sarah Coventry company in 1949 Newark, New York. The company name honored CH Stuart’s great-granddaughter, Sarah Coventry Beale. Some sources say the name was a combination of Sarah Beale and Coventry, England where the Stuart family had its roots.

Stuart also founded Emmons jewelry in honor of Charles Stuart’s wife Caroline Emmons. The two companies are often referred to as sister companies. They even borrowed each other’s designs.

Note: Lyman K. Stuart’s name is often mentioned in Emmons and Sarah Coventry history. Lyman was the son of CH Stuart. Caroline Emmons was Lyman’s mother and Sarah Beale was Lyman’s granddaughter.

Personal representatives sold the jewelry through home “parties” where customers could try on some pieces and also order from catalogues. The specific description filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) was “home party plan retail merchandising of costume jewelry.”

Sarah Coventry offered a lifetime guarantee which stated: “May be sent back for repair to: P.O. Box 7899, Warwick, RI 02887. Please include handling charge of 1.50.”

It is commonly believed Sarah Coventry didn’t design or manufacture its jewelry (or at least most of it) but rather contracted other companies (including DeLizza & Elster) for those needs.

The company employed brilliant marketing strategies to increase its presence such as presenting its pieces as prizes on game shows. Many pieces were fun and stylish and quickly caught on.

CH Stuart Co. filed for bankruptcy in 1984. Lifestyle Brands purchased the Coventry name in 1987.

Coventry after CH Stuart

The design and quality of Coventry jewelry was not the same after Lifestyle purchased the name. Lifestyle attempted to apply the Coventry name to all sorts of merchandise including fanny packs and umbrellas.

In 2005, Sarah Coventry HPP Inc took over and continued attempting to profit from the prior popularity of the brand.

Additional attempts at reviving the Coventry name and popularity continued into the millennium including sales on Home Shopping Network and at Walmart.

Playboy Enterprises International and Hefner Enterprises also purchased the Coventry name but failed to achieve its original popularity and profitability.

USPTO records indicate Pavana USA Inc currently owns the Sarah Coventry jewelry character mark. Its relationship to the original company is unclear. The USPTO rejected Pavana’s initial application to use the name based on the same name already existing in the registry. In 2017, after the registration expired, the USPTO approved Pavana’s application to use the name.

Collecting

Sarah Coventry jewelry enjoyed wild popularity and, in its heyday, commanded prices on par with large competitors such as Trifari. Many diehard fans still exist and it is quite popular among costume jewelry collectors.

Although the company sold average quality jewelry, it became incredibly popular. This incredible popularity led to the production of many collections and pieces. Due to the large number of pieces produced, Coventry jewelry is regularly found in the collector’s market.

The earliest pieces were not marked. The company used the marks SaC, SC and Sara Cov in the 1950s and early 60s. Marks used in the late 60s and 1970s included Sarah Coventry, Sarah Cov and Coventry. The mark Sarah was used toward the end of the original company’s existence.

Other names used during the company’s history include: Sarahglo, Sarahsheen, Lady Coventry, Lord Coventry.

Lifestyle Brands and Sarah Coventry HPP also introduced new marks and logos: Coventry USA, Sarah Coventry America, Coventry Supreme, a bird logo and a butterfly logo.

Most pieces in excellent quality can fetch up to $40 each. As with most collectibles, expect to pay a premium for the rarer and older pieces.

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