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The Cuff Linker #2-3 May 2005

The CuffLinker May 20045

TIAS.com presents:

		May 2005

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In this Issue
Welcome! Paul Lobel Normal Jewelry Abbreviations	Musings Helpful Resources Questions and Answers

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1. Welcome to the May 2005 Issue of The Cuff Linker! Eventually, I'll get on track issuing these newsletters in the correct month. Oh well, time can be flexible. The Cuff Linker is a free monthly newsletter about cuff link collecting. Our goal is :

to provide original articles about how to enjoy both the collecting and wearing of cuff links, and
to supply up to date information based on reliable sources.

This issue contains short articles, one on another American studio jeweler as well as a synopsis of abbreviations used on jewelry and in jewelry publications.

Please provide me with suggestions of makers that should be profiled in the future as well as any types of cuff links you would like to see examined.

2. Paul Lobel

Romanian born and American raised and trained, Paul Lobel came to jewelry design in the manner of the top European designers.

Lobel trained in commercial art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He did extensive work in commercial art designing accessories, furniture and holloware (dining services). As a commercial artist, Lobel’s pieces were chosen as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 "Contemporary American Industrial Art" exhibit and he was a medal winner at the 1937 Paris International Exposition of Arts and Techniques. Some of Lobel’s silver items were chosen again by the Metropolitan for its 1940 "Silver, An Exhibition of Contemporary American Designs by Manufacturers, Designers, and Craftsmen."
Beyond commercial art, Lobel was also a painter and sculptor as well as even selling a few cartoons. When Lobel opened his jewelry shop, in 1944 in Greenwich Village, he was already an accomplished and well-known commercial and fine artist. Only two years after opening his jewelry shop, his pieces were included in the Museum of Modern Art™s "Modern Jewelry Design" exhibition. From then on, his pieces would generally be found in any major exhibition of modern jewelry design.

Even the plainest of Lobel’s pieces are mini-sculptures and his cuff links are no exception

Sam Kramer Cufflinks - Click for more pictures
...more detail...

Additionally, probably due to his commercial art background, his cuff links are far more wearable than those of many of his Greenwich Village. If your collection is contemporary or American made, Lobel’s pieces should be strongly considered as a prized addition.

3. Jewelry Abbreviations

I’ve had a few questions regarding all the abbreviations in the Bell Cuff Link book, so I thought I’d go over most of the regular jewelry abbreviations that are used in that book, and in many jewelry books and websites.

There are many different abbreviations used on jewelry (and even more used when describing jewelry). Most pieces that are gold are marked with their karat weight, in the U.S. you will see 10k, 14k and 18k (10k is the lowest allowed to be called gold in the U.S.). You may also occasionally see pieces marked 18k and 22k which usually means there are 22k accents on the piece. British pieces may be marked 9k or ct and the same at 12, 15 & 18 -- all British pieces should also have the Lion mark as well as additional marks for the assay office and year. French pieces will only be marked with the eagle which translate to 18k as any lesser karat cannot be considered gold in France. Swiss pieces will be marked with a squirrel (14k) or a lady’s face in profile (18k). There are various crown marks for early German or the Austro-Hungarian pieces. Finally, many European pieces will be marked with the parts per thousand: 750 for 18k, 375 for 9k. Sometimes one comes across a 333 mark which is usually German and is 8k.

When describing a gold piece, I will usually state the karat # then the color and finally mention gold. For example 18kwg is 18k white gold -- in the Bell cuff link book it would be listed as 18kgw. However, I do make exceptions as I will always spell out rose or red to avoid any confusion with the rolled gold process.

For jewelry items that are gold in color, but not solid gold, you may find abbreviations on the pieces like gf (gold-filled), gp (gold-plated), egp (electro gold-plated) and rgp (rolled gold-plated). Usually, the thickest layer of gold is rgp followed by gf and gp with egp being the thinnest layer. You may occasionally come across a piece marked fixe, which is a French process that is somewhat similar to a thick gf layer. Generally, these processes are done over base metal. You may also see 14kft or 14k fronted on double sided cuff links which means that the face section of the cuff links are gold, but the back half to 2/3rds is base metal.

