The discovery of gold in California, in 1848, naturally gave a great impetus to the manufac turing jewelry industry, for it gave assurance of an ample supply of metal needed for all purposes without the cost of importation, and if, at that time, we were lacking. in knowledge as to the various forms in which the art of the smiths had been developed, it needed but such expositions as those at London and Paris to perfect our education in that respect. With such secrets revealed to us, however, it took but a comparatively short time for us to ac* quire the inventions in machinery and tools necessary to the reduction of the cost of pro duction, and it is largely due to our success along these lines that we have been able to lead the nations of the world in this branch of the fine arts.
The process of electro-metallurgy was intro duced about 1860, and since that time all kinds of goods in which plating has been employed have been made by this method, the centres of production being located chiefly throughout Connecticut, although there are other large plants at Newark, N. T., and Providence, R.. Speaking from a strictly commercial point of view it is almost impossible to overestimate the value of this process, for it has brought within the reach of people of limited means an attrac tive line of tableware and other articles of utility that are now deemed indispensable in every household. If not as artistic and as highly finished as solid silverware they are ex tremely serviceable and there can be no ques tion but that the better grades of such goods possess considerable artistic merit. In fact, for a time at least, the silver-plated ware en croached upon the province of solid silver, but during more recent years the low valuation of silver bullion, and the mechanical inventions which have further reduced the cost of produc tion, have tended to reverse the tables.
The production of watches is so closely re lated to the jewelry trade that some reference must be made to it in any review of that in dustry. It was but a comparatively short time ago that all watches were imported, whereas to-day we have progressed so far it is only some very small watches for ladies' use and some particularly complicated chronographs that are now obtained in Europe. All others are made
in this country, the industry being largely cen tred in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois. In its consumption of diamonds and other precious stones America will also compare favorably with other nations, New York being the largest market for such gems in the world. Although it was but a few years ago that the art of diamond cutting and polishing was estab lished in the United States, our wise tariff regulations have given such an impetus to this branch of the trade that some of the most ex pert cutters from Holland have now located in this country.
So far as statistics go we have but little ma terial concerning the early history of the jew elry industry. We know that, in 1812, the value of the Providence product was but $100,000, and that, as late as 1860, the returns from all parts of the country were small as compared to those of the present day. In that year, for example, the jewelers and watch makers of Philadelphia produced but $691,430 worth; the silverware manufacturers, $516,000 worth, and the makers of watch-cases and chains, $1,714,800. The production of gold chains and jewelry at New York was $2,497,761; of gold watch-cases, $337,690, and of silverware, $1,250,695. In Newark, the total product was $1,341,000, while Providence produced $2,251, 382 in jewelry and $490,000 in silverware. The following census statistics, covering the years from 1880 to 1905, indicate the great advances which have since been made in the trade: Unfortunately, however, such statistics can not indicate what great things have been ac complished from an artistic standpoint, for the time has now come when the American jeweler, 191.3 1917 1913 1917 Establishments 81 64 37 34 Capital $8,581,425 $8.553.611 $4,235,937 $.3,993.372 Employees 3.931 2,871 1,875 1.516 Wages 82,536,658 $2,166.661 *1,249.397 $1,161,109 Value of prod uct $9,364,159 $11,308.913 $3,968,810 84.239,834 The increase in value of product was prob ably due to the higher prices realized.
Groaca F. Kurtz.