Costume Jewelry maker
Sarah Coventry marks
Sarah Coventry was set up in Newark, New York, in 1949 by the Stuart family of the C.H.
- Active
- 1949–c. 1984 (revived later; ended by 2009)
- Based in
- Newark, New York, United States
- Marks listed
- 11
- Typical pieces
- brooches, necklaces, earrings, bracelets
The marks, by date
Each mark’s wording is written out as a transcription: the words and line breaks, not a picture of the mark. Where a source describes a mark instead of quoting it, the description is shown in italics.
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece / on clasp
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Upper-case block letters; RCJ also lists a version without the ©.
Where: hang tag
Where: hang tag
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Where: jewelry cards and boxes
History
Stuart company, and was named after a Stuart granddaughter. It sold jewelry through home jewelry parties and bought designs from freelancers and outside firms rather than relying on an in-house designer. It was among the largest direct-selling jewelry companies in the 1960s and 1970s. The parent company went bankrupt in the early 1980s, home parties ended in 1984, and later revivals had failed by 2009.
Dating clues
- Wikipedia says early pieces were unsigned through 1955, with marks standard from 1956.
- Diamond-shaped Sarah Cov hang tags run from the late 1950s to about 1980; mirror-shaped tags belong to the 1960s–1970s.
- Canada, ©Sarah marks are 1970s Canadian production.
- SaC stands for Sarah Coventry, not a separate name.
Other names on the marks
Sarah Coventry Inc.; SaC; Sarahglo; Sarahsheen; Lady Coventry; Lord Coventry
Where sources disagree: Founder named differently: Charles H. Stuart (RCJ, Collectors Weekly), Lyman K. Stuart (Wikipedia), Bill Stuart, grandson of C.H. Stuart (Life in the Finger Lakes). Bankruptcy: March 1981 (RCJ, Wikipedia) vs 1984 for the C.H. Stuart parent (Finger Lakes). Signing start: RCJ has SC after 1953, Wikipedia says unsigned through 1955. Sources don't say how the marks were applied.
Sources
Marks help identify a maker and a date range, but they can’t prove a piece is genuine. Reproductions and later reissues can carry old marks. This entry isn’t an appraisal.