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VEGA Maddux was a California jewelry maker from the
late 1960s to 1997 when she passed away. Those who knew her say she had a huge heart and was hospitable
and friendly. It is thought that she worked for the Sasha Brastoff studios, possibly in the
1960's, and she also did a cameo appearance in the movie, "Who's killing the Great
Chef's of Europe" in the late 1970's. She worked in the mid-1960s with Jimmy Durante
and Eddie Jackson as a comedian. A friend remembers seeing her at
the California Rhodium Flea Market with caseloads of her wonderful jewelry
and another customer shopped her wares at the Santa Monica Gem Show,
saying that she sold out almost immediately as each show opened, so
popular was her jewelry. Rumor has it that she was a real cat lover and
had a lovely operatic voice, a lady of many interests. According to her son, Maddux was
her maiden name. Her work
is colorful, whimsical, detailed and well-made, and her pieces are not
easy to find.
Scroll down for a fascinating view of her work on stage.
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VEGA necklace with black enamel,
black glass cabochons, carved jade centerpiece, orange enameled butterfly
and orange and lavender flowers, chain 20", pendant 8" long by 3-1/2"
wide. View
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View #X32392 |
VEGA bracelet with black enamel,
black glass cabochons, carved jade centerpiece, orange enameled butterfly
and orange and lavender flowers, 6-1/3" open back and 3" at front. View
#X32394 |
VEGA necklace with purple,
green, orange and yellow enameled 21" chain, 8" by 2-3/4" pendant.
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#X32393 |
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VEGA necklace with
ivory, jade and lapis beads, carved lapis centerpiece with yellow, orange,
blue and green enamel work pendant with bird and flowers. The beads are 30"
long and the pendant is 4" long. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry
maker.
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View #X20143 |
VEGA jewelry close-ups. |
VEGA jade and rose quartz beads
with pink, black, green, yellow, orange and rose enamel work bird,
butterfly and flowers, necklace 24" with a 6" pendant. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker.
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View #X5742 |
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VEGA lapis and malachite
necklace with burgundy, blue and green enamel and silver tone spacers,
20" long with a 3-3/4" front drop. Vega Maddux was a
California jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in
"Jewel Chat". All her pieces are beautifully
fashioned and her colors are sophisticated.
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View #X33542 |
VEGA ivory and malachite
necklace, green, pink and brown enamel with yellow bird and yellow and peach
flowers, malachite and ivory beads, 19-1/2" with a 5-1/2" pendant.
Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and more of her work can be
seen in "Jewel Chat". This necklace has all
the rich coloring and detail that made her work famous.
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#X33543 |
VEGA butterfly necklace of
carnelian and onyx with red, orange, yellow, green and black enamel, 22-1/2"
long with a 5" pendant. Vega Maddux was a California jewelry
maker and more of her work can be seen in "Jewel
Chat". Rich autumnal colors beautifully set off the Monarch butterfly
motif. View View
#X33549 |
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VEGA opal brooch with butterfly and blue, yellow and green enamel, 2-1/2" by
3-1/2". View #X33546 |
VEGA opal bracelet with
butterfly and blue, yellow and green enamel, 6-1/4" and 2" wide at the
front. View
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Both #X33544 |
VEGA butterfly brooch with
burgundy, black, orange, yellow and green enamel, 4-1/4" by 2-1/2".
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View #X33547 |
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VEGA brooch with jet and pink
quartz enameled butterflies, flowers and scrolls, 4-5/8" by 2-3/4".
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View #X34858 |
VEGA MADDUX lapis and ivory
necklace and earrings with a lovely floral motif, necklace 22-1/2" wearable
length with 5-1/3" pendant, earrings 2-1/4".
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View #X35270 |
VEGA Maddux coral, black and
enamel butterfly and flowers necklace 27" with a 7" front drop and 2"
earrings. The orange, peach, green and black combinations is striking and
her butterflies and flowers motifs are some of my favorite. This is a large
necklace as you can see by the dimensions, circa 1970.
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View #X35544 |
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VEGA MADDUX ring with opals and
enameled butterfly in bronze color, green and deep orange, size 8 and 2-1/3"
along the finger. View
View #X36798 |
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VEGA ring, orange and green
enamel flowers with turquoise and lapis stones, size 9, 2-3/4" at the front,
signed "Vega". View
View #X33153 |
VEGA ring, butterfly and
flowers in soft green, yellow, red and green enamel and lapis stones,
size 11, measures 2-1/4 at front, not signed but guaranteed a Vega.
View
View #X33154 |
VEGA ring, butterfly and
flowers in soft green, yellow, brown and red enamel with amethyst and
pink quartz stones, size 8-1/2, measures 2-1/4" at front, signed "Vega".
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View #X33155 |
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VEGA enameled ring with jade and pink quartz
stones and a peach rose with green leaves, size 9, 2-1/3".
