Coppola e Toppo – the Relaunch of an Iconic Costume Jewellery Brand

Coppola e Toppo – the Relaunch of an Iconic Costume Jewellery Brand

“Accessories are extremely important because they reveal the personality of a woman”.
-Lyda Toppo

 

Fans of elaborate fashion jewellery will be pleased to know that a relaunch of Coppola e Toppo is on its way.  The famed Italian fashion jewellery company ceased operations in 1986 after the death of founder and designer, Lyda Toppo, née Coppola.  The relaunched brand, backed by Pietro Paolo Longhitano, an Italian businessman, will soon release a debut collection developed by head designer Rosella Jardini.  They aim to maintain the techniques employed by Lyda and hope to use the company’s back catalogue to inspire the new pieces.

Lyda Toppo once said it was, “grotesque to imagine that a piece of jewellery made fifty years before could be associated with a modern dress”.  The new team will therefore surely strive for a certain level of originality with the reimagined pieces.

While costume jewellery aficionados will be looking forward to the arrival of the new designs, the vintage pieces are highly sought after on the collector’s market with some items fetching thousands at auction.  Visit our Coppola e Toppo section to view in stock items.

Lyda began making costume jewellery in 1946 after short stints in various careers including nursing, bookkeeping and fashion design.   Marriage to a well-off Ferruccio Toppo allowed Lyda the time to concentrate on learning her jewellery making craft.  Her brother, Bruno, joined Lyda as a marketing and business manager and they eventually formed the company in 1950, choosing the name as a combination of their surnames.

 

Construction of a Coppola e Toppo piece

Coppola e Toppo jewellery was unique because in a fashion world dominated by the French couturiers it was ‘Made in Italy’ and moved away from the tradition of smothering their creations with rhinestones.  Initially, the pieces were created from materials local to Italy like Venetian beads and coral, eventually Lyda would make frequent use of materials from Bohemia as well.

 

Materials Used in Coppola Toppo Jewellery

  • Small Venetian glass beads - usually deployed between larger beads (3mm in size).
  • Spherical Venetian glass beads
  • Italian coral
  • Bohemian crystal faceted beads
  • Bohemian glass faceted beads, sometimes referred to as half-crystal because of their lower lead content.  These were less expensive than the full crystal beads and were available in dozens of colours.  They were often chemically treated to change the lustre or iridescence. 
  • Plastic beads – introduced to reduce the weight of pieces as they grew larger in the 1960s.
  • Brass – used on clasps and as the backbone for more rigid pieces

 

Styles and Identifiers of genuine vintage Coppola e Toppo Jewellery

In addition to the usual necklaces, earrings, brooches and bracelets that one would expect from a jewellery collection, Coppola e Toppo also designed and produced accessories like beaded purses with one famously carried by Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis.   Belts were common and nothing was out of the realm of possibility with umbrellas, cigarette cases, bikinis, tops, headphones and bolero jackets all receiving the beaded treatment.

 

Structural Identifiers

Rigid designs
Fully rigid designs were common to the pieces that Lyda designed in the early 1950s.  Flat brass plates were used as the rigid backbone for bracelets and necklaces onto which the beads were woven.

Rigid sections were present in many designs throughout the years, especially as central panels on necklaces.  Multiple beaded strands would also often be connected onto rigid plates to stop the strands from tangling.

Coral beadings
The bright orange coral that was beaded onto the designs is particularly striking and was used on many of the pieces produced for Schiaparelli.

Fastenings and findings
Many necklaces had heart shaped ends, beautifully beaded, to which the clasps would connect.
Earring clips, mainly brass, featured a star shaped cut-out.

 

Beading techniques
The beads are the standout element of all Coppola e Toppo pieces.  Various techniques were employed.  

Pavé beading – with many beads closely set together

Weft beading – an embroidery technique where four beads form a square shape, with multiple squares joined together to form a fabric of beads.

Conterie beads – the small glass beads that were often woven around larger beads to fill empty spaces.

It will be interesting to see which accessories are revived, what design elements are maintained and what contemporary twists will be added to the new pieces.  

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