The history of Kreisler jewelry brand began in 1913 in New York and lasted sixty-five years. Its founders were Jacques Kreisler (1890 – 1974), Edward Stern and Marcus Stern. Originally, the company concentrated on the manufacture of fine jewelry but turned in 1933 to the production of popular-priced watch bands and men’s jewelry.

21 year-old Hungarian immigrant Jacques Kreisler came to New York in 1911 and began working for Marcus Stern Manufacturing Co., jewelry firm located at 41 Maiden Lane. In 1914 sons of Marcus Stern (1856 – 1919), Edward Stern and Tobias Stern in partnership with Jacques Kreisler founded Jacques Kreisler & Co.

Located at 333 Fifth Avenue, the firm was engaged in the production of gold, platinum, and diamond jewelry and watch bands. The company also opened its subsidiary in Chicago in 1921. In 1922, Kreisler received several patents for rings, and in 1926 for bracelets. The main products of the company were watch bands and bracelets.

The Great Depression did not bypass the Kreisler company, that led to the closure of the company for some time. A year after the closure, in 1933, the company returned under the renewed name. It was Kreisler, Stern Co., named after Jacques Kreisler and Tobias Stern. Later, the company’s name was changed to Jacques Kreisler Sales Corp., and in 1941 to Jacques Kreisler Manufacturing Corp.

Manufacturers of Costume Jewelry

During the 1930s and early 1940s, the company filed several patents for watch bracelets, vanity cases, and jewelry display containers. By 1939, the company began making jewelry for women and men in addition to bracelets and watches. Hallmarks of the company included “Kreisler & Co.”, “JK”, “Jacques Kreisler”, “Kreisler Crafts”, “K”, “Gold – Klad”, and “Kreisler Quality”.

Kreisler moved its manufacturing to North Bergen, New Jersey in 1940, but kept its showroom in New York City. While expanding its product range, the company ran an extensive advertising campaign to promote its brand. Many magazines of the time published advertisements for Kreisler jewelry, including Life, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and beginning in the 1950s, Chrysler began collaborating with television.

Noteworthy, during World War II, Jacques Kreisler Manufacturing Corp. provided some of its facilities for military products. Among the designers who worked for the company from 1944 to 1947 were William Diehl, Helen D. Cole, and Kurt Speck. According to the patent office, some of their designs were patented.

Tobias Stern

According to The American Horologist and Jeweler, 1948, Jacques Kreisler Manufacturing Corporation, North Bergen, N. J., announced on July 1st the election of Jacques Kreisler as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Tobias Stern as President of the 35year-old firm.

Because of a succession of new styles and because of the merchandising policies which they fostered, Kreisler and Stern have developed an organization of 1200 employees.

Tobias Stern was well known in jewelry industry circles having been at various times Salesman, and Executive Vice-President of the Company, which he joined in 1918. By pioneering for his industry in national advertising and in sales promotion he established a reputation of leadership for Kreisler.

By 1948 Kreisler operated two factories in North Bergen, N. J., as well as plants at Hopewell, N. J., and Brooklyn, N. Y. The firm traveled 35 salesmen and listed 11,000 retail jewelers as customers.

In 1975 the company moved jewelry production to St. Petersburg, Florida, and finally closed its jewelry division in 1979.

Vintage Fine Jewelry by Kreisler