Hobe was founded in 1887 by Jacques Hobe, a goldsmith, in Paris. His son, William Hobe, helped to catapult the company into fame. William came to the United States in the 1920's, starting his career working for Florence Ziegfeld, a New York City Broadway producer. Ziegfeld asked Hobe to created pieces of jewelry for his shows. It is said that once Ziegfeld saw the creations, he described them as costume jewelry. This could be the origin of the term, costume jewelry! Goldtone with brown stone.