Vintage CONTINENTAL Jewelry Hair Clip - From Canada

Description

Vintage CONTINENTAL Jewelry Hair Clip - From Canada. It measures 2 X 1 1/4 in.
In 1943, Sam Baker and Sol Mayoff became partners and set up shop in a 500 square-foot store front in a Vieux Montreal building. There, with four employees, they sold costume jewellery, various accessories and religious articles and became the small firm, Continental Jewelry.
In 1947 already well known as Continental Jewelry, the small firm began to manufacture rhinestone articles which were all the rage at the time. The ever growing demand forced them to move into a larger space on Bleury Street.
In 1951, Continental Jewelry became the largest, manufacturer of mid-priced rhinestone jewelry in the country. Due to the whims of fashion, the market for rhinestones was gradually declining. To protect its market share, the firm hired a European designer to create a major line of fashion jewelry, making Continental one of the most important fashion sources for the Canadian market.
It is difficult to have a discussion regarding Continental jewelry without mentioning Sherman Jewelry. Continental’s line of rhinestone jewelry was said to be the main competition for Sherman Jewelry, which was also being produced in Montreal at the time. Continental’s high end rhinestone jewelry was very similar to Sherman designs but usually had less stones. These pieces were offered as a lower priced alternative and did well as such.
Many collectors of Sherman jewelry have been pleasantly surprised at the quality and beauty of Continental’s vintage rhinestone jewelry lines.