We will now be featuring a fellow designer in the first blog post of each month! To kick off our Designer Spotlight, we have the very talented Cari Smulyan, who formed the jewelry line Bubby’s Vintage in 2010. Cari scours flea markets and vintage shops to unearth treasures, which she then creatively re-purposes into beautiful jewelry. Pictured here is one of her most special pieces, a necklace created from an Eisenberg brooch. Eisenberg & Sons was formed in Chicago in 1914 and originally sold only clothing. To boost sales, costume jewelry was added to the dresses, but the pieces were so sought after that they were stolen from the clothing. In a savvy move, Eisenberg began selling the jewelry on its own and the clothing line was soon discontinued. Eisenberg is now known for their high quality costume jewelry, which uses brilliant Swarovski crystals. Original pieces are marked on the back with their signature (seen on the piece above). The creator of the majority of the Eisenberg Originals was Ruth Kamke, who began designing the pieces at the young age of 15! Cari is giving new life to Eisenberg jewelry with her fabulous creations.
Update: Bubby's Vintage has been re-branded as Cari Ginger, but still has the same fabulous design philosophy towards vintage jewelry. Visit their new website here!
Photo Credits | Jewelry: Bubby's Vintage, Head Shot: Lori B. Adams