Early Australian Silversmiths

[dognose]

W.G. JIRA

132, Pitt Street, Sydney



W.G. Jira - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

FRED. ROBT. ABRECHT

329, Little Collins Street, and 114, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne



Fred. Robt. Abrecht - Melbourne - 1923

Friedrich Robert Abrecht came to Australia from Pforzheim, Germany.

Established in 1875.

Interstate representatives in 1923:
R.M. Salisbury - N.S.W. and Queensland
T.B. Kent - S.A., W.A., and Tasmania
S.R. Gardner - City, Suburbs, and Country

The firm is still in business today, now styled Abrecht Bird, having in 2005 merged with J. Bird and Son of Melbourne, who were established in 1910 by John Bird who came from Birmingham, England. They are now located at 227, Collins Street, Melbourne.




Examples of the marks of Abrecht Bird Jewellers:



Marks from left to right: Abrecht Bird mark - Journeyman's mark (Top - Greg John, Middle - Jarrad McErlain, Bottom - Eleanor Hawke) - Gold standard - Mark of the Gold & Silversmiths Guild of Australia (Diamond shape indicates a Fellow of the Guild, Circular shape indicates a Full Member) - Date letter.

Trev.

[dognose]

EDWARD T. GAY

Elizabeth House, Melbourne



Edward T. Gay - Melbourne - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

COLEMAN & BADDOCK

8, Gibbons Street, Redfern, Sydney



Coleman & Baddock - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

JAMES GARLAND & Co.

430, Bourke Street, Melbourne



James Garland & Co. - Melbourne - 1923


Illustration of the mark of James Garland & Co.:


James Garland & Co. - Melbourne - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

L. ORBUCK

Corner of Russell and Little Bourke streets, Melbourne



L. Orbuck - Melbourne - 1923

Late A.I.F.

Trev.

[dognose]

E.C. PARKER & Co.

94, Queen Victoria Buildings, Sydney



E.C. Parker & Co. - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

A.W. DOBBIE

Gawler Place, Adelaide



A.W. Dobbie's - Adelaide - 1887


A.W. Dobbie - Adelaide - 1888

Trev.

[dognose]

NORMAN P. JOSEPH & Co.

88, Pitt Street, Sydney and 312, Flinders Street, Melbourne



Norman P. Joseph & Co. - Sydney and Melbourne - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

S. SCHLANK & Co. Ltd.

Chesser Street, Adelaide



S. Schlank & Co. Limited - Adelaide - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

CHARLES BRENTANI

Collins Street, Melbourne


Gold is plentiful in the Pyrenee mountains, distant about 100 miles from Melbourne. It is said to have been discovered by a shepherd lad, who, after selling his gold at the city, returned to seek for more; he was followed by some persons, and not having since been heard of, is supposed to have been murdered. Dr. Clutterbuck saw, in 1849, at the shop of Mr. Brentani, a watchmaker and jeweller at Melbourne, several pieces of native gold ; one lump, of great purity, weighing twenty-two ounces, exhibited minute portions of quartz, was soft in texture, easily cut with a knife, of uneven surface, somewhat oblong, and more than an inch in thickness, as if taken from a perpendicular fissure in the rock. Mr. Brentani is said to have a lump weighing seventy-two ounces. The commander of the ship Berkshire which left Port Phillip for London, 25th February, 1849, purchased fourteen ounces of the native gold from Mr. Brentani at eighty shillings per ounce. Gold-dust has been found in the river Plenty in the bed of the stream, which consists chiefly of mica. Quartz sent to England for analyzation, yielded twenty-eight ounces of gold for each ton of ore.

Source: Australia - Bentham Fabian - 1852

Trev.

[dognose]

EDWARD H. JONES

1, Hunter Street, Sydney



Edward H. Jones - Sydney - 1853


Edward H. Jones - Sydney - 1853


Edward H. Jones - Sydney - 1853

Late of 62, Cornhill, London.

Trev.

[dognose]

M.B. MICHELSON

Culwulla Chambers, 67, Castlereagh Street, Sydney



M.B. Michelson - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

S. KESSLER

Banking House, 228, Pitt Street, Sydney



S. Kessler - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

JIM HUGHES

45, George Street, Launceston



Jim Hughes - Launceston - 1954

Trev.

[dognose]

R. GREENBERG

Record Chambers, Castlereagh Street, Sydney



R. Greenberg - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

SALENGER BROTHERS

279, George Street, Sydney



Salenger Bros. - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

ALFRED NOTT

145, Collins Street, Melbourne


An image of Alfred Nott from c.1904:





Alfred Nott - Melbourne - 1911


Alfred Nott - Melbourne - 1911


Alfred Nott - Melbourne - 1917

Established in 1896 and still in business today.

Alfred Nott died in December 1940.

Trev.

[dognose]

H.L. LEWIS

15, Hunter Street, Sydney



H.L. Lewis - Sydney - 1923

Trev.

[dognose]

J. & H. MARKS

The Block, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne



J. & H. Marks - Melbourne - 1923

Trev.