Kim Yellow Enamel Dangle Earrings

These cool earrings were made by Kim Craftsmen Ltd. who started producing jewelry in 1956 in New York City.  The are most likely from the 1960s or 1970s and feature goldtone screwback posts.  Since I could not find much information on Kim costume jewelry and I have featured them once before, I have decided to share with you some information on the history of earrings.

Earrings origated in the Middle East with the oldest pair discovered at the royal graves in Iraq dating from approximately 2600 BC!  Years later, earrings went in and out of fashion.  For example, earrings were not popular during the Renaissance Era in Europe (14th-17th centuries), as wigs and high collars were worn to obscure the ears.  When women began wearing their hair back in the 17th century, earrings came back into fashion.  In the beginning of 18th century, women wore bonnets with wide ribbons which again hid their ears and made earrings obsolete.  Hairstyles were worn up again in the late 18th century, making earrings popular again, which has continued until present day.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on www.rubylane.com is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Illusion Jewels. Retrieved 4/17/2011 from http://www.illusionjewels.com/costumejewelrymarksk.html

Annie Sherman. Retrieved 4/17/2011 from http://www.anniesherman.com/earringshistory.html