I purchased this beauty at the Liberty Antiques Festival on Friday. Even without pulling it out of the case, I knew it was an Eisenberg due to the 1940s design but mostly due to the exceptional sparkle of the Eisenberg stones.
As soon as I was able to hold the brooch, I also knew it was old sterling before finding the sterling mark. There is a distinctive weight and texture to old sterling. There are a couple of small missing rhinestones but otherwise the pin was in great condition. I worked with the dealer to arrive at a price (my secret), and it came home with me.
Once home, I started my research on this piece. It was easy because a pin with the same design 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 published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2017. Interestingly, the book piece is pot metal, not sterling, with a blue faceted center stone, not a clear stone. Otherwise, the book piece and my brooch are identical. They are the same design, shape, have the same size, faceting, and placement of stones, and are both signed with the scrip E signature.
The book caption dates the book piece to the early 1940s. My sterling pin would have likely been made between 1943 and 1948. They both likely date to within a year or two of each other – the 1942 – 1944 time frame.
The overall shape of this brooch is a circle with lines or spokes emanating from a large center, square stone (set at a diagonal). It is monochromatic in color and relies on the exceptionally high-quality stones to add sparkle and interest to the design.
Beautiful crystal pins go with everything! I wore this beauty with my navy blue, Lands End t-shirt for our morning walk. Sadly, no one noticed, but it was beautiful! I’m going to pop in a couple of tiny replacement stones and then this piece joins the other Eisenbergs lighting up my collection. FUN!