Vintage Jay Strongwater Dumont Bee Clock, Turtle Frame & Jeweled Brooch Set
A richly detailed vintage Jay Strongwater three-piece collector set featuring the Dumont Bee desk clock, a Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame, and an ornate multicolor Jay Strongwater brooch.
The clock is finished in deep burgundy-red enamel with warm gold-tone trim, multicolored crystal accents, an ivory Roman numeral dial, and Strongwater’s wonderfully extravagant jeweled bee perched along the upper edge. Its sculptural pedestal base, inset stones, and glossy enamel finish make it feel less like a conventional desk clock and more like a piece of jewelry that happens to tell time.
The coordinating Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame features an oval easel-back design surrounded by sculptural autumn-toned foliage, sparkling crystal embellishments, and an elaborate jeweled floral motif. Completing the group is a signed Jay Strongwater brooch featuring a large faceted emerald-green center stone surrounded by rich red, amber, and deep-blue cabochon-style stones set within ornate gold-tone scrollwork.
Together, these three pieces provide a particularly interesting look at both sides of Strongwater’s design history: the dramatic jewelry that established his name and the lavish decorative objects that ultimately became his signature.
📚 Historical Context
Jay Strongwater’s story started long before somebody decided a clock needed a jeweled bee sitting on top of it.
Designer Jay Feinberg began creating jewelry in the early 1980s, developing a reputation for bold, oversized pieces that treated costume jewelry with the same theatrical flair normally reserved for much more expensive materials. His work eventually made its way into major department stores and fashion collections, including collaborations with Oscar de la Renta.
Then came the turn.
During the mid-1990s, Strongwater began applying those same jewelry-making ideas (cast metal, rich enamel, crystals, sculptural details, and plenty of ornament) to decorative objects for the home.
And apparently once the door opened, there was no going back.
Picture frames became jeweled sculptures. Boxes became miniature works of art. Animals, insects, flowers, and foliage started appearing across everything from candlesticks to clocks.
The Dumont Bee desk clock fits squarely into that era. A practical quartz clock could have been made from plastic, given a simple dial, and sent on its way.
Strongwater instead gave it burgundy enamel, gold-tone borders, inset crystals, and a jewel-covered bee hanging over the dial like it owns the place.
The brooch represents where Strongwater came from, oversized statement jewelry built to get noticed.
The Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame and Dumont Bee Clock represent where the company was heading: ordinary household objects treated with the detail and theatricality of fine jewelry.
Put all three together, and you essentially have a miniature timeline of the Jay Strongwater brand sitting on one tabletop.
✨ Condition Notes
- Clock has been tested and ticks and keeps time.
- Ivory Roman numeral dial presents cleanly.
- Front crystal is clear.
- Burgundy enamel remains glossy with its original subtle sparkle.
- Gold-tone trim presents well with light age-related surface wear.
- Jeweled bee remains securely mounted and visually striking.
- Multicolored crystal accents remain bright.
- Light surface wear and handling marks are present consistent with vintage age.
- Jay Strongwater Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame retains its tabletop easel backing.
- Frame features sculptural foliage, jeweled floral detailing, and crystal accents.
- Frame shows light vintage surface and finish wear consistent with display.
- Jay Strongwater brooch retains its rear pin and clasp hardware.
- Brooch features a large emerald-green center stone surrounded by red, amber, and dark blue cabochon-style stones.
- No obvious major structural damage is visible in the supplied photographs.
Please review all photographs closely for individual enamel, crystal, metal, and surface condition.
📏 Measurements (approximate)
Jay Strongwater Dumont Bee Clock
Height: ~4.5 in
Width: ~3 in
Depth: ~1.75 in
Jay Strongwater Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame
Height: ~3.6 in
Width: ~2.5 in
Jay Strongwater Brooch
Width: ~1.9 in
Height: ~1.75 in
📦 Packaging
Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
Because this listing includes three separate Jay Strongwater pieces, each will be individually protected to prevent the enamel, crystals, decorative elements, and metal surfaces from contacting one another during shipment.
