Historical information
Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. was a North American jewellery company that was established in 1949 by the Stuart family as part of Emmons Jewelry, Inc. It began operations in England and Australia in 1968, and in Australia it moved from Carlton in Melbourne to Wodonga in 1969. The premises were originally on High St. in Wodonga, but a new warehouse was built in Melbourne Rd. later in 1969.
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 by three Australian businessmen, including Wodonga local Jim Sawyer, and continued to sell jewellery under the name "Sargem Pty. Ltd”, for several more years in the 1980s.
Significance
As part of the Sarah Coventry collection, the suitcase has local significance with the decentralised commercial development of regional centres such as Wodonga in NE Victoria, as well as 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
Green vinyl suitcase with the name 'Sarah Coventry' in lower case gold letters on one corner of the top surface and the number '1348' printed in gold on the back surface. Plated iron alloy hardware securing the handle on the front and the locking mechanism.
Inscriptions & markings
"Sarah Coventry" printed in gold letters on one corner of the top surface of the suitcase.
"1348" printed in gold on the back surface, which could be the number of the demonstration kit.
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 19 February 2021.
- Collectors Weekly Website: “Vintage Sarah Coventry Jewelry.” Accessed 19 February 2021.
- The Spruce Crafts Website: “What Is Sarah Coventry Jewelry?” Accessed 19 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.
