New in the Gallery - Cufflinks and Brooches

Recent additions to the Antique Cufflink Gallery include beautifully engraved Carrington platinum and gold cufflinks with blue enamel borders, inescapably elegant two-tone cufflinks from Lebolt & Company, and striking midcentury Garrigus cufflinks set with sapphire cabochons.

Platinum Blues  Intricately engraved platinum and gold cufflinks accented with a striking course of blue enamel.  Created by Carrington & Company,  circa 1925.    Cost:  Sold

Inescapably Elegant  Early Art Deco cufflinks with finely-engraved, frosty platinum centers surrounded by yellow gold borders with a rippling, never-ending wave.  Crafted in 14kt gold and platinum,  circa 1920.    Cost:  Sold

Sapphire Moderne  Sapphire cabochons set in beautifully engraved platinum tops.  A testament to the elegance of mid-century design.  Crafted in platinum and 14kt gold,  circa 1950.    Cost:  Sold

New in the Antique Brooch and Pin Gallery are a dramatic Art Nouveau brooch set with three pearls and an elegant black and gold bar pin from Carter, Howe.

Art Nouveau Pearls  An Art Nouveau brooch with flowing leaves and vines,  or are they wisps of smoke,  accented with three creamy pearls.  Crafted 14kt gold, circa 1900.     Cost:  $685

Black and Gold  An elegant Edwardian bar pin highlighted with black enamel and set with a small pearl.  Crafted in 14kt gold.    Cost:  Sold

These and other fine jewels from the past can be found in
the Antique and Estate Jewelry Galleries

Cufflinks ... Chicago Style?

Gold and Platinum Cufflinks by the "L-maker."

Every so often you will come across an elegant pair of gold and platinum cufflinks marked on the reverse with a small script "L". The cufflinks are usually rectangular in shape with beveled corners, much like an emerald-cut diamond. The tops are embellished with intricately engine-turned centers surrounded by foliate and geometric borders. I have nicknamed the unknown maker of these cufflinks the "L-maker". Here are a few examples.

Beautifully engine-turned 14kt yellow gold cufflinks with intricate acanthus leaf borders. These cufflinks are a nice example of the rich gold work characteristic of gentleman's jewelry in the early decades of the last century. Crafted by the "L-maker", circa 1920.

This pair beautifully displays the cool geometry of Art Deco design. Engraved and dimpled trapezoid borders surround chequered platinum centers. Crafted by the "L-maker" in 14kt gold and platinum, circa 1930.

The reverse of these cufflinks are stamped with precious metal marks and the maker's mark - a small script "L" in a lozenge (diamond shape). Hence the name "L-maker."

The mark is similar to the maker's mark of Lebolt & Co., a retail jeweler founded in Chicago in 1899. Inspired by the fashion for hand crafted silver in the early 1900s, Myer Lebolt, founder of the firm, opened a workshop to create custom silver pieces for his retail stores in Chicago and New York. Eventually the workshop included goldsmiths and platinumsmiths who created jewelry in addition to the firm's sterling flatware and holloware. It is possible these elegant cufflinks were created in the Lebolt workshop during the 1920s.

At this time, an attribution of these cufflinks to Lebolt & Co. is only a working hypothesis. The similarity of the marks is suggestive, but not conclusive. It is wise to confirm the identification of an unknown maker's mark with other sources such as old catalogs, original sales receipts and period advertisements. Family recollections and company names on jewelry boxes can also be helpful, but are sometimes less reliable. The mystery of the "L-maker" may be closer to a solution, but further research remains to be done.

If you would like to read more about Lebolt & Co. and the Chicago silversmiths, there is a wonderful book, Chicago Metalsmiths, by Sharon Darling. Although the book is out of print, it is worth a trip to the library or a secondhand book shop to find a copy.

Platinum and Gold Cufflinks

Carter, Gough & Co. Platinum and Gold Cufflinks
Crafted in platinum and 14kt gold, circa 1920

Fine antique cufflinks have been made in a variety of materials ranging from precious metals to tortoise shell, pearl, ivory, Vulcanite (an early form of hardened rubber), Bakelite and glass. In fact just about any material that imaginative jewelry makers could shape, bend or mold can be found in a pair of cufflinks. Among the precious metals, platinum, gold and silver have been the most popular with palladium, a platinum group metal, making a rare appearance.

Prior to 1900, platinum's high melting point limited the metal's use in fine jewelry and cufflinks. With the development of high-heat torches the limited use of platinum began to melt away. Some of the most striking cufflinks from the early decades of the 20th century elegantly contrast gold and platinum. These two-tone cufflinks sparkle with the warmth of antique gold and cool brilliance of platinum. Here are a few examples.

An exquisite pair of platinum and gold cufflinks from Carter, Gough & Co. During the early decades of the last century, the firm created beautiful cufflinks and dress sets in the sparkling, airy style of the Edwardian period. Carter,Gough cufflinks appear to dance in the light as you move your cuffs. For another example, please revisit the photograph at the top of this post.

Elegant two-tone cufflinks in the bold Art Deco style. These cufflinks feature checker board platinum centers surrounded by engraved and dimpled gold borders. Crafted around 1930, I believe these cufflinks were created by the Chicago jewelers Lebolt & Co. There is something undeniably magical about the cool geometry of Art Deco design.

For more elegant cufflinks crafted in platinum and gold,
please visit our Antique Cufflink Gallery.