Richard Kerr vintage costume jewelry

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Yin Yang black and white clip on earrings. Gold tone metal, rhinestones. 3.8 cm. 1970s. Richard Kerr vintage costume jewelry

Richard Kerr vintage costume jewelry
The history of costume jewelry brand Richard Kerr began in 1946 when WWII veteran, US Navy Lieutenant Richard S. Kerr (January 23, 1920 – September 24, 2016) joined his father’s business. Richard graduated from the University of Illinois in 1943, and married Nancy Rebecca in 1948, with whom they later had two sons and a daughter. The jewelry company, owned by his father Walter H. Kerr (1889-1966), was based in Streator, Illinois. Following his father’s death in 1966, Richard took over and directed the company until his retirement in 1983.
Traditionally, to create a stunning sparkling effect, the company’s craftsmen used Austrian crystals, the number of which in one piece could be more than a thousand. It is hard to imagine how much labor and patience one had to have to manually insert each crystal. The marking on the back side of each item includes “Richard Kerr” on an oval cartouche.
The brand’s high quality, handcrafted products (mostly earrings) which were produced from 1946 to 1983, are highly collectible today.