A richly detailed vintage Jay Strongwater three-piece collector set featuring the Dumont Bee desk clock, a Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame, and an ornate multicolor Jay Strongwater brooch.
The clock is finished in deep burgundy-red enamel with warm gold-tone trim, multicolored crystal accents, an ivory Roman numeral dial, and Strongwater’s wonderfully extravagant jeweled bee perched along the upper edge. Its sculptural pedestal base, inset stones, and glossy enamel finish make it feel less like a conventional desk clock and more like a piece of jewelry that happens to tell time.
The coordinating Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame features an oval easel-back design surrounded by sculptural autumn-toned foliage, sparkling crystal embellishments, and an elaborate jeweled floral motif. Completing the group is a signed Jay Strongwater brooch featuring a large faceted emerald-green center stone surrounded by rich red, amber, and deep-blue cabochon-style stones set within ornate gold-tone scrollwork.
Together, these three pieces provide a particularly interesting look at both sides of Strongwater’s design history: the dramatic jewelry that established his name and the lavish decorative objects that ultimately became his signature.
📚 Historical Context
Jay Strongwater’s story started long before somebody decided a clock needed a jeweled bee sitting on top of it.
Designer Jay Feinberg began creating jewelry in the early 1980s, developing a reputation for bold, oversized pieces that treated costume jewelry with the same theatrical flair normally reserved for much more expensive materials. His work eventually made its way into major department stores and fashion collections, including collaborations with Oscar de la Renta.
Then came the turn.
During the mid-1990s, Strongwater began applying those same jewelry-making ideas (cast metal, rich enamel, crystals, sculptural details, and plenty of ornament) to decorative objects for the home.
And apparently once the door opened, there was no going back.
Picture frames became jeweled sculptures. Boxes became miniature works of art. Animals, insects, flowers, and foliage started appearing across everything from candlesticks to clocks.
The Dumont Bee desk clock fits squarely into that era. A practical quartz clock could have been made from plastic, given a simple dial, and sent on its way.
Strongwater instead gave it burgundy enamel, gold-tone borders, inset crystals, and a jewel-covered bee hanging over the dial like it owns the place.
The brooch represents where Strongwater came from, oversized statement jewelry built to get noticed.
The Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame and Dumont Bee Clock represent where the company was heading: ordinary household objects treated with the detail and theatricality of fine jewelry.
Put all three together, and you essentially have a miniature timeline of the Jay Strongwater brand sitting on one tabletop.
✨ Condition Notes
- Clock has been tested and ticks and keeps time.
- Ivory Roman numeral dial presents cleanly.
- Front crystal is clear.
- Burgundy enamel remains glossy with its original subtle sparkle.
- Gold-tone trim presents well with light age-related surface wear.
- Jeweled bee remains securely mounted and visually striking.
- Multicolored crystal accents remain bright.
- Light surface wear and handling marks are present consistent with vintage age.
- Jay Strongwater Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame retains its tabletop easel backing.
- Frame features sculptural foliage, jeweled floral detailing, and crystal accents.
- Frame shows light vintage surface and finish wear consistent with display.
- Jay Strongwater brooch retains its rear pin and clasp hardware.
- Brooch features a large emerald-green center stone surrounded by red, amber, and dark blue cabochon-style stones.
- No obvious major structural damage is visible in the supplied photographs.
Please review all photographs closely for individual enamel, crystal, metal, and surface condition.
📏 Measurements (approximate)
Jay Strongwater Dumont Bee Clock
Height: ~4.5 in
Width: ~3 in
Depth: ~1.75 in
Jay Strongwater Jeweled Floral Oval Picture Frame Tabletop Easel Frame
Height: ~3.6 in
Width: ~2.5 in
Jay Strongwater Brooch
Width: ~1.9 in
Height: ~1.75 in
📦 Packaging
Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
Because this listing includes three separate Jay Strongwater pieces, each will be individually protected to prevent the enamel, crystals, decorative elements, and metal surfaces from contacting one another during shipment.
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