Description
Sorry if the lighting makes these look oblong….They are completely circular and round in form…….Lovely pair of large vintage 1950s to 1960s mid century sterling silver clip. They are marked with an old full word block letter sterling marking and guaranteed to be solid sterling silver….Not plated. Size of each earring measures 1.25″ across in diameter. Weight is 29 grams. The backs are flat and the tops are blown out convex or dome shape. They have circles, triangles and crescent moon geometric cut outs in the tops indicative of their 1950s to 1960s atomic age. Both earrings are in excellent, gently used condition. No damage or repair. Some light faint surface age wear only. No dents or dings or gauges or tears to the sterling silver. Never altered; all original from an estate from decades ago. Both earrings are very well made, strong and durable with strong clips that work easily. Nice showy pair of vintage modernist earrings for your mid century fine jewelry collection.
About 1950s 1960s Atomic Age Jewelry AI Reference:
Geometric cut-outs and pierced metalwork in mid-century jewelry were most prominently used during the 1950s and 1960s. Emerging from the post-war Modernist and Atomic Age movements, jewelers rejected traditional, nature-inspired motifs in favor of clean lines, abstract forms, and space-age designs inspired by architecture and science.These cut-out details appeared across a few distinct mid-century styles:Modernist Silver Jewelry: Driven by the Bauhaus movement’s philosophy of making art affordable and Scandinavian design influences, artists frequently hand-cut sheets of sterling silver into bold squares, circles, and asymmetrical shapes.Atomic and Space-Age Motifs: The 1950s saw the introduction of starbursts, boomerangs, and atomic forms. Cut-outs were used to create airy, floating designs that mimicked microscope geometry or celestial orbits.Brutalist Jewelry: Reaching its peak in the late 1950s and 1960s, this style relied on unpolished, highly sculptural metals. Jewelers used geometric piercings and jagged cut-outs to give pieces an unfinished, raw, and highly architectural look.
The clip on backs have the iconic manufacturer’s mark used by W.R. Cobb Company (often referred to in vintage circles as “Cobb Findings”).About the W.R. Cobb / Cobb Findings MarkFounded in 1877, W.R. Cobb is one of the oldest and most prominent jewelry findings manufacturers in North America.The Design: Their famous stamp features a circle with six tiny, triangular teeth or wedges pointing inward. Because the points converge tightly toward the center, it often resembles a small gear, a stylized starburst, or a camera aperture.Why it is on your jewelry: W.R. Cobb produces findings—the functional component parts of jewelry such as earring clips, screw backs, clasps, pin hinges, and bails. Because they supplied these components to thousands of independent jewelers and major brands throughout the 20th century, their mark appears on a massive variety of jewelry
