The premises of partners George Edwin Walton senior & George Edwin Walton junior were located at the heart of the Birmingham jewellery quarter. The partnership was dissolved in 1870. Thereafter, the firm was known as G.E. Walton & Co. By the late Victorian era the business was styled as a limited liability company (1886).   In 1887 this firm was described as one of the largest watch key and gold & silver chain makers in the world. At this time it employed as many as 300 highly skilled workers. The company also manufactured patented goods for other businesses. For example ..read more

The goldsmith known as Albert Ernest Jenkins is one of our favourite locket makers. His superior quality lockets are among the finest we have seen and yet despite the presence of his finely wrought lockets, he remains a mystery. The only information about this maker which is widely shared is that his business premises were located at Vittoria Street in the heart of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter from 1899-1915. We have not been able to verify this information despite spending many hours searching the patent office and archives.  UNITY WORKS VITTORIA STREET BIRMINGHAM     &nbs ..read more

The luxurious vintage Stratton powder compact featured above is embellished with a delightful enamel decoration.  At the time this accessory was crafted the makers described this lid decoration as:  Jewel design on black enamel background. This pattern was also available on a white enamel background. Later on, the makers renamed this design Indian print.  The Stratton Queen Convertible shown above was one of the earliest examples of this model. It dates to the late 1950s. This compact is fitted with the original bevelled mirror. Bevelled mirrors were more costly to ..read more

1950S STRATTON SCONE POWDER COMPACT                                                                                                                                      Stratton brand vanities are known to be reliable, superbly made and enchantingly be ..read more

The retractable powder puffs known as Houppette Pli were patented designs attributed to Leon Svirsky and Alexandre Willk.  The advertisement shown above depicts the Houppette Pli and other vanities which Willk marketed. A refillable puff known as the Houppette Automatique Plia en cygne.  This translates roughly to automatic folded powder puff made from swan's down. The puffs are fitted with a refillable powder well. The illustration shows how to fill the powder well. These puffs were available in 8, 9 and 10 cm diameters. On the left we see the stylo fard pour les lev ..read more

Sometimes we see listings where the merchant states that the Stratton compact is presented in the original box. On occasions these Stratton brand vanities date to the 1950s and the “original box” dates to the 1980s!  The following information has been compiled to show the wide variety of Stratton brand presentation boxes and puffs. However, this brand was so long lived this may not be a complete guide.  We will update this blog when we find more examples. Some of the earliest boxes we have seen are stamped Stratton & Co. BOX FOR STRATTON’S SELF COMPRESSING VANITY B ..read more

In 1920 Leopold Reich entered into a partnership with Sidney Ash. Their company was styled as The Reich-Ash Corporation. Both men were experienced in the cosmetics industry. Ash had been employed by the Colgate Company and subsequently owned a business which we would describe as being involved in the cosmetics trade.  Reich and Ash manufactured compacts for compressed foundation powder and rouge.  The advertisement shown above gives a good indication of the products this business supplied. This advert dates to 1924. Their clients could be sure that Reich-Ash would supply all t ..read more

Antique lockets and the internal fittings are hand made and so there is one very important thing to remember when removing the original internal frames and portrait protectors. If the locket is still fitted with the original frames and portrait protectors remove each one and place it on a piece of paper exactly the way it was placed in the locket.  This tip will save you time because you will not then have to keep trying which is the best fit. Test the fit: When the frames and clear portrait protectors fit well you will be able to pick up the locket holding it open with the interiors ..read more

We are so delighted to have this wonderful 1953 coronation programme in our collection. This programme was designed and printed by Odhams Press Limited, Long Acre, London, W.C. 2, England, for King George's Jubilee Trust.  Forty enchanting pages which detail the whole ceremony, the coronation procession and everyone involved.  As you would imagine the programme is printed on high quality paper.  This piece is original and not a reproduction. The heavily embossed front cover depicts the coat of arms of Great Britain which was the symbol of the royal sovereignty of Her Majesty Que ..read more

The origins of the esteemed maker known as William Devenport began in early Victorian England in 1837. The firm was founded by Joseph Whitton after whom it was named. When William Devenport became a partner it was styled as Whitton & Devenport. Later on this jewellery concern was known as William Devenport and when his son joined the firm, William restyled the business name to William Devenport & Son.  The maker became particularly well known for their fitted dressing sets which were encased in smart leather clad cases. Each item was placed in a tight fitting custom made recess wh ..read more