Hobe
(1887 - 1990s)
The Hobe Company was founded in 1887 in Paris, France by Jacques Hobe, a master craftsman who was jeweler to the French court. Following technological advances in mass-production introduced during the Industrial Revolution, Hobe’s descendants manufactured costume jewelry. His grandson William Hobe immigrated to New York City in the mid 1920s and established Hobe Cie; a family business producing high quality costume jewelry.
Florence Ziegfeld commissioned William to make stage jewelry for the Ziegfeld Follies, and this probably led to Hobe’s long association with the entertainment and film industry. By the 1940s, Hobe jewelry was billed as “Jewels of Legendary Splendor” and advertised in magazines modeled by Hollywood’s movie stars such as Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Ava Gardner and Barbara Stanwyck. Hobe also produced very high quality (and very high priced) jewelry for upscale stores.
Hobe roots in the precious jewelry trade are evident in pieces produced from the mid 1920s to the early 1950s. Bezel-set semi-precious stones, such as chrysoprase, lapis, garnet, and amethyst, were used with real pearls, enamels and carved ivory panels. Vermeil silver settings with labor intensive woven meshes or filigrees of twisted wire were hand finished. The best of the early examples are the carved cinnabar and ivory oriental pieces, the portrait miniatures of historical figures, such as the Empress Eugenie, and the reproductions of sixteenth and seventeenth century precious jewels from the royal courts of Europe.
Costume movies, such as Gone with the Wind, were popular in the 1930s and 1940s, creating a vogue for grand ball gowns and evening dresses based on a variety of historical periods. This trend called for antique style costume jewelry.
Hobe studied the history of previous jewelry in the European courts. His signature filigree metal work was romantic and his large, deep colored cabochons, portrait enamels, and pearls gave the desired “royal” feel. William registered more than 100 patents for jewelry designs and sometimes created his jewelry pieces personally, by hand, using sterling, 14K gold, and semi-precious gemstones. What set Hobe apart from his contemporaries was that he was one of a very few designers who used a great deal of good quality semi-precious stones, and its usage of gold and silver plated settings. Hobe pieces were all marked, with the name Hobe typically stamped in a stylized Art Deco style script with an elongated H or B or in block letters. William Hobe is best known for floral pins set with precious stones in the shape of large bouquets.
In its long history, Hobe always was focused on unique designs and high quality. They maintained their upscale image, keeping prices and distribution on the high-end. The original, family run Hobe Company stopped producing jewelry in the early 1990s, however, a Hobe company exists that still produces jewelry marked as Hobe up to the present time.
