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Eisenberg After The Book

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Vogue - 1961

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Description

Eisenberg Ice

PINK GLACÉ

blazed to brilliance, and cooled by subtle tints of spring's most exhilarating hue...gem-cut like the finest jewels.  Pins from $7.50 to $12.50.  Earrings from $6.00.  Prices plus tax.

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Eisenberg Jewelry, 22 West Madison Street, Chicago

                           14 Wast 38th Street, New York   

 

Authentic only when trademarked Eisenberg.  Eisenberg designs copyrighted.

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NOTE - While this copyright and trademark statement would continue to appear on all ads from this period, a lot of the jewelry would actually not be marked and they were certainly not copyrighted.  HOWEVER, these pieces have all been seen marked Eisenberg; either these pieces were carefully chosen as they were marked, or things had not fallen apart just yet.

   Karl Eisenberg would be in charge now, the grandson of Jonas and the son of Sam, and this would not go all that well.  With Fallon & Kappel now owned by the Silvermans, who seemed overwhelmed by the responsibility. and the clothing line having ended in anticipation of Karl's management, the company was focused solely on mass-producing the smaller, simpler pieces of the era.  The iconic era of Originals was completely abandoned in what I think was a huge mistake.

   I believe had the company continued to manufacture a limited number of "Originals" after the Sterling years, even if they were done in rhodium, and continued to sell them in the finer jewelry cases, the singularity of the name would have remained.  Instead by the middle of the 1960s little of the jewelry was marked at all, though oddly there are a few "patent pending" "Eisenberg Ice" marked pieces that are definitely from the 1960s.  I suspect that there were plans to switch the moniker over to "Eisenberg Ice" but it never quite happened.

   Then of course the Silvermans closed up shop and Karl was left scrambling to rebuild the line.  And though it is clear he had no real feel for the jewelry, he did for numbers.  He chose to create several varieties of lines designed to cover many bases, including continuing to produce "Ruth Kamke" inspired pieces, though of course the great Ruth was herself over at Panetta.

   The 1970s would see Karl rebuild the sales numbers but it seems it might have been to sell it as early in the 1980s he stuck a deal with Berns-Friedman - a provider of jewelry to mid-level department stores, and let the family legacy go.  He retained a financial position with the new owners but has expressed his shock when the Eisenberg Originals jewelry pieces started to become highly collectible.  Karl's comments seem to indicate that the family didn't keep records, or even pieces; certainly none have ever turned up from the family.  But they were so collectible that during the height of the 1980s and 1990s jewelry collecting craze the Eisenberg Originals mark was targeted, spawning forgeries, copies (some authorized,) and re-cast artist pieces that are so cleverly done they are in multiple collector books, including Sharon's.

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Eisenberg Ice

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These lovely Eisenberg Ice pieces belong to one of the few people who have pieces included in Sharon's book. I'm awaiting information from Erin on their sizes.

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