Vintage Danecraft Sterling Silver Bracelet

When I came upon this beautiful little bracelet, the first thing that attracted me was the stones. Each one is of a slightly different size and shape - this is not a trait of machine-made jewelry. Then upon closer inspection, I located the 'Danecraft' logo and it suddenly made sense - this was no random piece of costume jewelry...

Danecraft sounds English, doesn't it? Perhaps not British, but at least North American, in origin. However, Danecraft was actually founded in Italy...

We must travel back to the turn of the 20th century, when wealth was being spread to every corner of the globe as the industrial revolution was introducing modern conveniences, medical advances and social infrastructure to the teeming masses, ensuring that people were living longer and happier lives. Along with those advances came the rarely-before-seen practice of shopping. Up until the mid-1800s, 'disposable income' wasn't yet a term. Every paycheck was desperately rationed to ensure the kids ate, the roof remained firmly in place and the soles on father's boots were thick enough to survive another day in the mines or on the factory floor. So desperate were those early years of the Industrial Revolution that children were sometimes even offered for sale by their anguished and mortified parents, who were left with no other options. It was a wretched existence from which one would attempt escape, by any means - criminal or otherwise. However, as technology advanced, so did the welfare of the inhabitants of large industrial centers. Shops used to be purpose-built, bare and run by a surly shop-keeper who would curtly address his customers. When one entered a store, it was for the sole purpose of making a purchase and exiting the premises as efficiently as possible. However, with the money that seemed to flow from on-high, the shopping experience was being revolutionized. For the first time in history, 'browsing' was coined as a term for those simply perusing a retailer's available wares, to perhaps be tempted to purchase a likeable item or momentary fancy. This retail environment was changing our society from one of consumption to one of excess. High fashion, far from being out of reach to the average citizen, was now accessible to more and more members of the middle class. Fashion houses in France and Italy began popping up and flourishing, offering items that were previously reserved for society's elite and royalty for purchase by the growing upwardly-mobile workers of the world.
In the Abruzzo region of Italy, about half-way up the boot, East of Rome is located a town called Pescara. Italy was quickly becoming a global fashion mecca and the regions throughout the country specialized in various works. In Venice, the glass and art was spectacular. In the north, near Milan, we saw a boom in beautiful clothing and fashions made of fabrics and styles that had been never before seen and grew immensely popular. When it came to jewelry, however, Abruzzo was the region to which those looking for truly unique and imaginative items, flocked. In the early 1900s, in Pescara, lived an artisan family led by two brothers, Victor and Thomas - the Primaveras. They had been practicing jewelry-making in the region for several decades and in 1918, Primavera Designs was founded. So impressive was their craftsmanship and design that it took only 3 years (1921) for them to become not only the most popular designer in Pescara, but the largest jewelry manufacturer in the entire Abruzzo region. With their popularity grew a well-earned reputation as manufacturers of pieces for royalty and the wealthy elite. They frequently visited a patron's home for special projects, whether it be a custom jewelry piece or a recreation of a cherished family heirloom. As such, their reputation continued to grow, and by the early 1930s, Thomas and Victor Primavera Sr. emigrated to the United States and headed straight to the unlikeliest jewelry capital of the US - Rhode Island. Sadly, within 2 years of their arrival, Thomas passed away. Victor kept up the business and in 1934, incorporated his and his brother's company, calling it 'Danecraft' (rumour has it that Thomas had an affinity for Danish jewelry, hence the name 'Danecraft'). The Danecraft name was trademarked for the first time in 1938. Over the next 40 years, Victor would play with the company name, even using fictitious names for some limited-run designs and productions. In the 1950s, he joined with several local jewelers (James P. Felch and Agnes I. Bruno) and incorporated Felch & Co. Inc. for the manufacture, sale and distribution of jewelry and associated supplies. In 1953, Felch & Co. filed an amendment to their articles of incorporation stating the company would be known as Danecraft, Inc. Although Victor Sr. passed away in 1977, his son Victor Primavera Jr. took over the company and the Primaveras still run Danecraft, today.

Our piece is a beautiful example of mid-century fashion. It is a gold-gilt Sterling silver bracelet, made up of 6 beautiful flower links, each with a blue gemstone at their center. The gemstone, although it looks like sapphire, is coloured cubic zirconia. I know... we may look down on it today, but at the turn of the century, sapphires were prohibitively expensive and with zircon's physical features and light refraction, it fit beautifully into many of Danecraft's designs. In fact, it and similarly-coloured opal was their preferred stone, when it came to their consumer pieces.
Structurally, our piece is perfect - the latch, the stones, the logo - all perfect. It would make a wonderful addition to a vintage jewelry collector and a stunning example of emerging mid-century jewelry design.

As always, should you have any questions, I'm always happy to respond to messages almost immediately.

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