Company History
Van Dell jewelry was founded in 1939 in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Van Dell mark was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) in September 1945 and had been in use since January 1939. The mark registration was allowed to expire.
According to USPTO records, the Van Dell name was eventually owned by Park Lane Associates Inc. from Rhode Island. Park Lane Associates registered the Van Dell mark again with the USPTO in 1991. Records state the previous owner of the Van Dell mark was Bidz.com.
Park Lane Associates was owned by Frederick Levinger who also owned Colibri, a men’s accessories company. Some sources indicate Colibri purchased the Van Dell name but that is not mentioned in the USPTO records.
The Van Dell mark is listed as dead with the USPTO as of 2016. It is unclear exactly when Van Dell jewelry ceased production.
Collecting Van Dell
Van Dell used gold and silver in their pieces and accented them with natural stones as well as other natural components such as shell. Van Dell was not known for using a lot of rhinestones in their pieces. Nevertheless, they did manufacture some rhinestone pieces which are sought after by collectors. Van Dell also used real ivory in some pieces. If you see any Van Dell pieces with ivory, even if being marketed as faux, be aware it is actual ivory and therefore illegal to sell (and purchase).
Van Dell marked their pieces VAN DELL and also included the precious metal content i.e. Van Dell Sterling, Van Dell 1/20 12KGF, etc.
Van Dell was known for high quality, delicate pieces at a reasonable price. Many pieces can still be found at reasonable prices even among collectors.
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