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M.H. LAWRENCE

52, Gray's Inn-Road, London


M. H. Lawrence, manufacturing jeweler at 52, Gray's Inn-Road W.C. is minus around $25,000 worth of jewelry as a result of a week-end jewel raid on his premises. The thieves got away from the place by the front door, their pockets being stuffed with gold, platinum and diamond rings mostly in an unfinished state. A caretaker heard strange noises but did not trouble to investigate. The thieves evidently concealed themselves on the premises during the day and were locked in by the caretaker over night. A half-ton safe was ripped open, the thieves donning the manufacturer's employes' own overalls in order to protect their clothing. They were careful to leave no finger prints.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 16th August 1922

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WILLIAM JOHN COE

37, Old Bond Street, London


The Bankruptcy Act, 1869. In the London Bankruptcy Court. In the Matter of Proceedings for Liquidation by Arrangement or Composition with Creditors, instituted by William John Coe, of 37, Old Bond-street, Middlesex, Jeweller and Silversmith.

A Special General Meeting of the Creditors of the above-named debtor is hereby summoned to be held at the offices of Mr. Julien Grace Bennett, No. 50, Great Marlborough-street, London, on Wednesday, the 23rd day of February, 1876, at twelve o’clock at noon, for the following purposes:–1. To take into consideration the granting of the debtor's order of discharge; 2. To consider an application of the debtor for the release of his furniture, or some part thereof, to him.—Dated this 14th day of February, 1876.

Wm. Stollard, Solicitor for Julien Grace Bennett, the Trustee.

Source: The London Gazette - 15th February 1876

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C. HOARE & Co.

The Sign of the Golden Bottle, Cheapside, later, 37, Fleet Street and 32, Lowndes Street, London


The London private bankers, C. Hoare & Co. entered their mark with the London Assay Office to be struck on presentation dishes issued by the bank to celebrate their 300th anniversary in 1972:










CHCo - London - 1971

The cartouche of the mark reflects the shape of the bank's original trade sign, the golden bottle.

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DUFF, LAST & Co.

42, Cannon Street, London



Duff, Last & Co. - London - 1881

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VICTOR CRICHTON

19, Kensington High Street, London



Victor Crichton - London - 1928


Victor Crichton - London - 1929

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H.A. LAZARUS - THE OLD HOUSE

33, Southampton Street, Fitzroy Square, London



H.A. Lazarus - London - 1928


The Old House - London - 1929

The business of Harold Arthur Lazarus.

The firm entered their marks 'H.A.L', contained within a heraldic shield, with the London Assay Office on the 18th January 1901, 28th October 1901, and on the 7th December 1904.

Harold Arthur Lazarus was formerly in partnership with Manfred Lewis, trading as Lazarus & Lewis.

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COHEN, JACOB & Co.

36-37, Ely Place, Holborn and Charterhouse Street, London and Rue Beranger 10, Paris



Cohen, Jacob & Co. - London - 1876

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L.K. LEON & Co.

167, Piccadilly, London



L.K. Leon & Co. - London - 1887


L.K. Leon & Co. - London - 1892

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WRIGHT & DAVIES

370, later, 145 7 151, later, 142a, Oxford Street, later, 60, Poland Street, Soho, later, 31-33, Beak Street, Soho, later, Ormond House, Rosebery Avenue, London


Examples of the work and mark of Wright & Davies:
















W.W above F.D - London - 1876


W.W above F.D contained within a quarto-foil.



The business of William Thomas Wright and Frederick Davies was established in c.1864. The firm was in the hands of W.T. Wright and William Frederick Wright by 1893.

Wright & Davies acquired the business of George Heath & Co. in 1900.

The Ormond House, Rosebery Avenue workshops were set up in 1939 doing work for Cartier. Wright & Davis Ltd. is now a subsidiary of Cartier.

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ROBERT BUNTING

36, Sekeforde Street, Clerkenwell, London



Robert Bunting - London - 1863


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E. BANES

10, Hatton Garden, London



E. Banes - London - 1863

Agent for Benckiser & Co. of Pforzheim.

