In the mid-1950s, there were children who read comic books and built forts and then there was Barry Kieselstein-Cord, a now-critically acclaimed New York City–born jewelry designer whose early hobbies included carving totem poles.
In fact, Kieselstein-Cord was proficient at carving by the time he was eight years old. His hobby fueled what would become deep interests in Native American art and in the natural world around him. Kieselstein-Cord made more carvings, and eventually began to explore metalwork and craft jewelry in his teens. Today he creates rings, necklaces and other jewelry and accessories so divine that they are as much wearable sculptures as they are personal adornment.
Kieselstein-Cord studied at Parsons School of Design and the American Craft Institute. He has long been enamored of illustration, architecture, photography and other disciplines, and even as a world-renowned jeweler, Kieselstein-Cord has always considered his true identity as a sculptor. ”I don’t make jewelry; I do sculptures for the body,” he has said.
Kieselstein-Cord designed his first sterling silver collection in 1972, and a year later, the collection was presented for sale at Georg Jensen’s Manhattan flagship store. Kieselstein-Cord’s partnership with the legendary Danish silverware firm meant that his work would reach an international audience. It was also around this time that the designer began to work with fashion titans Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein.
By the late 1970s, Kieselstein-Cord had begun to integrate gold and gemstones into his work. During this decade he designed much-lauded belt buckles, and some of his most sought-after collections — including Crocodile, Pompeii and Borgia — followed a decade later. On today’s secondary market, those 1980s-era designs are enjoying a resurgence. Names like Henry Dunay and Kieselstein-Cord are being reappraised as icons of contemporary design.
Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Elton John, Jack Nicholson, Barack Obama and Giorgio Armani are all known collectors of Kieselstein-Cord’s work. His designs have found their way into the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
On 1stDibs find a collection of vintage Barry Kieselstein-Cord belts, earrings, bracelets, handbags and other jewelry and accessories.
Barry Kieselstein Cord Sterling Silver Alligator Belt Buckle
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Wallkill, NY
Vintage B. Kieselstein-Cord Sterling Silver Alligator Belt Buckle – Iconic Designer Statement Own a piece of wearable art with this vintage Kieselstein-Cord sterling silver belt buck...
Barry Kieselstein Cord Vintage Black Moon Charm Sunglasses
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Barry Kieselstein Cord Vintage Black Moon Charm Sunglasses in excellent condition. Black acrylic body with black lenses trimmed with matte silver hardware upon each arm. Unique Moon ...
Vintage Barry Kieselstein Cord Sterling Silver Duck Buckle, Green and Red Belt
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Product details: Featuring circa 1981, sterling silver duck buckle with interchangeable and adjustable animal skin green and red belt straps. All...
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Tan Leather Hobo Shoulder Bag
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Tan Leather Hobo Shoulder Bag with herman toad details Depth 4” Length across 15.5" Bag Height 10.5” Handle Drop 15” There is some wear to the bag that is ...
Kieselstein Cord Huge Tortoise Shell & Embossed Croc Calfskin Sunglasses
By KIESELSTEIN-CORD, Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
Kieselstein Cord wonderfully elegant huge tortoise shell lucite frame is detailed with embossed croc calfskin arms, and finished with their signature name plated with their c...
$485Sale Price|29% Off
Kieselstein Cord Shades of Olive Green "The Saint" Tortoise Frame Eyeglasses
By KIESELSTEIN-CORD, Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
Kieselstein Cord "The Staint" tortoise frame in shades of olive greens are accented with "The Sun & The Moon" in gilded 18k plated gold hardware inserted with...
Barry Kieselstein Cord Lizard Skin Pink & Purple Belt W/ Sterling Silver Belt
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barry Kieselstein Cord Lizard Skin Pink & Purple Belt W/ Sterling Silver Belt Bands. In excellent condition Measurements: Longest length - 3...
Kieselstein-Cord Crocodilehall Gator Flip Lock Medium
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1, KIESELSTEIN-CORD
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
We are offering this Kieselstein-Cord Crocodilehall handbag. Crafted in Italy, this bag is made with a combination of their Gator logo canvas and leather exterior with gold-tone hardware. It has top leather handles and it also comes with a leather removeable shoulder strap with gold-tone hardware. It features a gold-tone gator head flip lock...
Barry Kieselstein Cord Sterling Silver Belt Buckle Frog Toad
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Wallkill, NY
Vintage B. Kieselstein-Cord Sterling Silver Frog Belt Buckle – Iconic Designer Statement Own a piece of wearable art with this vintage Kieselstein-Cord sterling silver belt buckle, f...
Vintage Kieselstein-Cord Navy Leather and Sterling Silver Shoulder Small Bag
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Product details: The bag features 925 sterling silver animal, alligator, crocodile motif, sterling silver zip closure, green suede interior, braided finish shoulder handle that drop...
Orciani Brown leather vintage belt
By orciani
Located in Capri, IT
Orciani Brown leather vintage belt Totally made in italy in italian size range 75
A pair of Vintage 1970s Sunglasses by Charme
By charme
Located in London, GB
A chic pair of 1970s sunglasses by Charme. These sunglasses have an animal print frame and are model 70/74N , col 510.
HERMES c.1980's Burgundy Lizard Skin Leather Equestrian Ring Belt Gold Hardware
By ERIC BERGERE, Hermès
Located in Thiensville, WI
Hermes c.1980's Burgundy Lizard Skin Leather Equestrian Ring Belt Gold Hardware Brand / Manufacturer: Hermes Designer: Eric Bergere Circa: 1980's Sty...