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#X33332 |
VEGA enameled ring with a parrot
design and red, green and burgundy enameling and
Azurite/Malachite
(The Azurite is the blue material and the Malachite is the green material), size 10, 2-1/2". Azurite
was thought to be an aid to spiritualism by the Egyptians.
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View #X33331 |
VEGA enameled ring with black and
caramel enameling with pink quartz and black onyx cabochons, size 7 1-3/4".
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#X33333 |
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VEGA MADDUX ring in pink quartz with yellow and green enameling,
size 10 and 2-1/2" along the finger.
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View #X36363 |
VEGA Maddux opal and
enameled ring with swirls and flowers, size 9 and a whopping 3" along the
finger.
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View #X33677 |
VEGA Maddux ring in
caramel, gray and honey colored stones set in gold tone, size 9-1/2 and
2-1/4" along the finger. View
#X36306 |
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VEGA opal earrings with red,
green and yellow enamel, 1-1/2". One opal has a very stable crack in it,
visible under magnification.
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#X33550 |
VEGA carved amethyst and
enameled
brooch, 3". Vega Maddux was a California jewelry maker and
more of her work can be seen in "Jewel Chat".
View #X33548 |
VEGA ring, enamel and brown
butterfly and flowers, size 9-1/2, measures 3" at the front, not signed but
guaranteed a Vega. View
View #X33156 |
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VEGA Maddux ring of carved
ivory in orange, caramel, cream and black enameled setting, size 6-3/4,
1-1/2" along the finger and 1" high. Vega Maddux was a California
jewelry maker and more of her work can be seen in
"Jewel Chat".
View
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View #X33703 |
VEGA necklace with black and
pink quartz stones, black, orange, yellow and green enameled butterflies
and flowers set in gilt silver, signed "Vega" on the back, 27" long with
a 7-1/2" front drop.
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View #X33152
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VEGA MADDUX pendant with tiger
eye and malachite highlighted with black, burnt umber, chartreuse and
cream enamel, 2 7/8" long x 1 1/2" wide.
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View #X36705 |
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VEGA agate and silver bracelet. |
VEGA Maddux agate and silver bracelet
and ring with leafy overlay. Paul Golden was kind enough to share these pictures
of his early Vega set, and Vega's son says about it,
"Yes, that is a one of my Moms earlier pieces. Botswana Agate. Early on, my Mom
couldn't afford cut stones, so she used to handpick tumbled stones, so if the
stones are inconsistently shaped, in most cases, it's an earlier piece.
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VEGA agate and silver ring. |
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Many thanks to Paul Golden,
who shares his memories of Vega Maddux:
I met Vega as a kid through my grandparents. She performed with my
grandfather, Eddie Jackson, and Jimmy Durante. I enjoyed hearing her reminisce about the old
days in show business with my grandparents. She was close to my
father as well.
She
was part of my Grandfather's act with Jimmy Durante. She would sit
in the audience and sometime during the show Jimmy would come out on
stage with a VERY small one piece outfit. Of course it was beaded
and very red and very small, and he would ask for a volunteer to put
it on and perform on stage with he and my grandfather. Vega would
jump up and (you know in her hey day she was a large women) and run
on stage to put on this tiny little outfit! It got a lot of
laughs. She would then come out and perform with them using her
"hips" and pushing both of them (Eddie and Jimmy) all over the stage
as they danced and sang together.
In the early 1990's a group of us would meet at a restaurant called
Vitello's in North Hollywood on Cahuenga Blvd. where she would sing
her beautiful operatic music. The help would also sing while you
were having dinner, but NO ONE could come close to matching her
magnificent voice!
As I got older I use to go to the swap meets with her and Leslie,
her husband, in their motor home. I would
unload all of the display cases and tables and help her set up for
the day. To see her pieces spread out on a table was absolutely
incredible! In the morning I would pick out a bracelet and or a
ring and wear it during the day so people could see it on.
I would
generally watch everything at the tables while Vega was in her
van/motor home either making new pieces or doing repairs for people
who would be coming by our booth that day. When Vega, wanted to be
"on" she was so flamboyant, it was contagious. People were drawn to
her.
She was like family to me because of her closeness with my
grandparents. I knew her for most of my adolescent years growing
up.
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Jimmy Durante, Vega Maddux, Sonny King and Eddie Jackson. |
July 1968
"Vega Maddux, a... blonde bombshell who... danced right into your heart
with a bang!"
I am told the act included pulling Vega, supposedly an audience member,
up on stage wear a teeny costume, which she donned to dance in.
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VEGA and her wonderful operatic voice. |
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USO Show
Carib Amphibious Ready Group 2nd
USS Guam, February 16, 1967 |
La Copa Supper Club, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jimmy, Eddie and Vega
February 11, 1967 |
Jimmy Durante January 28, 1968
Whiting Auditorium, Flint, Michigan |
Caesar's Monticelllo Restaurant Menu and program,
October 24 - November 3, 1968 |
Desert Inn, Las Vegas
October, 1970 |
Vega Maddux and Eddie Jackson |
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