Eisenberg
Dates of operation: 1920s (1930s for jewelry) – at least 2011
1920s Eisenberg only made fashions.
1928 Eisenberg is officially incorporated.
1930s Eisenberg added rhinestone elements to fashions and by the mid-1930s started a jewelry line.
1958 Eisenberg stopped selling fashions to concentrate on jewelry.
From the beginning, Eisenberg jewelry was designed and manufactured by jobbers including but not limited to Agnini & Singer, Reinad Novelty Co. and Fallon & Kappel. At this early time, the designs created by these companies were not necessarily exclusive to Eisenberg. An excerpt from the book Eisenberg Originals The Golden Years of Fashion, Jewelry, and Fragrance, 1920s – 1950s by Sharon G. Schwartz and Laura Sutton describes early Eisenberg designs.
The earliest Eisenberg jewelry was marked “Eisenberg Original” and the pieces were made of pot metal. These pieces could be gold washed, gold plated, be given antiqued finishes, coated (which has a more polished patina), or left unfinished which has a dull appearance similar to pewter. Schwartz, p. 201
Schwartz, Sharon G. and Sutton, Laura. Eisenberg Originals The Golden Years of Fashion Jewelry and Fragrance, 1920s – 1950s. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2017. p. 201.
In the early 1940s, two important “jewelry” decisions were made. First, Ruth Kamke was hired by Fallon & Kappel as a jewelry designer. Then in 1943 Eisenberg formed an exclusive relationship with Fallon & Kappel to design and manufacture jewelry for Eisenberg.
Ruth Kamke was fresh out of high school when she was hired at Fallon.
She won the position by bringing in a fashion design sketchbook in which she had created individual jewelry pieces to match her original clothing. Since dresses with adornments were a staple of one of F & K’s largest clients, Eisenberg, they snapped her up. A week later they made her their sole in-house designer.
Schwartz p. 196
From 1943 until Fallon & Kappel closed in 1972 Eisenberg designs were created by Ruth Kamke. Some design patents list Florence Nathan as the creator, but Nathan applied for the patents. She may have helped select the designs to be made, but it is believed she was not the designer. After leaving Fallon & Kappel, Kamke designed for Panetta.
Working at Fallon & Kappel, Kamke learned the intricacies of manufacturing, so she was quickly able to create designs that conformed to what was “possible” in the manufacturing world.
Eisenberg Marks
Author’s Note: I’m always delighted to see an Eisenberg mark on a piece of jewelry. It’s wonderful Eisenberg signed many of their creations! However, the range of dates for the various signatures differs from one source to another. In addition, Eisenberg did not immediately retire one signature in favor of another. Therefore, dates and date ranges shown here are my best analysis from this research. It is essential when dating Eisenberg to not only look at the signature style, but also to consider the use of materials, construction, and fashions of the era.
1943 – 1948 Eisenberg Original in dotted letters with sterling or script with sterling
Sometimes stone setters marked the jewelry with a letter or number, sometimes in a circle. This mark was in addition to the Eisenberg signature. Stone setter marks alone do not authenticate a piece as an unsigned Eisenberg.
The Eisenberg jewelry made in Mexico has the hand-written style of Eisenberg with sterling (not shown)
Briefly from 1942 – 1945 block print E in pot metal (not shown)
1943 – 1948 Script E with sterling
1948 – 1958 Block Eisenberg no copyright
From 1958 – ~1970 Some sources state that Eisenberg from this period is unsigned except for a paper label. Some say Eisenberg was always signed. Others state that some pieces at this time are signed but many were unsigned except for a removable paper label.
From ~1970 – 2011 Eisenberg Ice with the copyright in block letters
Author’s Note: Eisenberg Ice was used in advertising prior to ~1970 but not marked on jewelry until around that time.
1970s “Artist Series” marked E with the copyright symbol
1980s Enamels with rhinestones marked Eisenberg in block letters with the copyright symbol, some marked E with the copyright symbol
Jewelry from the 1994 and 2000 Classics Series is marked Eisenberg Ice in script with a date
Author’s Note: Some designs signed Eisenberg without the copyright symbol are marked with a four-digit number stamped into the rhodium plating. See an example of this mark in the gallery (sets) below. It is on an authentic Eisenberg pin that was also featured in a 1959 advertisement. To date, there is no information on these four-digit numbers.
