Vintage Josef Originals Birthday Girl Birthstone Figurine March Aquamarine Japan

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Vintage Josef Originals Birthday Girl Birthstone Figurine March Aquamarine Japan:
$39.99

Vintage Josef Originals Birthday Girl Birthstone Figurine March Aquamarine Japan
This is one of Muriel Joseph\'s vintage birthday girl figurines featuring the birthstone of the month for March, the Aquamarine. The ceramic figurine is in well maintianed pre-owned condition with no chips, cracks, or damage.
At the beginning of World War II in Arcadia, California Muriel Joseph created Lucite costume jewelry under the business name Muriel of California. Unfortunately, Lucite was needed for the war effort to manufacture windshields in airplanes, forcing Joseph to search for a new material and product line. For a few years she made ceramic jewelry before seizing on the idea of ceramic figurines, which she produced with the help of her fiancée. By 1946, Josef Originals was launched, complete with the misspelling of Muriel Joseph George’s maiden name, thanks to a printing error.
Figurines of adorable animals, angels, and children dominated her early lines, as the small company, which was based in the couple’s home, focused on quality over quantity. By the mid-1950s, though, fake Josef Originals from Japan started to appear in the United States. George countered by adding even more details to her pieces, but this just made them more expensive to produce. A businessman named George Good convinced the couple to fight fire with fire and begin manufacturing Josef originals in Japan. In 1959, they went to the Katayama factory in Japan to personally train the workers there to ensure that the quality of Josef Originals remained high. From 1962 on, Josef Originals were imported from Japan. The company was sold to George Good in 1982 and he continued to make Josef Originals until 1985. The company was sold two more times until bankruptcy forced its closure in 2011.