With the arrival of movies such as Titanic, the gentle and romantic Edwardian fashions enjoyed a big revival in modern dressing. Suddenly vintage was high fashion, from the clothes to the jewelry of the early 20th century.

Marcasites qualify eminently for yet another revival and have recently been seen in more movies and on celebrities. Although marcasite jewelry never entirely lost its classic fashion status, it is now more popular than ever with fashion followers as well as collectors than just a few years ago.

But, but, we collectors do have a problem when vintage styles become high fashion. The newer imitations tend to take over. It is sometimes difficult to tell them apart.

What is meant by imitations here? Certainly marcasites can be imitated in glass stones or as coated protrusions on very inexpensive jewelry. This was done in earlier eras as well. The newer imitations, however, do have real marcasites which are often set in sterling silver.

It is not what the new imitations are but how they are executed that disturbs us.

Here in Part I the genuine fine handcrafted marcasite jewelry as executed by an American manufacturer honed in this tradition is highlighted. Part II will discuss the differences between this oldfashioned manufacturing process and the modern massproduced imitations.

In traditional fine vintage marcasite jewelry, the stones are deeply heat-set by hand in either gold or thick sterling. The jewelry pattern is die-stamped under four-ton pressure, then carefully cut out into the intended shape, filed, polished, buffed.

Marcasites are pressed in by a hand tool, one by one, while the sterling sheet is heated. When cooled, the marcasites are firmly set, can not fall out unless they become cracked from being hit against a hard surface.

Sterling Marcasite Brooch with Onyx by Gus Carosiello.

Enter Gus Carosiello, of Gus Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and yours truly were friends and did business together for many years.

Gus had started in the marcasite jewelry manufacturing trade while still a boy, around 1914. He knew how marcasite jewelry should be made, and still made it the same way, far into the 1980s.

Gus' manufacturing company had closed around 1970, when Gus retired. But Gus, being Gus, could not stay retired. He re-opened his big old building in South Philadelphia, and, as his own only full-time employee, steadfastly continued to produce fine marcasite jewelry until the late 1980s.

With occasional help from two of his grandsons, Gus went to work again, every day, in his shop, turning out the same fine work he had been doing for almost a half century. He delighted in seeing the fine pieces come to life, especially the huge monogram brooches to order, finished in either rhodium or oxidized (antique) finish.

Gus had saved his rhodium drums from investments made in the 1950s. He used real rhodium, not the modern imitation platings. His oxidized finishes were carefully applied by the same reliable methods he had always used. They stayed permanent no matter how much cleaned or polished.

The mid-to late 1980s were good years for Gus' fine marcasite jewelry. He had a steady stream of buyers from fine jewelry stores as well as better vintage jewelry dealers who came from several states to buy from Gus.

Gus was even featured in Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine which brought him even more customers; he could barely keep up. His grandsons were called upon more often to help with deliveries, pickups and small jobs around the shop. I considered myself quite lucky to receive anything ordered from Gus within three to four weeks. After all, in the actual manufacturing process, Gus was all alone.

Gus and I conspired to revive some of the fine old designs from Gus' catalog sheets, pieces he had not made for years and years. "No market," or, "too expensive," he proclaimed when I pointed to fancy bracelets and elaborate necklaces. Brooches, pins, earrings, were what Gus felt would "sell," so he continued to make them.

At that time I had a hunch that the straight-shape bar pins would become favorites, and Gus trusted me. But, regrettably, he had no bar pin dies that he could readily find. Bar pins, Gus said, had not been in fashion since Queen Victoria's time and Gus, although in his 80s, was just a toddler when Queen Victoria went into history.

How now to make bar pins? Gus dug around among his dies, showed them to me.

- Wait a minute, these straight shapes, what are they?

- Ring shanks.

- Aha... What about cutting off the end of the shanks a bit and smooth it? They will be very narrow though. Is this sterling sheet sturdy enough to support a pin back?

Gus had the solution:

- I'll double the sterling layer, fuse two together to make a sturdy pin.

The bar pins, sturdy, in various styles with wider fancy marcasite-encrusted center motifs, plus more marcasites on the extensions, became the latest in elegant professional jewelry in Philadelphia.

Gus could hardly keep up with the orders. The bar pins were not only attractive, ladylike and elegant, but also reasonably priced. Often customers treated themselves to more than one pin, also ordered more as gifts for relatives and friends. Anyone wearing a Gus bar pin was sure to be asked where to get one, and so it went.

I loved watching Gus make the jewelry, his loupe firmly attached to his visor between his eyes, bending over the machine, hands steady, concentration intent, looking very much the wizard at his art.

More and more of Gus' jewelry found its way to delighted customers who now were firm collectors of fine marcasite jewelry.

But, one day in 1990, when I had made an appointment with Gus, I suddenly had to reschedule it due to personal circumstances, from Wednesday till Friday at Gus' workshop.

But on Thursday afternoon, a message left at my office by one of Gus' grandsons set my heart on edge. It was true. Gus had passed on, tragically, in an accident while on his way to the airport to meet his wife returning from a family visit.

At the age of 89 plus, Gus had lived a full life, always working, always happy. Yet, it was difficult to believe that he was no longer there, by his machines, his worktables, making his wonderful jewelry. The Friday date was kept, but at the funeral home.

Everything in Gus' shop was sold, the machines, the building, as there was now no one to continue his special art. An era had passed, this time capsule closed.

Gus' legacy lives on with those who were fortunate to acquire his jewelry while still time. I am one who will always treasure the pieces in my personal collection as very special memories of Gus.

For your enjoyment and study, here's an image gallery of specially selected pages of Gus Carosiello's favorite designs, and more about marcasites from the links below.

A Catalog Sampling of Gus Manufacturing Co. Classic Marcasite Designs:

Bracelets I
Bracelets II
Earrings
Figural Brooches and Pins
Florals and Figurals I
Florals and Figurals II
Initials and Signature Brooches
Mother, Initials, and Signature Brooches
Necklaces, Pendants, Earrings
Rings

Marcasites, Vintage and Modern Part II of II:
Modern Marcasite Jewelry vs. Vintage
Archived article courtesy The Wayback Machine

Marcasite, A Favorite Stone in Jewelry History
Archived article courtesy The Wayback Machine.