Manufacturers

E & J Bass:

E & J Bass, Inc of NY, they sold items in the 1890s-1930 under the name Empire Art Gold, Imperial Art Silver and Empire Art Silver, their mark usually consisted of a Crown in a circle with E&JB Empire Art. Their business went under due to the Depression. Originally one of the largest importers and manufacturers of solid gold jewelry and precious stones in New York in 1898. They produced solid gold brooches, scarf pins, watch pins, cuff buttons, etc. The Dorothy Rainwater book says that E & J Bass were "Manufacturers of sterling silver wares, sterling deposit wares and plated silver and jewelry."

The Empire Art Gold line debuted in 1916.

They also produced the enamel and jewel combinations, or sometimes without jewels. I have also known of some pieces of jewelry, such a sash buckles which were stamped Empire Art.

You will find markings on the bases of the boxes and perfume caddies, the sides of the handles on the hand mirrors and brushes, and also just underneath the mirror on the hand mirror. I have never seen a comb marked. Ad from 1925 below.

Apollo Studios:

Apollo Studios of New York was a division of Bernard Rice's & Sons and items marked with the Apollo stamp were made from 1909-1922. These pieces are usually marked only with Apollo, sometimes with Apollo Studios NY or Apollo Ovington followed by some mold (style) numbers. In 1872, the Apollo Silver Co. merged with the bankrupt Redfield & Rice Co, forming the Bernard Rice's Sons. Bernard Rice's & Sons went out of business in 1958. Apollo Studios was a contemporary of Tiffany Studios and produced some of the similar type items, like desk sets, humidors and other fine pieces of brass, copper and gilded brass. I have seen sash buckles stamped Apollo.

Apollo Studios was mentioned in advertisements to be manufacturers of hollow ware, boudoir accessories, and gift items in silver plate, gold plate and other metals. Apollo Studios products were sold in the prestigious Ovington's store, The Gift Shop of Fifth Avenue. Ovington sold china, crystal, fine art, silver and gift items aimed at the bridal market. They produced the jewels and hand painted portraits on ivory combinations or sometimes without jewels. 

Some pieces with the Apollo name were still being produced in the 1930's and 1940's, these items were not as ornate at the earlier pieces and were usually enameled and had the heavy cast metal handles. A popular feature on items of this age are a single large faceted glass jewel on the backs of items or on perfume stoppers, or hand painted ivory miniatures under glass and set into filigree. Items with extra long handles date to the 1930's. To find marks on Apollo pieces: The hand mirrors and brushes are usually marked on the side of the handles. The boxes will be marked on the bases. The trays will be marked on the sides or bases of the frames. I have never seen a comb marked.



Silvercraft:

The Farber Bros. Company sold silver plated, brass, copper hollowware items under the name Silvercraft from 1923-1932, this mark you are most likely to encounter would be Silvercraft and some pseudo-hallmarks underneath it. Other marks would be Farber Bros Craftplate from 1920 on on silver plated hollow ware, solid brass and copper items. Futura NY Silvercraft was used in 1931 for silver and silver plated. Krome-Kraft was used from 1933-1965. Farber brothers went out of business in the 1960's. You will find the mark on the base of boxes, on the bottoms of the tray frames, on the base of perfume bottles. I have never seen a comb marked.

Colonial Quality:

Colonial Quality. The importing and notions company was started by Samstag & Hilder Brothers . They started using the trade name Colonial Quality around 1918, probably earlier and into the 1920s. They had various showrooms in New York, Chicago, St Louis and Boston. Their address was at Samstag's 1200 Broadway, NY. I have found a Colonial Quality jeweled filigree lid on a Heisey powder box. Pieces were marked with Colonial Quality. Colonial Quality items have the same fine appearance of Apollo & Empire Art items.The mark is found on the base of the item.

22kt Gold Plate and 24kt Gold Plate:

22kt Gold Plate and 24kt Gold Plate items were made by an unknown manufacturer, some speculate it is Czech manufacture, but I think it is more like an American company who produced these interesting vanity items. I commonly see this marking on several powder jars with different amber glass bases and twice on perfume atomizers. Items will be marked on the base of the atomizers and on the underside of lids with 22kt Gold Plated. I have seen American items marked with a label stating "Genuine 24K Gold Plated" with the maker's hallmark of a JF and a crown in between the two initials, which belongs to the J. Friedman Silver Company, established in 1908, who manufactured electroplated and pewter ware in the 1930s.

