Iradj Moini (* 1956)
Ear clips with genuine stones, gold-plated metal, tourmalines and citrines, handmade
Unique piece
Ca. 1990
Signed Iradj Moini, New York
Iradj Moini is a New York–based jewelry designer with a background in architecture. After fleeing Iran during the revolution in the late 1970s, Iradj Moini studied architecture in Buffalo, New York. By 1989, he was making a name for himself as a jewelry designer in New York City. His claim to fame was developing jewelry for Oscar de la Renta that sold in high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Moini also designed many runway pieces.
Moini’s jewelry has a worldwide following among collectors. His lines have been featured at Bergdorf Goodman and in many elite boutiques. His jewelry has also been highlighted in several museum exhibits. These include Iris Apfel’s collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Trop exhibit with Barbara Berger at the Louvre in Paris. In fact, several of his pieces are now part of the Louvre’s permanent collection.
Collectors often describe jewelry originating in the Moini studio as “over the top.” These oversized pieces are crafted using brass wire with gold or platinum plating and set with semi-precious gemstones and vintage Czech crystals. Moini designs are often inspired by nature, and with them being handmade with unique materials, no two are exactly alike.
His handmade jewelry is exhibited and collected worldwide. In 2006, his jewelry was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of Iris Apfel’s collection, and it was featured in an exhibit at the Louvre, where he has three pieces in the permanent collection. Moini was formerly a jewelry designer for Oscar de la Renta, and his jewelry regularly appears in high-fashion magazines.
About Vintage Costume Jewelry:
Costume jewelry– also known as Fashion Jewelry– was especially made popular in the mid-20th century. While their materials were less precious than real gold and diamonds, using glass stones, semi-precicious stones and lead and brass, many big fashion houses and designers produced highly complex pieces of jewelry that stand for craftmanship that today can only be found in so-called Haute Joaillerie. Most famously, Coco Chanel popularized the use of “faux jewelry”, bringing costume jewelry to life with gold and faux pearls. Chanel's designs drew from various historical styles, including Byzantine and Renaissance influences, often featuring crosses and intricate metalwork. Her collaboration with glassmakers, such as the Gripoix family (Maison Gripoix), introduced richly colored glass beads and simulated gemstones, which added depth to her creations without the high cost of traditional precious stones.
Elsa Schiaparelli– Chanel’s lifelong rival– brought surrealist influences into costume jewelry design, famously collaborating with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. She created the House of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, celebrating Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink". While Schiaparelli had to close her avant-garde business in the late 1950s and was forgotten for decades, her designs have recently been rediscovered and are celebrated for their bold design.
In many instances, high-end custome jewelry has achieved a "collectible" status and increased value over time. Today, there is a substantial secondary market for vintage fashion jewelry. The main collecting market is for 'signed pieces', which have the maker's mark, usually stamped on the reverse. Amongst the most sought after are Miriam Haskell, Sherman, Coro, Butler and Wilson, Crown Trifari, and Sphinx.
The term signed however is an invention that only reached European production in the late 1950s- when American buyers started to ask for authentification to distinguish high class designers from mass-produced pieces, while in Europe all costume jewelry had been issued by the fashion houses themselves and hence remained somewhat exclusive from the start.
Iradj Moini (* 1956)
Ear clips with genuine stones, gold-plated metal, tourmalines and citrines, handmade
Unique piece
Ca. 1990
Signed Iradj Moini, New York
Iradj Moini is a New York–based jewelry designer with a background in architecture. After fleeing Iran during the revolution in the late 1970s, Iradj Moini studied architecture in Buffalo, New York. By 1989, he was making a name for himself as a jewelry designer in New York City. His claim to fame was developing jewelry for Oscar de la Renta that sold in high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Moini also designed many runway pieces.
Moini’s jewelry has a worldwide following among collectors. His lines have been featured at Bergdorf Goodman and in many elite boutiques. His jewelry has also been highlighted in several museum exhibits. These include Iris Apfel’s collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Trop exhibit with Barbara Berger at the Louvre in Paris. In fact, several of his pieces are now part of the Louvre’s permanent collection.
Collectors often describe jewelry originating in the Moini studio as “over the top.” These oversized pieces are crafted using brass wire with gold or platinum plating and set with semi-precious gemstones and vintage Czech crystals. Moini designs are often inspired by nature, and with them being handmade with unique materials, no two are exactly alike.
His handmade jewelry is exhibited and collected worldwide. In 2006, his jewelry was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of Iris Apfel’s collection, and it was featured in an exhibit at the Louvre, where he has three pieces in the permanent collection. Moini was formerly a jewelry designer for Oscar de la Renta, and his jewelry regularly appears in high-fashion magazines.
About Vintage Costume Jewelry:
Costume jewelry– also known as Fashion Jewelry– was especially made popular in the mid-20th century. While their materials were less precious than real gold and diamonds, using glass stones, semi-precicious stones and lead and brass, many big fashion houses and designers produced highly complex pieces of jewelry that stand for craftmanship that today can only be found in so-called Haute Joaillerie. Most famously, Coco Chanel popularized the use of “faux jewelry”, bringing costume jewelry to life with gold and faux pearls. Chanel's designs drew from various historical styles, including Byzantine and Renaissance influences, often featuring crosses and intricate metalwork. Her collaboration with glassmakers, such as the Gripoix family (Maison Gripoix), introduced richly colored glass beads and simulated gemstones, which added depth to her creations without the high cost of traditional precious stones.
Elsa Schiaparelli– Chanel’s lifelong rival– brought surrealist influences into costume jewelry design, famously collaborating with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. She created the House of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, celebrating Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink". While Schiaparelli had to close her avant-garde business in the late 1950s and was forgotten for decades, her designs have recently been rediscovered and are celebrated for their bold design.
In many instances, high-end custome jewelry has achieved a "collectible" status and increased value over time. Today, there is a substantial secondary market for vintage fashion jewelry. The main collecting market is for 'signed pieces', which have the maker's mark, usually stamped on the reverse. Amongst the most sought after are Miriam Haskell, Sherman, Coro, Butler and Wilson, Crown Trifari, and Sphinx.
The term signed however is an invention that only reached European production in the late 1950s- when American buyers started to ask for authentification to distinguish high class designers from mass-produced pieces, while in Europe all costume jewelry had been issued by the fashion houses themselves and hence remained somewhat exclusive from the start.
