Stanley Hagler was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1923. A veteran of World War II, he graduated from the University of Denver with a law degree in 1949. His design career began in the early 1950's on a dare, when he designed a bracelet "fit for a queen" for Wallace Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. The result was a gold-plated bangle decorated with see earls which the Duchess-who loved precious an costume jewelry-fell in love with. She became a huge fan, piquing the interest of the style-conscious when she wore Hagler's bracelet to the Bal de Masque at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. At the insistence of the staff of Vogue magazine Hagler went on to reproduce the design using a profusion of multi-colored glass beads and flowers. He established the Stanley Hagler Jewelry Co. in New York's Greenwich Village 1953 with Edward Nakles. Vogue magazine followed his work with enthusiasm, and the Denver Post described it as "opulent and provocative" in 1956.