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L.M. AUERHAAN & SON

79 & 80, Harrison Street, Gray's Inn Road, London



L.M. Auerhaan & Son - London - 1863

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C.H. HAWKINS

1, Percival Street, Goswell Road, London



C.H. Hawkins - London - 1885

Established in 1844.

Formerly at Fryer's, of Compton Street, Clerkenwell.

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WILHELM SCHULLER (William Christian Schuller)

36, Poland Street, Oxford Street, London




The very artistically designed and highly-finished tiara shown in the annexed illustration, is the work of Mr. W. Schuller, of 36, Poland Street, Oxford Street, but, as is well-known, a cut of the kind conveys but a faint idea of the beauties of such a piece of workmanship ; they can, perhaps, be better imagined from the following details :—The tiara contains 494 of the finest brilliants, the centre stone weighing three carats. The pearls are fifteen in number and are also the pick of large parcels, the centre one weighing 23 grains. The jewel was made to the order of a lady of title, whose name we are not permitted to divulge, and will probably be worn at the next Drawing Room. Mr. Schuller is the maker of the Kimberley casket, presented to the Queen, of which mention was made in a former issue.

Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith - 1st December 1888


Wilhelm Schuller established his business in 1864, he had earlier been awarded the first-class silver medal at the Stuttgart Exhibition of 1859.

He entered his mark, 'W.C.S', contained within an oblong punch, with the London Assay Office on the 21st March 1888.

See: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=30091&p=194277#p194277

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HENRY HOBSON & SONS

67,68,69, Houndsditch, London and 92, Queen Street, later, 23, Carver Street, later, 28, Eyre Lane, Sheffield



H. Hobson & Sons - London - 1896

Established in 1845 by Henry Hobson.

The firm was later in the hands of George Frederick Hobson and Henry Stanley Hobson.

Henry Hobson & Sons entered their marks with the London and Sheffield assay offices.


Mark entered with Sheffield Assay Office on the 22nd November 1892:




Mark entered with Sheffield Assay Office on the 11th December 1894:




Mark entered with London Assay Office on the 7th November 1894:

'GFH' (George Frederick Hobson) contained within a lozenge.


Mark entered with London Assay Office on the 2nd December 1901:




Mark entered with London Assay Office on the 5th September 1912:



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T.L. LYON & Co.

London


A new not loseable turban bracelet has been patented by Messrs. T. L. Lyon & Co., of London. It is manufactured in French Gold (18 carat, Government marked), and consists of a number of rows, from one to fifteen, which acting as a spring encircle the wrist and effectually secure the bracelet. The invention has met with great success in France, and will doubtless be equally successful here.

Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith - 5th April 1878

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LESLIE DURBIN

Examples of the work and mark of Leslie Gordon Durbin:








LGD - London - 1958














LGD - London - 1981



KING'S INVESTITURE

George Medal For Apprentices

.........The three men primarily responsible for the Stalingrad Sword were also decorated. Mr Reginald Gleadowe, the designer, and Mr George Hughes, clerk of the Goldsmiths' Company, were made Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order, and Corporal Leslie Durbin, R.A.F., who carried out the silver work, was made a Member of the Fourth Class of the Order.

The King said that he was greatly pleased with the sword. He asked Durbin how long he had been a silversmith, and Durbin replied that he began to learn the craft at 13, and had been at it for 17 years. He spent four months working on the sword.

Source: The Glasgow Herald - 22nd October 1943


SILVERWARE ON EXHIBITION

Modern Craftsmanship

The exhibition of modern silver now on view in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, has been sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and includes examples of the work of outstanding British designers and craftsmen of the past 25 years.

The majority of the exhibits come from the South, but there is one notable Scottish contribution - the new four-foot-long mace of St. Andrews University School of Medicine, a piece of craftsmanship rich in symbolism which was designed by C. D'O. Pilkington Jackson and, according to the Latin inscription "made in Edinburgh A.D. 1949 in the workshop of the jewellers, Hamilton and Inches, by the silversmith Edward Robert Key Hamilton and the chaser William Samuel, and in her workshop by the enamellist Elizabeth Henry Kirkwood, and in his workshop by the engraver James Anderson."

