In the 1950’s William Markle became lead designer at CASTLECLIFF, and his architecturally trained eye set a fanciful tone for the brand, drawing inspiration from a plethora of eras, most notably his Gothic, Art Deco and Renaissnce Designs. The end of the war brought unlimited access to materials,and his bold, sculptural and colorful jewelry was often adorned with multicolored rhinestones, glass gemstones and faux pearls, earning CASTLECLIFF's signature tag line, “The Talked About Jewelry”.
In the early 1970's Lawrence Vrba, arguably one of the greatest jewelry designers of the 20th century, took the helm at CASTLECLIFF and created some of the most iconic and sought after collections today. Inspired by Pre-Columbian artifacts and the vast archives of the American Museum of Natural History, his highly collectable pieces translated ancient jewelry into sculptural and colorful works of art in dramatic 1970’s silhouettes, complete with enormous glass cabochons and intricate details.
" The mood is Mayan. The pendant is the thing. It’s that primitive stuff, just great for costuming up your very civilized, soft-shaped looks. Totems, sun-and-moon images, masks and idols and mythological Gods. Really true repeats of ancient Mayan designs, updated into pendants of all weights and sizes, sometimes jewelled, sometimes not. " -Saks Fifth Ave Ad c. 1970.
In spite of this well received collection, CASTLECLIFF quietly closed its doors in the mid 1970’s, due to a changing economic climate and increased globalization and outsourcing in the industry. The iconic NYC brand lay dormant for almost half a century until our relaunch in 2017.
Our designs of CASTLECLIFF today pick up from where its last collection left off, with bold 1970’s silhouettes, inspired by everything from Pre-Columbian adornments, to artifacts of the Pacific Northwest, to botanicals of the Sonoran desert, all exuding CASTLECLIFF's signature style radiating color and scale. As a nod to our heritage and part of our mission of sustainability, we fancifully collage relics of the past into our new designs, incorporating the glass stones and vintage elements from CASTLECLIFF’s past into every new adornment. Every one of our castings is made of 100% recycled brass, and our vintage chains, our poured glass stones from the 1950s and 60s and our mix of quirky components are all found, vintage and upcycled. Remnants of a wasteful industry have become the building blocks of our modern accessories. In a world of throw away accessories, we hope to restore this NYC institution to it former glory and grow CASTLECLIFF into a sustainable and responsible costume jewelry brand for the 21st century.