OS & Co:

OS & Co. This mark is stamped on the bottom of a jewelry casket that has the same lid design with jewels as does pieces of Empire Art that I have owned. I cannot find any information on who OS & Co, or OC & Sons, or if it is O & S Co. Perhaps it was made with the same dies as Empire Art but sold to a different manufacturer, it is definitely the same time period as the other pieces.The mark is found on the base. This MAY be the Ontario Silver Company who used the OSCO mark.


Czechoslovakia:

Various Czechcompanies and produced some of the finest metal objets d'art during its years of operation in the early 1900's-1920's, some of their pieces are marked Czecho-Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, or not marked at all, I suspect that they may have once had paper labels which had subsequently fallen off throughout the years. The markings should be stamped on the underside of lids,on the outside of the bottles in a little brass tag, or acid etched onto the base of glass perfumes or powder jars.


FBS:

FBS Trademark the logo of the Ferdinand Bing & Co, Successors. Importers of porcelain, bronze, glass, etc from around the world.


Dermay:

Dermayof Fifth Avenue New York & Paris sold some bath crystals (jasmine, rose, chypre, narcisse) in their Bath Flowers fragrance in a satin glass jar with a jeweled brass lid, in 1928. The base of the jar has a molded pattern, and there was usually a paper insert which fitted into the lid and a label on the base for Dermay Paris, New York. Dermay Perfumers Inc had several different perfumes introduced in the 1920s and 1930s so other fragranced bath salts were also probably offered.

Trinity Plate:

Trinity Plate is not the name of a manufacturer, but rather the trademarked name of a very fine technique of triple (where the trinity comes from) gilding brass that was used on purse frames, vanity items, dance purses, compacts and so on. I have seen some of these items encrusted with glass jewels.

 According to the leaflet that originally came with Trinity marked bags, a section read "Every frame under this trade mark is handmade and guaranteed to be finished with a deposit of 24 Karat Gold."

Trinity Plate was trademarked by William Suckling & Sons of Birmingham, England in 1914 for silverware and electroplate, the name was first used June 1914. These ornate items date from 1915-1930s or so. Items are marked with "Trinity Plate".The mark should be inside the compact or on the base of the boxes.


La Tausca Pearls:

La Tausca Pearls was a trade name used by two different companies, L.Heller & Son Inc and Martin Low & Taussig, Providence RI. The high quality faux pearls were sold in a filigree & jeweled bronze finished brass presentation box in the 1910-1930s. These boxes were lined in ivory colored silk and had La Tausca Pearls printed in gold lettering on the inside of the lid. This is usually worn away.

I have seen various different shapes of these boxes from a square shape to a longer rectangular shape, also in an octagonal shape too. The colors of the jewels are emerald green, sapphire blue, amber and/or amethyst purple glass jewels. Please see my insightful guide on La Tausca Pearls and their fabulous presentation boxes.

A 1924 advertisement reads:

"La Tausca Pearls. Searching about for a casket which would be worthy of the exquisite La Tausca strands. the artist ran across some of those studded jewel cases wherein great ladies of high European courts bid. Some of these very cases die artist copied. Soon after his return to this country, appeared the La Tausca jewel cases. Gold and silver plate - semi precious stones-goldsmithing of the finest type-- caskets to incase the precious La Tausca's pearls in royal manner. In many Instances, the beautiful caskets housing these jewels are really worth more than the faux pearls inside. La Tausca Pearls are known all over the world for their wonderful beauty and wearing qualities They come in Gem Studded Copper, satin lined Jewel Chests historical reproductions from the Louis XVI period-A Gift for the most fastidious-as low as $25.00"

MWC Co:

MWC Co. This is the mark for M.W. Carr & Co out of Boston/West Somerville, MASS (1868-1995). I have seen this mark on several different items over the years. arr was formed by Martin W Carr and was a manufacturer of "Fancy Metal Goods, Jewelry and Novelties". They started in Boston in 1868 and moved operations to West Somerville in 1894. The mark is MWC in a diamond with CO below it. These pieces were marked on the bottom often with a mold number. Sometimes you can find their mark along with "Empire Ware", one of their lines, do not confuse this with the aforementioned brand "Empire Art Ware" by E&J Bass.

PNCW:

PNCW- Progress Novelty Casting Works, located at Long Island City, NY. Producers of novelties and costume jewelry from the 1920s- late 1940s.