Eisenberg Color Combinations
Bobye Syverson was a well-respected author and historian on Eisenberg jewelry. She wrote many articles for Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry magazine published by Lucille Tempesta. In 2004 Syverson shared interesting information on rhinestone color combinations Eisenberg preferred over the years.
In the beginning, most of the stones were colorless crystal color, resembling diamonds. As colored rhinestones were increasingly used, some favorite color combinations emerged. Rose and aqua stones complimented each other. Light and dark topaz stones looked rich and glowing. Aqua and sapphire, from the same color family looked good. The combination that has always surprised me is putting rose and amethyst together.
Syverson, Bobye, Article in Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry Vol. 14 No. 3: Published by Lucille Tempesta. 2004. Back Cover.
In the same article Syverson also listed the colors available to Eisenberg customers in the 1961 catalog.
…emerald, ruby, sapphire, lilac, rose, honey, and beige. And of course, crystal. There were a few more colors added later, such as jet, alexandrite, Montana blue, various greens and peach. …Eisenberg jewelry very seldom used AB stones in their designs.
Syverson, Back Cover of Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry Vol. 14 No. 3. 2004.
Eisenberg Quality
Until 1972 when Fallon and Kappel closed, Eisenberg jewelry was designed and produced by one company, so the quality standards were consistently high. They had to be. Eisenberg jewelry was expensive.
The quality was maintained in the 1970s and 1980s with their hard-enameled jewelry line. Some pieces in that line required many, many firings!
The last known date for Eisenberg designs was 2011. At that time unsigned Eisenberg designs were being sold on cards. The quality of this unsigned Eisenberg jewelry, unfortunately, does not confirm to the otherwise high Eisenberg standards.
Eisenberg Gallery
The dating information provided with each piece is based on the style of the signature AND the design of the piece including the use of materials and traits found in vintage advertising. The dates are approximate.
Usually when dating vintage costume jewelry, the presence of a copyright symbol indicates the piece was made after 1955. Eisenberg did not strictly follow that guideline. It is believed the copyright symbol did not appear with the Eisenberg signature until ~1970.
Pins and Clips
This early Eisenberg pin is a well-balanced asymmetrical design. It is pot metal with a gold wash. Note the thick metal sides on this heavy piece. The large square rose rhinestones and the smaller navette rose rhinestones are all prong-set and accented with crystal (faux diamond) stones. Rose is a color associated with early Eisenberg. The larger stones are open in the back.
Brand Trait: Except for accent stones, most Eisenberg rhinestones are prong-set, especially in the early years.
Resembling a beautiful feather, this design is a study in ovals. Two sizes of high-end oval crystal rhinestones are capped with curving lines of pavé rhinestones.
This clip has hooks at the bottom to hold the prongs in place. The top of the clip has two holes on the bar.
This wonderful, asymmetrical design depicts a rhinestone ribbon wrapped around a bouquet of rhinestone blooms. The graceful twist of the longest ribbon is a high-end designer trait and indicative of the care taken in this design. It is rhodium plated.
Brand Trait: Eisenberg used rhodium plating for crystal designs to add to the sparkle of the high-quality stones. Large pins and clips with high-end crystal stones and rhodium plating is a “look” associated with Eisenberg, especially the early Eisenberg.
The center of this design consists of layered, pavé semi-circles. These semi-circles add dimension to the design and are the main focus of the design. The semi-circle design elements will appear again in later Eisenberg designs. (see Eisenberg bracelets.)
This lovely clip has several interesting design features. It is a symmetrical design with only slight asymmetry at the top. The central point of focus is a six-petal flower surrounded by curving vines set with crystal stones. The sterling has darkened along these curves beautifully outlining the design. The outer edge is decorated with rare, high-end demi-lune rhinestones. The jewelry “eye” loves this design!
Brand Trait: The six-petal flower design is a recurring element in many Eisenberg designs.
This pin is shown on page 57 of Eisenberg Originals the Golden Years of Fashion, Jewelry, and Fragrance, 1920s – 1950s by Sharon G. Schwartz and Laura Sutton. The book piece features a blue center stone and dated to the early 1940s.
