Guide · 5 min read
Lisner Jewelry: How to Identify, Date, and Value It
Lisner is best known for colorful mid-century costume jewelry: rhinestones in every shade, iridescent aurora borealis stones, and molded-plastic autumn leaves. It’s widely collected and widely available, so most pieces sell for modest amounts. Complete matching sets in great condition are where the value is.
A short history
D. Lisner & Co. was established in New York in 1904 by David Lisner, growing out of a family import business. Collector sources describe it as Elsa Schiaparelli’s US agent in the late 1930s, though the details vary from source to source. In the 1970s Lisner acquired the pearl-jewelry maker Richelieu, becoming Lisner-Richelieu, which was sold to Victoria Creations in 1979. Lisner-branded jewelry stopped being made in the mid-1980s.
How to read the marks
| What you see | What collectors date it to |
|---|---|
| LISNER in block capitals | From about 1935 |
| Lisner in script | From about 1938 |
| Lisner in script with an extended L, sometimes in a circle or oval | From about 1959 |
These dates come from collector references, not company records, so use them as a guide and let the style confirm. Our vintage costume jewelry marks guide covers the general dating clues, like the © that most makers added from the mid-1950s.
The designs collectors look for
- Molded-plastic leaves in reds, oranges, greens, and browns, set with aurora borealis rhinestones. This is Lisner’s signature look; collectors usually call the material thermoset, though sellers also say Lucite. The oak-leaf designs are generally dated to the early-to-mid 1960s.
- Colored rhinestone and aurora borealis sets: necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and earrings designed to match.
- Holiday pieces, like Christmas tree pins.
- Molded-plastic fruit and other novelty designs.
Check the plastic carefully: cracks, chips, and cloudy or missing rhinestones cut value more than anything else. Aurora borealis stones mean a piece dates from about 1955 or later (see our vintage brooches guide for more dating clues).
What Lisner sells for
Lisner is plentiful, and completed sales reflect that. At Ripley Auctions in 2024 (hammer prices, before the buyer’s premium), a group of Lisner pieces with a red aurora borealis necklace sold for $70, and five Lisner Christmas tree brooches sold together for $60. A green floral necklace and brooch set sold there for $120. Leaf parures are the pieces collectors talk about most, but we couldn’t find a verified recent auction result for one, so we won’t quote a figure. Asking prices online run higher than these sales; use completed sales of the same design to price yours. Our guide to whether vintage costume jewelry is worth anything explains how.
Buying or selling Lisner
Sell matching pieces together; a full leaf parure is worth more than the same pieces listed one by one. Photograph the mark, the back, and the plastic in good light so buyers can judge condition. If you’re shopping, browse Lisner on StillSparkly or jewelry sets.
Related guides
Vintage Costume Jewelry Marks: A Guide to Designer Signatures
A name on the back of a brooch tells you who made it. How that name is written, and what’s stamped next to it, often tells you when.
Is My Vintage Costume Jewelry Worth Anything?
Usually a little, sometimes a lot. The value is in the maker, the design, the construction, and the condition, and you can check all four at the kitchen table.
Vintage Brooches: How to Identify, Date, and Value Them
Turn it over first. The back of a brooch tells you more about its age than the front, and the materials narrow it down from there.
Have some Lisner?
Get a free estimate from a photo, or list it with a close-up of the mark. Matching sets sell best together.