The Napier Co.: Defining 20th Century American Costume Jewelry

New Napier Book Just Released.

Napier Jewelry is a fairly well known design mark for later 20th century jewelry.  While they are not one of the most collected designers, the company did put out very well crafted jewelry that stands the test of time.  I sell quite a lot of it in my various online stores.

The company has just released a new resource book about Napier jewelry.  The Napier Jewelry book is an encyclopedia of Napier Costume Jewelry. It tells the (before now) untold and phenomenal story of The Napier Co.’s inception, development, flowering, and ultimate success.

The book is written and resourced by long time jewelry collector Melinda Lewis.

The book chronicles the history of its management, manufacturing, marketing, and most importantly, the unparalleled beauty of Napier fashion jewelry. With approximately 4000 pictures of Napier jewelry history and over 250,000 words of text and descriptions, you will be taken step-by-step, decade by decade, through the development of the Napier style.

As a collector, you will learn to recognize the findings, materials, and designs to appropriately circa-date the Napier jewelry in which you are investing. As a lover of vintage costume jewelry, you will enjoy the drama and excitement of the trials, tribulations, and breakthroughs at each stage of the Napier journey.

In the end, you will have a deep and lasting appreciation of the romantic story infused into the metal, gemstones, crystals, cabochons, and elegance of each piece of Napier jewelry that you own or are considering owning.

The book not only talks about the Napier jewelry company but also the fashion jewelry industry as a whole, so it is a must read for all collectors of vintage and costume jewelry.

Here is a YouTube video which discusses the book and gives some photos and images from it.


My experience in collecting vintage has shown me that, once a designer is featured in resource books, the value of the pieces go up over time.  Perhaps now is a good time to start collecting Napier jewelry while it is still quite affordable.  The book gives fair market value of most pieces made between 1950 and the year 2000 which will be a great help to anyone deciding to start collecting Napier Jewelry.

The book can be purchased directly from the Napier Jewelry Company.

Are you a fan of Napier Jewelry?