The charm (and likely the marketing technique) was the inclusion of a small romance card that told the jewelry’s backstory, including which celebrity had worn the original and in what movie or promotional still. Stones, primarily cubic zirconia, faux pearls, and other man-made gems, were offered in a rainbow of hues, from ruby red and dusky emerald to champagne, cognac, and canary, plus cabochons in blues, pinks, and blacks, set in sterling silver or alloy, plated with either rhodium or 14k gold. On each piece is the signature stamp: HC. Sometimes I’d purchase an item solely based on it having been inspired by a certain celebrity I fancied. But more often than not, I selected based on design and sparkle factor.

For my 14th birthday, my Aunt Lisa bought me what has become one of my all-time favorite rings in my jewelry box — Vivien Leigh’s from the 1955 film “The Deep Blue Sea.” I like everything about it, from the profile and shape to cut of the stones set in snow white metal. But I think it was the description of the center oval stone being surrounded by “encrusted” diamonds that sealed the deal.

Jewelry styles presented by HC include Art Deco, the White Period of the early 1930s, colorful cocktail rings of the ‘40s, and rhinestones in the ‘50s and beyond. Geo-politics also influenced designs. During World War II, the U.S. government declared platinum a strategic metal and banned all non-military usage, leading jewelers to consider white and yellow gold as alternatives.

If you’re as smitten by these baubles as I am, I highly recommend the 1992 book “Hollywood Jewels: Movies, Jewelry, Stars” by Penny Proddow, Debra Healy and Marion Fasel with photography by David Behl. It’s a photographic journey through the Silent Era, Golden Age and extending into the early ‘90s. The authors — experienced jewelry curators — combed through hundreds of films, reviewed auction records, and interviewed jewelers, filmmakers, and actors, to compile the details housed in the book. The Hollywood Collection reproduced some of the pieces highlighted within its pages.

As I look back on more than 20 years wearing and collecting Hollywood Collection jewelry, I can’t help but lament. How many special occasions have I slipped one of its rings on my finger, or clasped the chain on a necklace, eager to adorn myself with just a glimmer, just a taste, of a bygone era — a portal to the past — a kind of train that transports you from the mundane to the extraordinary. Hop aboard. I’ll save you a seat.