The history of Lea Stein jewelry began with a love story. In 1951, French artist Lea Stein fell in love with chemist Fernard Steinberger, and soon married him. In 1957, they opened a clothing company, in 1965 they began making original buttons, and in 1969 they released their first collection of unique jewelry. Lea Stein’s husband discovered and patented a new material – rhodoid, which was obtained through the process of “celluloid lamination”. Several dozen layers of celluloid acetate film were baked in an oven, adding lace, brocade, cords and even metal. The result was a layered material with an amazing and complex texture. Brooch shapes were cut out of it by hand. It was painstaking work. Some decorations took 6 months to make!
Lea Stein brooches cannot be confused with jewelry from other designers. Bright and funny brooches are recognizable due to their unique material and original design. The most famous collections were created from 1969 to 1981. All jewelry was produced in France. Almost all of them are branded “Lea Stein.” Paris”. Another distinctive detail is the V-shaped clasp. Earlier jewelry had a flat pin marked “Lea Stein” as a clasp.
The jewelry of this French brand is known all over the world and holds a special place in the collections of the most influential women. For example, Madeleine Albright not only wore Lea Stein brooches, the US Secretary of State devoted an entire chapter to one of them in her book, making the French designer’s red fox famous.
Using different themes, Lea Stein gave preference to the animalist: cats, dogs, birds “came to life” in funny three-dimensional brooches. There were collections with hearts and hats, with figurines of children, tennis players, saxophonists and even Elvis Presley. In the 70s, the designer bought a license from the French licensed children’s show “L’ile aux Enfants” and in 1975 began making brooches in the form of the characters from this show.
Early works also include a small series of round portrait brooches, as well as round brooches with flowers.
In the early 80s, the designer was forced to reduce her staff and planned to completely close production. Fortunately, one of the American dealers came into her store. He liked the unusual brooches so much that soon a large batch of Lea Stein jewelry ended up in America. French rhodoid brooches instantly became popular and the designer returned to her company, continuing to delight fans of the brand with wonderful jewelry.
