CoroCraftFishComparison

CoroCraft "Fighting Fish"
Comparison of Real and Fake

Pictured above is a "fake" Coro Craft fighting fish. I don't own this fish; I have only the pics to compare detail. The key difference between this fish and the original 1940s fighting fish shown below is the "open" loops on the end of the large fins -- which are also rather bumpy-looking. They may have rhinestones, or bumps to give a sparkly appearance. There are other subtle differences, such as smaller and more numerous rhinestones on the body, and a "pierced," rather than smooth, back. It looks like the Coro Craft plate is on the fin to the right, above. I don't know what it says. although it appears to say "CoroCraft Sterling."

This is an original early 1940s Coro Craft fighting fish, from my personal collection. Notice the closed loops on the ends of the fins. Also, the fin loops are smooth, rather than bumpy, and have a bit of enameling (which you may not be able to see in the jpg). The back is smooth. The applied signature plate, which is more squarish, says "Sterling CoroCraft" with the "Pegasus" mark, and is applied to the back of the fish's body. Note: in this pin, the large rhinestone was foiled originally; it has mostly worn off, making it look, in this photo, like the pin came with an unfoiled stone.

When I first encountered the faux CoroCraft fish pictured above, I believed it to be a recent reproduction. It may still be. Two articles by Carole Ann Ashley¹, a well-known repro expert, feature photos of a "fake"² fish that resembles this fish. However, there are some differences in this "fake" fish which distinguish it from the fake fish presented in Ashley's article. First: It is marked differently -- it has a signature plate. And, I'm told the plate of the fake fish pictured above is applied, rather than molded on. Carole Ann's fake fish has an "incised" Corocraft mark along the edge of one fin, which is not how CoroCraft generally marked its pieces. Second: Carole Ann's fake fish has a smooth back; the fake fish pictured above has a pierced back. Finally, the "fake" fish shown above originated with a fellow who stated that his aunt purchased it in the early 1960s. If true, this could mean that this piece was "knocked off" some years ago, rather than recently.

It also has been speculated that CoroCraft made this piece, sometime in the 1960s or 1970s. I would be really surprised if this were the case; generally, when jewelry companies re-issue their own pieces, they use the original molds (as did Trifari, for example). Bottom line . . . I believe the fish was not made by CoroCraft, but was made as a deliberate fake.

So . . . there apparently is more than one "fake" CoroCraft fighting fish swimming around out there. I have, in fact, encountered "fake" fish that, in stone color and enameling, resemble the genuine fish pictured above. But remember -- if it has open fins, it is NOT genuine, no matter how good it may look. If you have any additional knowledge about reproductions of this piece, or any other information, please email me!

¹"Costume Jewelry: Confusing Fakes and Copies" by Carole Ann Ashley, Antiques & Collectors Reproduction News, August 1996, Vol. 5, No. 8; "It's the 'Real' Thing? The Art of the 'New' Old Jewelry" by Carole Ann Ashley, Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry Newsletter, Winter, 1997.

²Useful terms: "Re-issue" - a piece remade and reissued by its original manufacturer, some time after the issuance of the original piece. "Reproduction" - a copy or "knock-off" of another manufacturer's piece, but with the new manufacturer's signature (or no signature at all). "Fake" - a deliberate copy of a designer vintage piece, complete with designer name (sometimes not the correct one), with intent to pass off as genuine vintage.

Home to Rhinestone Rainbow