Van S. Authentics is a vintage jewelry and costume jewelry brand founded in the United States in the 1930s.
The company Authentics Inc. was founded by Joan A. Moonan and her husband Reginald Lyon Francis Moonan.
In the mid-1930s, the company was renamed Van S.
It operated for about four decades (1930–1969).
The main product was brooches, many of which were gold-plated. Some designs used heavy cast frames with colored rhinestones.
Sold jewelry in the Hattie Carnegie salon in New York and in various stores in the United States.
During World War II, when metals for making jewelry were scarce, Joan Moonan used unusual materials: straw, nuts, and toy parts.
In the 1960s, the Moonans sold the company. Designer Joan A. Moonan created a new company, Wendy Jewelry, in honor of her daughter, Wendy Lyon Moonan.
Collections
Some of the Van S. Authentics jewelry designs include:
- a gold-tone alloy flower brooch with a large blue Austrian crystal in the center (1950s);
- a gold-tone alloy crown pendant brooch with colorful resin inserts.
The jewelry was produced in limited editions: in addition to the authentic Van’s or Van markings, each piece could be individually numbered.
Heritage
Some of the Van S. Authentics jewelry designs were acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The brand’s jewelry is now available in vintage stores, such as the online store BublikBazaar.
