1950s Swank Tiger’s Eye and Gold Roman Intaglio Cufflinks

Description

This unique pair of 1950s Swank Tiger’s Eye and Gold Roman Intaglio Cufflinks Tiger’s Eye and Gold Roman Intaglio Cufflinks are a nod to the Roman empire with their 3D handcarved Intaglio faces of Roman soldiers out of the Tiger’s Eye stone. This sophisticated pair of cufflinks are signed 1/40 10K RGP and in excellent vintage condition. Definitely worthy of any serious jewelry collection. The Swank cufflinks toggle bar was square-shaped up to 1954 when Swank changed to using a rounded toggle bar. Thus, these cufflinks are dated pre-1955.

• Dimensions: approximately .5″W x .75″L x .5″D
• Marks: SWANK 1/40 10K RGP (rolled gold electroplate)
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition with no visible chips or cracks; please see pics for details.

About SWANK
The beginnings of Swank, Inc., can be traced to the year 1897, when Samuel M. Stone and Maurice J. Baer founded the Attleboro Manufacturing Company to produce and sell jewelry for women. By the time the United States became involved in World War I, the Attleboro Manufacturing Company was large enough to handle the production of thousands of metal identification tags, better known as “dog tags,” for the military. While this was the company’s most notable contribution to the war effort, it also profited from the production of numerous other emblems for the U.S. government during those years. It was then that the demand for production of men’s jewelry surpassed that of women’s, and the women’s line was terminated. The company began to focus its resources completely on the manufacture of men’s collar buttons, pins, and holders, as well as tie clips, dress sets, and other men’s jewelry items. Swank, Inc., is one of the country’s leading marketers of men’s accessories and leather goods. Swank’s customers are mainly major retailers such as department stores, through which the company’s products are marketed under the brand names Pierre Cardin, Tommy Hilfiger, Geoffrey Beene and others.

Intaglio v. Cameo?
Intaglio is a technique that dates back to antiquity and is still in use at present. Patterns, designs or – more frequently – images are carved or engraved in gemstones leaving a hollow impression in the untouched background. This style of carving is the opposite of the cameo technique. A cameo is a glyptograph or bas-relief carving, (the opposite of the technique used in intaglios) usually depicting a scene or portrait, for use in jewelry and decorative arts. When layered materials such as banded agate or shell are used, the foreground or lighter color usually depicts the scene and the background is created by exposing a deeper layer of another color. Cameos can also be monochrome and are carved from nearly every gem material including agate, quartz, and corundum, and many natural materials such as coral, shell, horn, and ivory. Cameos have been created since Biblical times and were particularly popular at the end of the 18th and the entirety of the 19th century.