Lee Pelzman Leru Costume Jewelry
In the middle of the last century the name of jewelry designer Lee H Pelzman (1919 – 1977) was well-known. He established his first jewelry firm Shelba Co., 220 Fifth Avenue, New York in 1944. Shelba handcrafted sterling silver jewelry and fittings for other jewelry companies for about 10 years.
In 1954, Pelzman founded the Lee Pelzman Co in New York City, and opened a subsidiary, Leru, in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence’s finest jewelers created costume jewelry under the Leru brand, which became the alternative name for Lee Pelzman Co..
Shelba Company
Incorporated in 1957, Leru
Headed by Lee H Pelzman, Leru was comprised of 12 individual manufacturers and 16 distributors. They promoted “the real look’ in fashion costume jewelry, supported by a Fox Movietone fashion newsreel, seen by 25 million people. “Arlene Francis Collection” designed by the TV star herself also promoted Leru jewelry.
Leru jewelry gained popularity from the very beginning thanks to its excellent design, quality, and extensive advertising in popular fashion magazines. Among them were Jewelers’ Circular, Mademoiselle, and Vogue. Lee Pelzman’s company launched several trademarks for making costume jewelry, including Leru, Jewels by Bazaar, and Beads O’ Paradise.
Peltan & Leru Corporation
Lee Pelzman managed three companies: Lee Pelzman Co., Leru Co., and Peltan & Leru. The Peltan & Leru Corp., 383 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y., was a sales and design firm established in 1955. Officers of Peltan & Leru were Lee Pelzman, president; Edward M. Rubin and David Tanner, vice presidents; Morton Levine, secretary: and Edward Carlson, treasurer.
Lee Pelzman was chairman of the board of American Tool & Finding Co., Inc., Providence, R.I. From 1954, he also served as director of design of Commonwealth Plastics Corporation in Massachusetts.
“Around the World in 80 Days”
Pelzman himself was a talented designer, patenting several of his jewelry designs and drawings.
Thus, in 1956, he created the design for the “Around the World in 80 Days” charm bracelet, a patent for which he received in 1957.
Pelzman created a collection of the bracelets for the release of the film “Around the World in 80 Days” by directors Michael Anderson and John Farrow. These were charm bracelets made in gold and silver tones. Supporting the film’s plot, the charms depicted a hot air balloon, a bicycle, a ship, a steam, an elephant, and so on.
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