The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

resources Of the manufacturers, on account
Of failures among their customers, and OF do
stroying their market, owing to the natural
economy incident 20 times Of industrial de-
preston. The fall in the price of silver proved |
TO be blessing to the somewhat ''rattied"
manufactures A vast array OF articles or |
both utility and beauty began TO be made by |
the silversmiths. The price Of these articles |
being much lower than previously. and the |
decorations and forms more attractive. there |
arose popular demand for what came to be
known in and out Of the trade as "silver
novelties" AS they had little demand for
their natural products. the manufacturing
jewelers. turned their attention to the produc-
tion OF the smaller and less elaborate of these
novelties This new departure took such
hold on the manufacturers, and the trade gen.
orally, that at least third and possibly
half, are now ''silversmiths" I'm "a greater or
lesser degree. Department stores and fancy
goods houses bought imitation silver goods TO
sell at popular prices, and hence in response
TO the demand the quality of tho wares made
by some manufacturers became sadly debased.
Legislation TO protect the public from pur-
chasing low grade goods falsely marked "sterl-
ing" followed in many states, Rhode Island
being among the number.
The invention by Levi Burden Of seamless
filled wire has also done much to change the
styles and elevate the quality OF many kinds
of plated jewelry. BY this invention solid
wire is made covered with gold on the out
side and there Is absolutely no seam to open
up and thus reveal the fact that the jewelry
in which it is used is plated. The wire Is
draw down to any degree Of fineness desired.
Besides the company formed to exploit Mr..
other wire-making establishments which
make seamless wire by various processes,
while nearly all the platers have fallen into
line.
The manufacture Of metal ornaments and
jewelers. findings has come TO be an important
branch OF the industry. This has grown mp
very largely within ten years. Settings Tor
stones can be mado more cheaply by concerns
which are especially fitted up for that branch
| OF business, than the jewelry manufacturers
| can make them for themselves. Little by little
| tho setting makers have added other frag-
n,ents of ;ewelry, until now one manufac-
| turer of this class of work can show thousand
| different samples. small manufacturing
| jeweler can, by purchasing pin stems, set
/ tings and stones To suit his fancy. mako mp
| lot of scarf pins for instance, without using
i any raw materials or machinery.
The constant demand for something new"
| and the growth of the silver novelty craze.
together with the increase in the making OF
findings and metal ornaments, has built mp a
large and profitable business for tool-malxers--
| that is the class of artisans who make the
cutters and dies by means Of which the bit OF
jswelry is roughed out in metal GOOD
tool.makors are probably the high st paid class
of mechanics in Providence it@day. 1t Is not
unusual for them To receive $S5 week, but
OF course. there are degrees of excellence
among toolmakcrs, and graduatons in pay
In that really interesting statistical work
the State Census of 1885, il is shown that tn
1853 shops reporting were using 527 latbos %
| polishing heads 2ll drops, 67S presses, 30
rolls and so on. These figures would be vastl,
| increased today. For instance in 1888 oni,
four power pressees were reported. Now
| there must be almost a hundred. The manu-
facture of these various machines furnishe
considerable employment. The Brown
Sharpe Manufacturing Company, and tn
| Mossberg a. Granville Manufacturing Com
pany, recently removed here from Attleboro
| produce many Of these machines, and ther
| are half n dozen other machine shops tina
| devote their attention almost wholly to jewel
ers' work.
The jewelry industry has been great boo
| to the real estate owners No less than :
different buildings are used wholly or J.
part by manufacturing jewelers. and silver
smiths. The bus ness was born on North Mai
street, few doors north Of the First Baptis
Meeting House. and it lived and thrived 10
many years on the East side OF tho rivel
| Tho shops strung a long from the gambro
| rooted building still standing on South Mai
street, in part Of which Brown 81 Sharp
began business, northward to building hal
way up Constitution Hill, where Josep
| Veazie and other WORTHLESS laboriously wrougf
| out articles of beauty which were intendedi'
| prove Joy forever. The great and ramblin
| pile of buildings on North Aiain street, steep
| and Canal streets, occupied by the Gorhar
| Manufacturing Company, up TO few year
ago. in its earlier days sheltered many OF I'll
jewelry manufacturing concerns The buil'
ing ON the opposite side OF Steeple street, no'
used by a tinsmith, was likewise built for
jewelry factory. But in jewelry making
| in nation.building Westward the star OF en-
nire takes its course" The Hon. Thomi
DAVIS, lately deceased, learned the jewclI
trade IS years ago in building which stot
about where the mue-story Office buildiI
| OF the Industrial Trust Company majestical
rcars its head. This was the first jewell
shop ON the West side for more than thre
| quarters Of n century, and the trade has be-
| pushing westward, until now there Is not
single iowclry or silverware factory ON &
East side OF the river.
some Of the notable structures devoted
the business are here briefly mentioned. II
Manufacturers Building, on Sabn, Abo
and Beverly streets, erected tew yea
ago by the Kent d Stanley Co.. while it ban
rupted n fourishing corporation. get a stan
ard for factory bull lings which will not
improved upon for many year. The bull
ing is seven.stories high. and is far and aw
the largest single building In Providen'
Massive, magnificent in all appointments a
accessories, this building will forever stand
= a monument to Edwin +. Kent, the bold spi
10 who projected 81, and was carried to
n financial ruin thereby.
d The Jesse Metcslf Building on Pine. Ri'
rs mond and Page streets. is another fine stru
N | ,ra built I'm 1906 and containing "a Jewel