Other historic pieces are the sword of honour given after the war by the Corporation of London to Lord Tedder, designed by Leslie Durbin, with a finely ornamented leather scabbard and a hilt decorated with silver and gold wire, crystal, and enamel, and variously engraved; and a model of the Olympic torch made to celebrate the London Games of 1948.

The smaller exhibits fall into the two main categories of traditional reproduction and modern style. The latter, ranging from plate for Guildford Cathedral to tall and stately tea-pots and condiment sets, tend to "streamlining." Engraved decoration, where it is present, is perhaps the least successful feature of the contemporary ware, but there are several examples of the attractive use of coloured bands of inlay in the work of Jane Barnard.

The exhibition will remain open until October 28.

Source: The Glasgow Herald - 3rd August 1950


Leslie Durbin designed the 1977 Silver Jubilee mark

Leslie Gordon Durbin - Born 1913 - Died 2005

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JONES & SON

New Bond Street, London


An example of the work and mark of Jones & Son:


J&Sn - London - 1934

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CARPENTER & WESTLEY

24, Regent Street, London



Carpenter & Westley - London - 1843


Carpenter & Westley - London - 1847


Carpenter & Westley - London - 1848


Carpenter & Westley - London - 1864


Carpenter & Westley - London - 1869

The oldest manufacturers of magic lanterns in this country are Messrs. Carpenter and Westley, of Regent Street, London. Philip Carpenter began the making of lanterns in Birmingham about the year 1808, and subsequently the late William Westley, who was born in 1807, entered his employment. In 1827, shortly after the removal of the business to London, William Westley rejoined his employer, first as foreman, then as partner; lastly he became the principal. He died at the beginning of this year, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery. Philip Carpenter was the uncle of the late Dr. W. B. Carpenter, the physiologist; the latter is said to have acquired his taste for scientific pursuits from the interest he took as a boy in the lanterns and lantern slides of his uncle. When dissolving views were invented, about 1836, by an Italian, whose name I have been unable to obtain, and, it is said, Henry Childe, independently of each other, Dr. Carpenter wrote to Messrs. Carpenter and Westley, asking how they were produced and giving his own theory; he did not guess that two lanterns were brought into play. That letter is still in existence. When dissolving views were first invented, William Westley put them before the public, but the method of their production was kept secret. William Westley raised lantern slide painting to a fine art; he selected the best artists and encouraged them to improve by paying them twice the usual fees for their work, with something in addition for any exceptional specimen of skill. Among the best slide painters he employed may be mentioned Thomas Kearnan, the best slide painter of architectural subjects who ever lived ; he died in 1872. Another was Henry Childe, who claimed the invention of dissolving views; he was clever at Scenic effects, such as rippling water, summer and winter, eclipses at Sea, and so on. Another was S. H. Baker, the best man who ever painted landscapes on glass for the lantern. J. Smith and Thomas Clare were other noted slide painters of the past, so also was Charles Simpson, a miniature and portrait painter by profession, who subsequently became blind. Lastly, C. Constant, the painter of comic slides, should be remembered; he has made himself immortal by devising the world-wide famous slide of the sleeping man swallowing endless processions of rats. All these painters have departed this life with the exception of Mr. Baker, who now occupies a high position in connection with the Birmingham Society of Arts. Kearnan and Simpson were interred by the late William Westley in the same grave in Brompton Cemetery. Messrs. Carpenter and Westley introduced the crescent form of dissolver, in which a crescent was cut out near the circumference of a circular disc; it gets rid of the shadows on the picture cast by opaque dissolvers. Philip Carpenter, the founder of the business, materially helped Sir David Brewster in the invention of the kaleidoscope.

Source: The Photographic News - 22nd December 1887

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WALTER & CHARLES CLARKE

2, Malet Place, Great Portland Street, London


Walter Clarke, Working Jeweller, Colourer, and Gilder, 2, Market-place, Great Portland-street. Jewellery altered and repaired. Price list on aplication Ormolu articles regilt.

Source: The Bazaar, The Exchange and Mart - 7th February 1877


Walter and Charles Clarke entered their mark, 'WC·CC' contained within an oblong punch, with the London Assay Office on the 10th October 1872.

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