Yves Saint Laurent Easy Y Metallic Gold Leather YSL Sac 57 Tote Bag, Brand New
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in New York, NY
YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL Mini Satchel Handbag Leather Gold 11.42x6.30x5.12in Very Light Weight bag Brand New with Tag of $ 1395 Easy Y tote bag features a leather body, rolled leather...
Gucci Belt Monogram Web Double Pocket Brown GG Supreme Canvas Cross Body Bag
By Gucci
Located in New York, NY
This belt bag is made with canvas with Gucci signature monogram print with brown leather finishes. Featuring front flap closure, long adjustable waist strap, Chocolate leather accent...
Celine Gold Leather Large Bolide Bag
By Celine
Located in Paris, FR
Celine Gold leather large Bolide bag featuring a detachable leather shoulder strap 42.1 in. (107 cm), a top zip fastening, a large Bolide shape, red leather lining, an inside zipped ...
Authentic Gucci Silver GG Coated Canvas Interlocking G Supreme Large Backpack
By Gucci
Located in New York, NY
This is an authentic Pre owned GUCCI GG EMBOSSED Monogram Small Backpack in Black. BRAND NEW DESCRIPTION Brand Gucci Type Backpacks Department Men Size Large Color Silver Model GG Th...
Navy Hermes Skinny Leather Belt
By Hermès
Located in New York, NY
Navy skinny leather belt by Hermes. Silver-tone lock buckle closure. 0.5" width, 32" length.
Oversize Prada Black Baroque Scroll Sunglasses Style PR 27N – 55-22-135 mm, 2015
By Prada
Located in Tucson, AZ
Singularly beautiful and immediately recognizable: the original Prada Minimalist Baroque collection sunglass in black celluloid with gray gradient lenses and scrolled temples; Prada ...
Vintage funky red sunglasses - Made in France - 1990 - BOZ
Located in Paris, FR
Boz Vintage Glasses – 1990s Step into the vibrant and creative spirit of the 1990s with this Boz frame, an iconic French brand celebrated for its boldness and artisanal craftsmanshi...
Chanel Polarized Ski Goggles
By Chanel
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld Polarized Ski Goggle Ski Collection features polarized double-lens with rubber trim and antifog, foam layered interior & bottom perforated slits, adjustable ...
Prada Fall/Winter 2004 Jewel-Embellished Printed Satin Shoulder Crocodile Bag
By Prada, Miuccia Prada
Located in Boca Raton, FL
According to Muccia, the Prada 2004 Fall/Winter collection “…was a dream of extreme romanticism,” inspired by “the idea of eighteenth-century painting, with video games.” This dream ...
BARRY KISELSTEIN-CORD Nude Alligator Belt Goldtone Sterling Frog Buckle Large
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This vintage Barry Kiselstein-Cord belt is composed of a nude alligator with gold-tone sterling silver hardware. Features a frog buckle with adjustabl...
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Woven Black Leather Handbag
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Woven Black Leather Handbag An elegant rectangular handbag by Barry Kieselstein-Cord, finely woven in black leather and distinguished by double rolled handles...
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Sterling Heart Buckle and Black Lizard Belt Never Worn
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New Hope, PA
This sterling silver buckle, a heart pierced through by Cupid's Arrow, is perfect for all you romantics, and would be romantics. The buckle is fully marked on the back, and the bla...
Vintage BARRY KIESELSTEIN-CORD 1995 Size 2 Brown Leather Sterling Alligator Belt
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in San Francisco, CA
Vintage BARRY KIESELSTEIN-CORD 1995 belt comes in a brown alligator leather featuring a sterling silver alligator buckle. Very Good Pre-Owned Condit...
1990’s Barry Kieselstein-Cord Women of the World Shoulder Handbag
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
- Slightly curved shaped - Leather shoulder strap, drops 9.5” - Tile motif of mixed exotic skins and leather finish with gold faces, each tile measures 1” x1” - Top zip closure with ...
1990s Barry Kieselstein Cord Alligator Purple + Silver Chrome Vintage Sunglasses
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and chic late 90s BARRY KIESELSTEIN CORD purple and matte silver oblong / rectangle novelty rimless sunglasses! The hinge of each side of the frames feature the brand’s signatur...
Vintage Barry Kieselstein-Cord Wide Sun Buckle Silver Tone
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
The winking sun buckle is one of Kieselstein-Cord's early designs and one of the most popular. This vintage wide sun belt buckle comes in silver tone hardware...
Vintage Barry Kieselstein Cord Wide Buckle Black Leather Slim Belt Silver Tone
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
Vintage wide fancy buckle with a leather belt is one of Kieselstein-Cord's early and popular designs. This vintage wide fancy buckle with leaves design comes in silver tone hardware ...
Barry Kieselstein Cord Wide Buckle Black Leather Slim Belt Gold Tone
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
The wide fancy buckle with a leather belt is one of Kieselstein-Cord's early and popular designs. This vintage wide fancy buckle comes in gold tone hardware with a slim black leather...
Vintage Barry Kieselstein-Cord Wide Sun Buckle Brown Leather Belt Gold Tone
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in New York, NY
The winking sun buckle with a brown leather belt is one of Kieselstein-Cord's early designs and one of the most popular. This vintage wide sun belt buckle c...
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Black Sterling Silver Alligator Buckle On Lizard Strap
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in Dix hills, NY
Date Code/Serial Number: 1192000 Made In: New York Measurements: Length: 33" Width: 1" Height: " Belt Strap Measurements: Adjustable 26"-30" OVERALL GOOD VINTAGE CONDITION (6...
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Sterling Silver Sun & Moon Brown Alligator Belt c 1990
By Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1
Located in University City, MO
Barry Kieselstein-Cord Sterling silver moon & sun sleek brown alligator belt c 1990 The stylish belt is designed with a chunky large-scale sterling silver buckle The celestial buckle...