Historical information
Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. was a North American jewellery company that was established in Wodonga in 1969. The premises were originally on High St., but a new warehouse was built in Melbourne Rd. later in 1969.
The North American parent company of the Stuart family started Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. in 1949, as part of Emmons Jewelry, Inc. It was a direct selling jewellery business using a party-plan model similar to Tupperware and Avon. The sales reps or 'Hostesses' were provided with jewellery samples in demonstration kits, which they displayed at jewellery parties in their homes.
The designs for jewellery such as brooches, necklaces, earrings, chokers and bracelets were purchased from freelance designers and jewellery manufacturers rather than in-house designers.
In 1979, Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. in Wodonga was bought as an Australian business venture, which included Wodonga local Jim Sawyer, and continued to sell jewellery under the name "Sargem Pty. Ltd”, for several more years in the 1980s.
Significance
The brooch has local significance as part of the decentralised commercial development of regional centres such as Wodonga in NE Victoria. As part of the Sarah Coventry collection, the brooch has national and international significance from the perspective of social and economic developments for women after World War II. The direct selling party-plan business model Sarah Coventry was based on is also considered the first of its kind for jewellery.
Physical description
Oval brooch in gold toned metal with red blue and black enamel (?) inlay.
Inscriptions & markings
"©SARAHCOV" on the back surface
Subjects
References
- Wodonga Historical Society Archives. Folder on Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. in the business section of the filing system at the Wodonga Historical Society.
- Life in the Finger Lakes Website – “All that Glittered: The Rise and Fall of Sarah Coventry Inc.” Accessed 8 February 2021.
- Collectors Weekly Website: “Vintage Sarah Coventry Jewelry.” Accessed 8 February 2021.
- The Spruce Crafts Website: “What Is Sarah Coventry Jewelry?” Accessed 8 February 2021.
- Border Mail article: "Wodonga region a global drawcard: Then and Now." Article in the Border Mail newspaper, December 7, 2019, by Uta Wiltshire at the Wodonga Historical Society.
