Any collection of mid-century American fashion jewelry isn't complete without some pieces from Sarah Coventry.
Founded in December 1948 by Lyman K. Stuart, whose father Charles H. Stuart had founded Emmons Home Fashions in February of that year, Sarah Coventry tapped into the post World War II desire of American women to leave behind the image of Rosie the Riveter and return to femininity and their traditional roles within the home. And while this period was a time of new dreams and aspirations, the finances of many middle-class families were restrained due to the cultural norm that a woman's place was in the home.
However, Sara Coventry offered an opportunity for women to earn an income while retaining their role as a homemaker.
The Original Work-from-Home
Rather than seek counter space at department stores, Sara Coventry was among the growing ranks of businesses adopting a party-plan marketing strategy. They recruited both men and women to host house parties to show off the affordable Sarah Coventry jewelry range, and to do so without meeting up-front costs for their demonstration kits.
Sarah Coventry offered well-honed training programs and provided generous incentives and rewards for their best sales achievers. It also embraced the new medium of television and ran commercials across the three networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) as well as offering Sarah Coventry jewelry as prizes on game shows such as 'Hollywood Squares' and 'The Price is Right'.
An International Success Story
Likewise, Sarah Coventry advertised in every major women’s magazine across the US; for many years designed a crown for the Miss Universe pageant; and expanded internationally to Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Unlike other major fashion jewelry houses, Sarah Coventry didn't employ a head of design, nor manufacture their own pieces. Instead, they utilized freelance designers and commissioned companies in Rhode Island and New Hampshire to manufacture specific pieces.
At its peak in the mid-1960s, Sarah Coventry was selling around 35,000 pieces of jewelry every workday, and expanding its accessory lines to include men's jewelry, women's watches and belts.
No Longer in Business, but still Sought-After
Sadly, as society continued to change, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the party-plan sales method at the heart of the Sarah Coventry business. The age of the stay-at-home mum was ending, and the company had over-extended when it built new multimillion dollar headquarters.
The business filed for bankruptcy in 1984 and although the Sarah Coventry name was purchased by Playboy Enterprises and manufacturing moved overseas, the party was over, even though the name may have been continued by various entities until 2008.
Sarah Coventry jewelry continues to be popular with collectors and offers great value for vintage jewelry enthusiasts.
You can view our current Sarah Coventry pieces here.
1 comment
Very interesting – I had never heard of Sarah Coventry but she sounds like a trailblazer! She astutely worked out what women wanted and gave it to them for many years.