For the Guys - Swank, A History

If you’re a collector of men’s vintage jewelry and accessories then you’ve more than likely have a few (or many!) Swank pieces in your possession. Swank began creating men’s and women’s costume jewelry in 1897, when it went by the name of Attleboro Manufacturing Company, named after it’s location in Attleboro, Mass. The company was started by Samuel Stone and Maurice Baer. The company began making men’s pieces starting in 1908, but they didn’t decide to focus only on men’s pieces until shortly after World War I. During the war the company created dog tags for the U.S. military and it was this shift in manufacturing that led the company to specialize in men’s jewelry. The most notable pieces developed by Swank are cufflinks.  The first line of cufflinks created by Swank were called Kum-a-Part, for their unique snap closure. Cufflinks started to become popular again in the 1920s when manufacturers started to develop pairs of cufflinks that were easy to insert and remove. Swank took advantage of these manufacturing changes and became a powerhouse in the cufflink market. During the 1960s when wearing cufflinks was at its peak in men’s fashion Swank was producing 12 million pairs a year. You can find Swank cufflinks in every shape, size and style imaginable! After the company had success with their Kum-a-Part line and experienced a huge manufacturing increase, they changed their name, officially becoming Swank Products, Inc. in 1936. In 1941 they had a third company change and shorted the name to just Swank, Inc. Starting in the 1950s the brand began to acquire other companies and styles of manufacturing, expanding into leather goods and other men’s accessories. Making them a leader in men’s fashion and style. In the 1980s the brand had a change of heart and began offering women’s jewelry again, mostly under the label Anne Klein. This foray back into women’s costume jewelry was short lived and once again the company does not make women’s jewelry, making Swank’s women’s pieces a little more collectible due to the relative rarity. The company still operates their men’s line today and also creates private labels for designers such as Claiborne, Guess, Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger.  In 2012 they were purchased by Randa Accessories and continue to produce affordable, fashionable men’s jewelry and accessories.

Growing the Business

If you’ve been a fan of the shop for a while you’ve probably noticed some changes in the types of items I carry now from what was in the shop when I started selling on Etsy three years ago. It’s been  

The first item I ever sold on Etsy

a huge leap, but as I’ve gained some traction on Etsy and at shows, I’ve decided to expand what I carry to begin to include more precious metals and gemstones. I’ve been slowly building a collection of vintage and antique gold and sterling silver engagement, wedding and cocktail rings, as well as more art deco era pieces to bring to you.

Gold and diamond vintage engagement ring

While I’m holding true to the brand identity I set up for the shop – being a reasonably priced, mid-range vintage seller that had affordable items for every budget – I’ve taken that identity and grown it to be the same style of business for more high-end pieces as well. Most of the gold and sterling items you’ll see in the shop follow this same model – they’re wonderfully beautiful and unique pieces, priced to be affordable for what they are. You’ll find 10k gold rings in price points from $100-300 and the most expensive piece in the shop, a gorgeous 14k gold diamond engagement ring, is still under $500.

Art Deco Czech glass earrings

In addition to these offerings, I’ve also been diligently adding to the Art Deco era pieces in my collection. This is a personal favorite era of mine and quality, stunning pieces from this time period get me all excited and I’m thrilled to be able to share some of that excitement with you!

I’ll always carry items in every price point; so don’t be worried that you won’t be able to afford things from the shop – more than 70 percent of our items on Etsy are still under $50. As I continue to expand the business due to wonderful folks like yourselves, I’ll use this blog forum to keep you informed and share explanations for the changes you see.

Mandy Heth

Owner, Vintage Baubles & Bits

Where You'll Find Me Next - Wine, Chocolate and Romance

Who can pass up on wine, chocolate and romance? Well if this sounds up your alley get on over to the KC RenFest on September 27th and 28th to get your fill! Be sure to visit the vendor market place and stop in and say hi to us.

For this show I curate a selection of vintage items that fit the Victorian, Edwardian and Renaissance styles, including gloves, purses, costume and fine jewelry!

Where You'll Find Me Next - Chick Events

Coming soon! If you're in the KC area be sure to come out to this brand new show! The show coordinators have done a great job marketing and promoting the show and I'm excited to be a part of what I think will be a fantastic weekend!

Where You'll Find Me Next - Vintage & Made Fair September Edition

Iowa friends, I had so much fun that I'm coming back again! See me Sept. 6th and 7th in West Des Moines!

For the Guys: Keep Your Pants Up!

Suspenders are an excellent way to make sure you don’t accidently moon someone very important! To American’s, the suspender is a set of fabric, elastic or leather straps, with button or clips at the ends used to hold up trousers. Outside of the US, the word suspender has a much broader scope and is often used to refer to items we call garter belts today, the term simply means, any garment used to hold up pants or stockings.

The modern suspender was developed in 1820 by Albert Thurston as a solution to a fashion issue where pants became cut to high for belts to be practical. The first U.S. patent for suspenders came about in 1871 and belonged to Samuel Clemens, more famously known as author Mark Twain.

Suspenders remained popular until the 1920s, but went out of fashion in the 30s because they were seen as “underwear”. Since then suspenders have resurged in fashion from time to time, but they’ve never again out-paced the belt in the popularity race.

Check out the collection of suspenders in our men’s section!

Stunning Sterling Silver

 I’ve always been a fan of silver jewelry and quality sterling silver is elegant and timeless. From the handformed artistic beauty of Native American jewelry to the stunning, intricate details of a sterling art deco piece, there is much to be admired about sterling silver jewelry.

 

First – what makes an item sterling versus just silver? It’s the metal content. Like many metals pure silver, like pure gold or pure copper, can be pliable and to soft to make jewelry with. To counter the metal’s natural qualities it is often blended with other metals to create stronger, more durable pieces. To be classified as sterling, the metal must contain 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metal, often copper.

In jewelry pieces sterling silver is often marked 925 or sterling to signify the metal content. Looking for these marks is a good way to ensure that you’re getting a more quality metal that is likely to hold up better with wear and use.

Sterling, as a metal alloy, was developed in Europe and can be traced back to at least the 12^th century in the form of coins in the area now known as northern Germany. The popularity of sterling silver grew in Colonial America when American silversmiths began using the metal standard in all the pieces they created.

As trade increased between colonist and Native Americans, many tribes began using silver in the making of their jewelry. This process started in the early 1800s and by the 1850s many Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes had adopted silverwork into their jewelry. Today Southwestern jewelry and sterling silver go hand-in-hand.

Discover stunning sterling silver selections in the shop!