Frederick Mosell, a Spanish-born jeweler, came to the United States at the beginning of World War II. As early as 1940, he began making jewelry in the kitchen of his New York apartment. Six months later, his pieces were in such demand that he had to open a workshop and begin mass production. Publications in the 1940s began writing about Mosell as “the most inventive costume jewelry designer in the country.”

Whether he’s taking a walk, going to a show, or reading a newspaper, Mosell was always thinking about jewelry. When he saw a black swan on a lake in New York’s Central Park, he made a swan brooch, coated it in black enamel, and set it with rhinestones. When he learned about the opening of the Metropolitan Opera season, he made a bejeweled brooch “A Night at the Opera.” The design featured figures of a man and woman looking through rhinestone opera glasses.

The jeweler drew inspiration from the works of Spanish artist Francisco Goya, from couples dancing passionately, and incorporated them into his jewelry creations.

Indeed, Mosell got many of his ideas simply by “looking around.” From 1940 to 1945, he created hundreds of pieces of remarkable originality. Parisian street lamps were transformed into a pin with hand-beveled glass panels and small glowing rods that glow in the dark. The pin was such a success that he later made pins with Hollywood and New York street lamps.

Frederick Mosell

Mosell enjoyed working with white metal best because it suited his intricate designs perfectly. However, when the War Production Board banned jewelry manufacturers from using white metal in 1942, Mosell turned to silver.

In his interviews, Mosell often gave advice to jewelry lovers. For example, he suggested that girls wear jewelry as protective talismans and a symbol of hope during war. The designer also advised women not to wear too many pieces of jewelry at once, “so as not to look like a Christmas tree.”

Spanish-born jewelry designer Frederick Mosell (1940-1960)

Although many vintage jewelry reference books write about Mosel as a jeweler of French origin, he was not. According to publications in the 1940s newspapers, Frederick Mosell was a Spanish-born jewelry designer. Among these newspapers were The Evening Independent (1941), Tacoma Times (1942), Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Daytona Beach Morning Journal (1942), Rockland County Journal News (1942), Mechanix Illustrated, etc.

The last publication about the designer was in 1959 Jewelers’ Circular Keystone. “Helmut Roder, former partner with Frederic Mosell in Frederic Mosell Jewelry, recently opened his own store, Roder Jewelry, at 16 W. 31st St., New York. After the 1960s, there were no more publications or mentions of the jeweler, perhaps due to his retirement or even premature death. Neither the exact date of birth nor the date of death of the designer is available on relevant information resources.

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