Renoir of California

Jerry Fels and his brother-in-law Curt Frelier founded the jewelry company Renoir of California in 1946 in Los Angeles. The firm began as an at-home operation before moving to a converted movie studio on Santa Monica Boulevard and finally, following a fire that destroyed all of the entire operation, to a studio on Glendale Boulevard. The company produced popular copper jewelry that ranged in inspiration from African Art to the machine age and modern art. The company’s output was so vast that they hired local Mexican metalsmiths to aid with the hand and machine production. New designs were introduced every September each year. In the 1950s , prices for the jewelry were under $10 to appeal to a growing... more.