Antique William B. Kerr Sterling Silver Art Nouveau Fur Clip

Established in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, this stunner was created by the renowned American silversmith William B. Kerr & Co. Mr. Kerr (active 1855 - 1927) became famous for intricate repoussé silver work, which featured whimsical and highly detailed designs, as in this fur clip, and is featured in museums like The Newark Museum. This piece is catalogued as an Art Nouveau Lady and Dolphin/Fleur-de-lis or Maiden with Flowers design. The E&C hallmark: Inside the sheild/triangle there is a small raised E&C hallmark. It is not the mark of the original Art Nouveau silversmith, William B. Kerr. Rather, it belongs to the conversion manufacturer, Eisenberg & Company, who were known for its ultra-premium Eisenberg Original jewelry line. When sterling was scarce during the late 1930s to early 1940s, E&C produced a highly coveted series of sterling silver dress clips and fur clips, so they sourced original period antique components. It was the modern-day upcycling. This piece was originally a William B. Kerr Art Nouveau buckle frame and then professionally retrofitted with E&C's patented clip mechanism. See photo of back. What you'll also see is that on the clip mechanism, there is a "pat apd for" stamp, which is a designation that this conversion mechanism was added right as Eisenberg was finalizing the legal patents for their heavy-duty dress clip hardware. This firmly confirms dating the modification to circa 1935-1943. This piece is highly collectible not only because of how unique it is from an artistic viewpoint, but also because it makes it an incredibly unique, highly-cross collectible crossover piece, appealing to Art Nouveau silver purists, historic costume jewelry collectors, or those who are unique and enjoy uniquities for the beauty. 39g. The conversion mechanism is in excellent working condition, and the tarnish is absolutely beautiful.