|
Note: These items were
photographed from private collections and are for reference only.
Jewelry that is available for sale can be
accessed at the links at the bottom of the page.
| Classic Sample bow
pin from 1994. |
This one was never
produced, and neither were the two other samples shown here. VIEW
Classic sample red pin. |
I formerly had a terrific
sales rep who sold them to me. VIEW
Classic sample crystal pin. |
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EISENBERG CHRISTMAS TREES
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| EISENBERG
brooch, the Classic 3 inch Christmas Tree 1994 Limited Edition (no
longer available). It is one of the rarest Christmas tree pins and is 3"
tall. The stones are all navette aurora borealis. There were only two colors
made (the difference is VERY subtle), and there were 80 of each color for
WORLD distribution. |
|
Many of the Eisenberg Christmas tree brooches are beautiful, but they
do use the same designs year
after
year, with maybe a couple of new ones only occasionally.
They range in price from about $8 to $75. |
| EISENBERG 1994 brooches were made as revival copies of some of their designs from the
1940's. This blue brooch is being done again in the Classic 2000 series. VIEW |
VIEW |
VIEW |
| EISENBERG CLASSIC dolphins from my 1994 collection. I
have not yet seen it in the 2000 collection. |
This brooch is pictured on the cover of "COLLECTOR'S
COMPASS JEWELRY" by Judith Katz-Schwartz. This wonderful
informative new book is a reference must, and it can be ordered at TWIN
BROOKS from Judith herself! |
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| Bobye:
Currently Eisenberg is producing their "Classic
Series 2000", copies of some of their designs from the 1940's. The 2000 series are just like the 1994 ones, except the one
they call the wreath was done in gold in the first series and I liked that
one better.
I thought when I heard about the "new" classics that
they would be different from the '94s. There certainly would have been
plenty of other designs from which to choose.
The 2000 Classics are now available, and while I have no idea how
many are being made, but I know that the Company ran out of some of the
1994 ones very quickly. The designs of both of the sets of Classics seem
to be just alike, except for the metal color of the one they are calling
the "wreath". However,
there are only 7 Classics for 2000 and there were at least 18 in 1994, and
some of them were made in more than one color of stones.
All jewelry that Eisenberg makes now is stamped with their name, so
there is no contemporary unsigned Eisenberg.
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|
I like to alert people to the fact that not all
Eisenberg looks alike. Your reaction will probably be "THAT'S
Eisenberg?"
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| EISENBERG ORIGINAL
faux turquoise and red rhinestone brooch. The signature looks authentic,
and the brooch looks a lot like some pieces I have that were made in
Mexico in the 40s. They all have a "home made" look. |
Backs
views of both brooches. The triangle-shape one has a pin stem so thin
that it could only be pushed through a piece of net! It is not even as
thick as a ordinary straight pin. The mark is low and in the middle. The
other one is marked on the clip. |
EISENBERG
ORIGINAL faux turquoise and coral and purple glass beads This also
looks like those that were made in Mexico in the 40s. |
|
EISENBERG
unsigned pink poured glass dress clip, 2-3/4" by 2-1/8". #E24877 |
EISENBERG
unsigned pink poured glass dress clips, set of two 1-1/3" by 2-1/2", larger one
is 2-3/4" by 2-1/8". View
#E24877 and #E24876 |
EISENBERG ORIGINAL
2-3/4" by 2-1/2" clip. Courtesy of Barbara Wood, who says, "This is so strange. There is a
necklace to match, too." |
|
EISENBERG unsigned
green cabochon, blue glass disks and clear rhinestones oval 3-1/8" dress clip.
View
View #E23175 |
This set might be of
interest because of its textured finish. Some have questioned the
authenticity of pieces that look like this. I can document this one,
marked Eisenberg
Ice and shown in an old magazine ad for 1963. I thought the use
of the black diamond color rhinestones made these pieces more subtle too.
The pin is about 2" high. |
EISENBERG pendant with
glass "opal" center and purple and clear rhinestone accents. Bobye says, "It
is a new one on me, so I would be guessing about dating it. It is NOT in
any of the old ads. The mark should be from the very late 40's to mid
50's ". View
View |
| Eisenberg unsigned leopard about 2" tall with a movable tail.
