I first encountered The 1928 Jewelry Company in 1975, when I was 19 years old and planning my wedding. I fell in love with a simple necklace found in a magazine ad, and I wanted it for my bridesmaids. From that time forward, I watched the line grow in popularity. Now, it's part of jewelry-making history, sentimental to many and collected by countless vintage jewelry afficionados.

Behind those lovely vintage-style pieces is an amazing rags-to-riches tale many may not yet know. In 1968, two young men in their early twenties wanted to start a jewelry company, but they had no money. And money wasn't the only issue: They didn’t know how to make jewelry, either! Sometimes terrific drive and perseverance pay off, and in this case, it paid off in spades.

I wish I'd had a book like this back when I started my own little design company in the ’90s. Without a doubt, the advice found in it would have made a great deal of difference for me, as I'd started out with little experience just as 1928 did.

It's fairly safe to say there is no book available quite like this one. Making It 1928 tells you the 1928 story, while teaching you how the business of design works--using the example of a company that has no equal in its genre. Section by section you will learn how the company was developed, and how it prospered--also, how it survived in hard times. If you collect 1928, the book will be a treasure to you, showing you many of the rare older pieces, how they were made, and how to circa-date them.

One day in March 2015 Mel Bernie, the CEO of 1928 Jewelry Company and one of its founders, reached out to me to see if we could do a little business. Quite honestly, meeting the guy was on my bucket list for a long time, so I couldn't have been happier to talk to him. Long story short, we began to collaborate on a variety of projects and had lots of conversations--some almost daily, brainstorming new ideas.

And--it wasn't long before Mel began to tell me the 1928 Jewelry Company story.

As yet, there was no book about 1928 Jewelry, so none of the stories were chronicled. Mel thought the book was a good idea, and he also thought I should be the one to write it because of the passion I had for jewelry making as well as for his company. I embarked on the endeavor without knowing how difficult it would be; but I dealt with the issues and kept going--just as they had done.

Brenda Sue Lansdowne

B’sue Boutiques/Making It 1928/The 1928 Jewelry Company