It is a symmetrical design with an innovative design element. The double row of spokes stops at the top and is replaced by a single row. This change transforms the design from the full circle the “eye” expects to a semi-circle.
Brand Trait: This way of altering a circle is a design technique found on other Eisenberg designs.
A 1953 Eisenberg advertisement called jewelry with curls of rhinestones “Ribbon Ice”. It reads, “Ribbon Ice melting into frozen fire…big, bold, beautiful blaze of brilliance for a season of glittering elegance.”
This little pin is rich with design details. The bow consists of high-quality tear-drop stones gathered together by a ribbon of pavé stones.
Brand Trait: Throughout their long history, Eisenberg created beautiful bow motif pins.
Author’s Note: A 1952 advertisement for Eisenberg Ice reads “The lavish look that’s made to be worn…” That is certainly true for this little bow pin. It is one of my favorite pieces to wear.
Sets
Brand Trait: The oval shaped pavé icing elements shown above are a trait of many Eisenberg designs.
Brand Trait: The style of clasp shown above is an Eisenberg trait for post war necklaces; however, other brands, specifically Weiss, used it.
This innovative design places the typical Eisenberg pavé icing element over curving rows of stones to give the illusion of a spinning pin wheel. This versatile design was made in several color combinations including the smoked topaz shown here.
Brand Trait: The round stabilization ring at the back is a typical Eisenberg construction element.
The design of this set exhibits several Eisenberg design traits including the nonuse of aurora borealis stones, three-dimensional design, quality rhodium plating, pavé icing in an oval or horse-shoe shape, and high-quality Swarovski stones.
Necklaces, Bracelets, Earrings
Eisenberg Enamels
The designs of the “Artist’s Series” jewelry represents some of the most interesting use of enameling in costume jewelry history. The placement of the colors shade and highlight the curves of each figure the way a painter uses light in a painting to add depth and realism to a flat canvas. The gold tone edges where the enameling is carefully wiped away, outline each color and emphasize the shapes.
Author’s Note: This series is a masterpiece in innovative, design, and execution. Amazingly, the Eisenberg “Artist’s Series” enamels remain affordable in the collectible market.
The designs of the Eisenberg 1980s era enamels are equally well-made but differ in the level of whimsy. The bird above is latched onto the necklace chain the way a fish is caught on a hook. It seems to fly around with the necklace is worn. The happy owl exudes joy.
Christmas Trees
Eisenberg trees were first produced in 1972. Most of the trees are marked Eisenberg Ice with the copyright symbol. An exception is the cone tree shown to the left below.
On page 249 of her book Kathy Flood dates the cone tree to 1975 in glass and 1976 in Lucite. (Flood, Kathy. Comprehensive Jewelry Guide to Christmas Tree Pins. Volume II: Signed Edition A. K-Pub, 2013-2014.) The example shown here is Lucite and measures 2 1/2″. The innovative design is a recognizable and hard-to-find Eisenberg tree. Unlike most trees, this pin is signed Eisenberg with the copyright symbol.
The middle tree measures 3″. The emerald, navette-shaped stones are set in gold-plated metal. The gold prongs, placed evenly against the emerald background, become part of the design. The tree on the right measures 2 3/4″ and features open-backed clear crystal stones. The middle and left trees are both signed Eisenberg Ice with the copyright symbol.
The designs of these three Eisenberg trees are similar to signed trees by other makers. The photo below illustrates this similarity.
There is a strong resemblance of Eisenberg trees to trees signed by other brands.
For years, every summer, collectors began anticipating the late-summer arrival of new Christmas trees their dealers acquired at market. The best trees are original to Eisenberg; others are twins of trees from many other companies, supplied by design manufacturers and wholesalers to Eisenberg.
Flood, Kathy. Comprehensive Jewelry Guide to Christmas Tree Pins. Volume II: Signed Edition A. K-Pub, 2013-2014. p. 245.
Conclusion
Today in the collectible market, Eisenberg retains its long-standing, well-earned reputation for high-quality jewelry designs. Although the ownership of the company changed hands Karl Eisenberg, the grandson of founder Jonas, remained with Eisenberg for many years to maintain his family’s legacy for excellence.