Ciro “Fifty Years of Faux” Brooch, 1989, believed to be a commemorative premium piece given to jewellery stores and wholesalers, marking 50 years of Ciro’s 'faux' jewellery legacy from 1939 to 1989. Crafted in gold tone metal with two rampant lions and a crown adorned with faux seed pearls, featuring pavé set clear rhinestones, and two single rows of black rhinestones, it bears a black cold-painted enamel banner inscribed “FIFTY YEARS OF FAUX” and “1939–1989” with “CIRO” at the centre. Weighing approximately 33.6g, this stunning brooch - likely inspired by the UK Royal Arms, with potential influence from or homage to a similar Miriam Haskell ‘Providentiae Memor’ design - celebrates Ciro’s expertise in faux pearls and rhinestones, a collector’s treasure. It measures 7.1cm high and 6.5cm wide and it comes in the original CIRO box. CIRO was originally registered as a mail order company in London in 1917. The concept at the time was for customers to fill out and a pre-print order form from a daily newspaper and send it to CIRO along with a money order. Within three years in 1920, CIRO opened its first shop in London's Bond Street, one of the most exclusive shopping streets in the metropolis. With the CIRO pearl - the first shell pearl in the world - the company laid the foundation for an almost 100-year tradition in 1917. Shell seed pearls did not exist back then and real pearls were very expensive. The CIRO pearls are handpicked and consist of a shell core. The surface is made of pure mother-of-pearl from oysters. This made the CIRO pearl the first attractive and inexpensive alternative to the very popular "real pearl". While other cultured pearls came onto the market over time, CIRO was already the market leader in the early 1920s. Keen to keep up with newly emerging technical possibilities, CIRO introduced the "CIROlit" in the 1970's. The CIROlit is a triple AAA-ranked zirconia (also triple A cubic zirconia) and it has, even to the trained eye, all the characteristics of a real diamond. By the 1990s, CIRO prescribed more than 150 shops worldwide, including over 50 in the USA. To this day, the company continues its reputation as a leading manufacturer of high quality art jewellery in sterling silver, yellow or white gold-plated, combined with CIROlit and pearls.
