In 1947 William DeLizza and Harold Elster founded 'DeLizza & Elster', also known as D&E, in New York. Their idea was to design and manufacture costume jewellery and accessories for customers looking for a little sparkle after the austerity of the Second World War.

Because D&E produced a great deal of unsigned jewellery, identification can be tricky. Characteristic construction techniques to look for include soldered pin backs on brooches and figure-of-eight 'cups' holding the rhinestones.

In 1967 D&E decided to create its own brand by attaching paper tags reading 'Juliana Original' to some pieces. Not all Juliana pieces by D&E were tagged, and none were signed on the pieces themselves. Definitively identifying a vintage Juliana piece is made harder still by the fact that the brand lasted barely two years. Even so, the name Juliana is today synonymous with DeLizza & Elster in the minds of many vintage costume-jewellery fans.