Costume Jewelry maker
Kramer marks
Louis Kramer started Kramer Jewelry Creations in New York in 1943, and his brothers Harry and Morris later joined him.
- Active
- 1943–c. 1980
- Based in
- New York, New York, United States
- Marks listed
- 12
The marks, by date
Each mark’s wording is written out as a transcription: the words and line breaks, not a picture of the mark. Where a source describes a mark instead of quoting it, the description is shown in italics.
Where: back of piece / clasp
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
one collector source ties this mark with gray pewter-tone settings to that period
Where: back of piece / clasp
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Where: back of piece
Where: hang tag / mark
used for rhinestone lines; RCJ gives 1948, ads ran in the 1950s
Where: hang tag / mark
gold-plated pieces without stones
Where: back of piece
Where: pearl jewelry
Where: back of piece
line designed by Frank Hess for Kramer
History
The firm sold rhinestone and gold-tone costume jewelry under several names, and in the 1950s it made jewelry for Christian Dior. It went out of business around 1980.
Dating clues
- Kramer and Kramer Pat. Pend. marks are generally placed before 1955.
- Many 1950s and 1960s pieces were marked only by a paper hang tag, now usually lost.
- A design patent number, where present, gives the earliest possible date.
Look-alikes and reproductions
- Dior pieces made by Kramer may be marked Christian Dior by Kramer, Dior by Kramer or Kramer for Dior.
Other names on the marks
Kramer of New York; Kramer Jewelry Creations, Inc.; Kramer of NY
Where sources disagree: Collector sources disagree on how to date plain 'Kramer': RCJ says it was first used in 1943, while one collector guide says pieces marked simply 'Kramer' are later than 'Kramer N.Y.' pieces. Sources also disagree on the Dior mark order ('Christian Dior by Kramer' vs 'Kramer by Dior'). Wikipedia gives the address as 393 5th Avenue, Manhattan.
Sources
Marks help identify a maker and a date range, but they can’t prove a piece is genuine. Reproductions and later reissues can carry old marks. This entry isn’t an appraisal.