(Note from Jane: I have seen this marked as Florenza, and also saw it in
the early 90's at Dallas market in a booth specializing in knock-offs!) |
Eisenberg unsigned Deco-style brooch, 2 3/4" long. |
Eisenberg unsigned bow brooch, not quite 3"
long |
All of these are unsigned pieces of Eisenberg. Not
only are these on the original cards, but I have the invoices from when I
bought them from the company in the late 70s. They were not marking
anything and I ranted and raved about it! I was told that all they
needed was the original card or a hang tag. Oh sure!
|
| Eisenberg unsigned pheasant brooch, 2 1/4" long
enamel and rhinestones. |
Eisenberg unsigned circus elephant, about 1 1/2" tall.
|
Eisenberg unsigned butterfly pin about 2 inches across. This was made in
several different colors of enamel. |
| Eisenberg unsigned enamel and rhinestones fish
brooch, 2-1/2" fins to tail. |
Eisenberg unsigned wonderful 4 1/2" contoured bow tie pin. |
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| EISENBERG
ORIGINAL reproduction One of my favorite reproductions. The
original one is slightly smaller and is a clip. This one is slightly
more than 3 1/2 inch each way. |
EISENBERG
ORIGINAL REPRODUCTION red cabochon vase brooch. Back
View |
EISENBERG
BALLERINAS The one with the green stones is the old one,
and is sterling. Much of
her gold and enamel has worn off. The one on the right is a reproduction. |
EISENBERG is being heavily reproduced. Bobye shares some
of her "real vs fake" photos here.
Bobye: As far as
the reproductions are concerned, some of them are far better than others.
There does not seem to have been a real effort to duplicate the pieces
exactly (thank goodness!). Most of them are just slightly "off",
the size is not the same, the gold is too bright, the enamel is the wrong
kind, the rhinestone colors were not used in originals etc. However,
they do often use Swarovski rhinestones!
|
| EISENBERG scrolls
brooch... the red one is the real thing, and the aqua is a reproduction. |
EISENBERG fern brooch In
this case, the red is the reproduction and the aqua is real. |
Just recently a large
parrot showed up on ebay with the Eisenberg Original mark, and it is a
design that was NEVER made by the Company. Of course, a 6 1/2"
rhinestone covered parrot doesn't really need a mark! |
| Bobye: A repro bearing the Eisenberg Original logo was produced in
ruby aurora borealis that was so beautiful, I bought an outfit to wear it
with! This is the red aurora borealis reproduction, shown on the
jacket I bought to go with it. |
EISENBERG 'buds" brooch. Only the clear rhinestone brooch is real!
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|
| MORE EISENBERG INFORMATION:
A recommended reading for anyone interested in
Eisenberg jewelry is the "VFCJ Newsletter". Featured in Volume
10, Number 1, was a wonderful interview
with RUTH KAMKE. (You may be able to
order back issues from Lucille at VFCJ@aol.com.)
Who was Ruth Kamke? Just the most
important designer for Eisenberg! She
designed jewelry for them for well over 32 years. Here are a few
highlights from this article, a goldmine of information.
In her last year of high school, Ruth began putting together a
portfolio of her own designs. In the corner of each design she sketched a piece of jewelry
that would compliment the garment. When she saw an ad for a person
needed to work for Fallon and Kappel, a leading jewelry manufacturer, she
applied and was hired for $12 a week.
Later, the Eisenberg Company bought
exclusively from F&K, and in turn they manufactured only for
Eisenberg. The initial or number found on the back of the Eisenberg
Original jewelry indicated who had set the stones. Ruth created almost all
of the Eisenberg Originals made after 1939, and also the Eisenberg Ice until 1972.
She designed literally thousands of pieces.
Suddenly in 1972, the manufacturers announced they were closing in two
weeks! Large trash barrels were used and every thing was
dumped in them. Nothing was spared, including Ruth's designs. A
wonderful part of history was destroyed. There is far, far more
information in the rest of this wonderful interview, the only one that Ruth Kamke
ever gave.
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|
Note: These items were photographed from private collections, and are for
reference only. Jewelry that is available
for sale can be accessed at the links below.
|
Be sure to see the JEWELRY FOR SALE below.
|
|
