The English jewellery company Sphinx was founded in 1948 in the United Kingdom and became famous for its beautiful, high-quality costume jewellery. Its beautifully designed ornaments looked like the real thing. The quality was so high that the company began producing jewellery exclusively for brands and stores such as Kenneth Jay Lane, Butler & Wilson, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's. Notable, marked Sphinx pieces only appeared in the early 1960s. Sphinx costume jewellery is highly prized by collectors of vintage jewellery, as the company ceased trading in the late 1990s.