Joseff-Hollywood, Famous for Jewels, has Aerospace History
from WWII to Present
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is edited from a presentation deliv- ered at the Investment Casting Institute’s recent Spring Management Meeting by Tina Joseff, Chief Executive Officer at Joseff-Hollywood.
Tina Joseff Joseff-Hollywood. The name implies
glamour and show business, and, indeed, the jewelry the company created for the movies for decades has been the driving force behind the company’s fame. What is less known about the company and its founder are the roles they played in the aerospace industry during World War II and even earlier. This early entrance into the aerospace
market has continued and is today a major portion of Joseff-Hollywood’s investment casting business.
The company got its start in 1928 as Sunset Jewelry Manufacturing. Founder Eugene Joseph Glaser created
period
pieces of jewelry which were rented to the studios, and then retained the pieces in what would become his extensive stu- dio collection.
He hired a staff to manufacture the jewels for the movies. The jewelry was a smashing success and actresses were soon asking for pieces from their latest films,. This demand led to the formation of Jo- seff Distribution Inc. and the creation of his new name, Eugene Joseff, in 1938. With
business booming, Joseff
couldn’t keep up with the studio de- mands, the retail jewelry sales and the office management, and called Sawyer Business College and requested they send their best secretary. They sent Joan Castle whose organizational skills were quickly utilized.
At Castle’s recommendation,
the company was incorporated in 1939 as Joseff-Hollywood. War time brought a new facet to the business of Joseff-Hollywood, an entirely
August 2012
Joseff began making jewelry for movies in 1928 and the company continues do so today. Joseff-Hollywood retains the jewels in a permanent collection.
13
new facet, but based on the ancient in- vestment casting process. The company and its founder adapt- ed the investment casting process advan- tageously to the create small high-toler- ance precision parts in both ferrous and nonferrous materials.
The process proved especially well suited to the creation of parts not easily made by lathe or machine-tooling, and highly desirable in the now all-important field of aircraft. At this point the Joseff- Hollywood plant really began to hum, as the ancient art of the jeweler made its in- valuable contribution to national defense.
Eugene Joseff The McDonnell Douglas fleet of
DC3s were being flown commercially by American, United, TWA and Eastern air- lines, and these planes paved the way for the modern American air travel industry, replacing trains as the favored means of long-distance travel.
The investment
caster began working on this program in the late 30s. Peak production of the DC3 was in 1944 with 4,853 planes having been delivered. The US Army Air Force in WWII adapted the DC3 to the C-47. The C-47 military
adaptation, using Pratt and Whitney turbines, was produced in San-
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