In my treasure hunting this week, I found this beautiful vintage rhinestone pin in the shape of a pony. Made in a silvertone (radium plated ?) material with a brushed finish, my little pony has bright, shiny rhinestones outlining his body, ears, and tail, and a red rhinestone eye.
I noticed the unusual mark on the back which I did not recognize—a capital "H" inside an elaborate heart, and then the copyright mark. So, I did some research.
I found this is a Hedy pin manufactured in the mid-to-late 60’s by the Hedison Manufacturing Company of Rhode Island. Actually, this is only one of three of their marks, the latest mark used by Hedison until the company went out of business in 1985. Their first trademark was the word “Hedy” written in cursive, used until the late-1950’s. Later, the mark was changed to a capital “H” within a heart, and the “edy” portion of the name outside the heart. Finally, in 1964, the logo was change to just the capital “H” within the heart, as seen on my pony. This dates the pin to somewhere between the mid-60’s to the mid-80’s, still a vintage collectible.
The Hedison Manufacturing company was founded in 1909 by Harry D. Hedison, Sr., an Armenian immigrant whose family name had originally been Heditsian (meaning "from the" or "son of the" ancient village in Armenia where his family finds its roots). As with many immigrants, the name was “Americanized” upon arrival in our fair land, and the family’s surname was changed to “Hedison.” Mr. Hedison’s sons, Harry, Jr. and H. David, took over the family business in 1954 when Hedison, Sr. passed away. They continued the family business for the next 30 years.
Not only did Hedison manufacture and plate their own costume, gold-filled, and precious jewelry during this time period, but they made jewelry for many other companies as well, and also operated as a jewelry importer/exporter. Often, only their boxes were marked with their logo, leaving the jewelry inside unmarked.
Hedy jewelry has become highly collectible over the years. You may even have a piece of your own but don’t know it because there is no mark.
If you have an authentic vintage Hedy piece, send me a photo and I’ll post it here. In the meantime, you can see my Hedy Rhinestone Horse Pin, and all my other unique auctions, here: The Whatsoever Shoppe!
Stringfield, Dottie. "Hedy & Hedison Jewelry." Illusion Jewels Presents: Researching Costume Jewelry. 2009. 11 Jan 2009. http://www.illusionjewels.com/hedisonjewelryarticle.html.
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