Victorian Refinement - III


 

Victorian English Engraved Sterling Silver Cufflinks Hallmarked Birmingham 1896 (LEO Design)

 

Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901—an era well-represented in our collection of handsome cufflinks.  For the rest of the month, we'll be sharing some of these Victorian cufflinks offerings, many of them recently acquired.  Click here to see all of the cufflinks at LEO Design.

Birmingham was a center of British Industrial Age manufacturing—and jewelry making was no exception. This "City of a Thousand Trades" has been producing metalworks, china, glass, weapons, automobiles and machinery for centuries.  In the Nineteenth Century, Birmingham was called "The Workshop of the World" and it was populated with manufacturers large and small.  Though the city is inland, a vast network of canals allowed cheap, fast and efficient shipping; raw materials were brought-in and finished goods were shipped out.  Such direct access to coastal ports allowed high-quality Birmingham goods to be shipped-onwards to the rest of Europe, America, Asia and Africa.  

This pair of sterling silver cufflinks was made by Edward Durban & Company and are hallmarked Birmingham, 1896.  The sterling ovals are "half-engraved," leaving a substantial portion clean—and suitable for monograming.  Click on the photo above to learn more about them.

 

Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well!  Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com)

We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).

Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only).  917-446-4248