Immediately after the end of World War II, the jewelry business in the United States experienced a real boom. New companies opened, and once-closed firms resumed their activities in the production of costume jewelry. One of these new jewelry companies was Sonia Lee Inc.

American designer of Korean origin, Sonia Lee founded her jewelry business in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1945. Originally located at 166 Doyle av, Sonia Lee Inc then moved to 76 Dorrance Street, Providence. Sonia Lee (1913-2006) was president and treasurer, and Newton B. Cohn (1923-2005) served as secretary.

Sonia Lee’s high-quality jewelry was sold exclusively through wholesale retailers in major U.S. department stores. Made from sterling silver, Austrian crystals and rhinestones, her exquisite brooches graced the pages of the national fashion magazines in the mid-1940s.

Like a shining star in the jewelry firmament, Sonia Lee was an immediate success in her business, and just as quickly burned out. According to Providence business directories, she was president of the eponymous jewelry company from 1945 to 1948. The last advertisement for the Sonia Lee company, published in the New York Times in 1947, offered jobs for sales representatives.

Sonia Lee lived a long life, but nothing is known about her life, or why the company ceased to exist at the height of its popularity. Rare and classic for the 1940s, jewelry marked Sonia Lee has stood the test of time and today has high collector value.

Sonia Lee Vintage Costume Jewelry (1945-1948)