Silver pieces are usually marked either silver or sterling. Sterling, which is .925% solid silver, is sometimes abbreviated ster. You will come across pieces just marked .800 or .900 which are considered silver, but less than sterling as well as pieces marked .935 or .970 which have a greater silver content than sterling.

Sometimes, abbreviations that are used on jewelry can be identical, but mean something totally different. For example: rhod plat means rhodium plated while irid plat means iridium platinum. Rhodium plating started being used in the late 1940s as a plate over silver to avoid the tarnishing aspects of solid silver and it will often be preceded by a percentage which shows the relationship of the plate to the overall weight of the piece. Iridium is a form of platinum which gives a different look than normal platinum -- if a piece is marked 10% irid plat, it means that the piece is solid platinum with 10% of the total weight being composed of iridium. The irid plat markings is usually found on pieces from about 1890 through the 1930s. Similarly, you will find cuff links marked 14k plat (sometimes with an &) which have both a 14k section (normally the outer rim, back and connector with a centered platinum section.

If you have other abbreviations or markings that you are unsure of, please write in and I’ll try to answer them in later Cuff Linker’s. Also, if you know of abbreviations that everyone should know that I have not addressed, please write in and I’ll do a follow-up piece.

The bottom line on all these abbreviations is still -- if you see a piece you like, you should consider buying it, but you must understand the markings to make sure you are paying what should be the correct price.

4. Musings I’ve received several questions about a convention and what happened to the National Cuff Link Society. Unfortunately, life intervened and I lost too much time to set up a convention for this coming August and based on the amount of work that appears to be involved, I hope someone manages to either buy out the National Cuff Link Society or start a similar organization. It is my understanding that there are attempts being made to buy out the current owner of the remnants of the National Cuff Link Society that I consider currently defunct.

Besides family matters that intervened over the last few months, I was approached to do (and redo and redo again) a proposal on Mens’ Accessories. All to no avail - looks like I’ll try to shop the idea this year.

An interesting note to those of you that buy off of Ebay. I occasionally add to my DVD collection off of Ebay, but have found, several times, that when the shipping is added to the auction price, it has been cheaper to buy retail from Amazon. Now, whenever I’m looking to add a DVD I check what the last few auctions have realized and compare it against Amazon - if the Ebay auctions are not a certain percentage less expensive, I just order from Amazon and don’t have to wait until the end of an auction.

I look forward to hearing from all those interested in cuff links, especially those of you who might wish to provide articles for The Cuff Linker. I’m looking for stories involving favorite cuff links, wonderful cuff link stories and articles about cuff link collecting areas.

The overall purpose of this newsletter is to keep bring to you a few unusual cuff links, sometimes provide good information on makers and issues and to help keep the fun in wearing and collecting cuff links. Please let me know if there are particular makers or designs that you would like to see featured in future issues.

5. Helpful Resources

If you wish to learn more about Lobel and his contemporaries, you can find a good description of the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis) 1948 Exhibition of Contemporary Jewelry that was published by Modern Silver magazine at their website http://www.modernsilver.com/Walkerarticle.htm

If you also have an interest in buttons, check out http://www.bluebirdbuttons.com/sambiernbuttons.htm You should also let Jerry Biern know if you have any of the cuff links make by his father Sam.

6. Questions and Answers

? Question: Is there a rule of thumb to follow regarding cuff link size??

Answer:

There is no real rule of thumb regarding how large (or small) someone’s cuff links should be. There are many things to consider when deciding what size cuff links you are going to wear:

Are you a conservative dresser or think Liberace did not go far enough?
Are you a gymnast or a defensive lineman?
Do you conceal your position in life or do you wish to demonstrate that you have arrived?

One simply has to determine what one is normally comfortable wearing. Personally, I am usually the flamboyant dressing defensive lineman type. However, I have in my wearing collection several pair of small cuff links. There are simply occasions that call for a different way of dressing. For example, I would not wish to call attention to anything if I were appearing for an IRS audit. There are also times when someone else should be the center of attention -- woe befall the Father of the Bride whose jewelry pulls attention away from his daughter on her day.

Dressing for the occasion does go both ways. If you normally wear small cuff links and need to attend a Texas Barbecue or Super Bowl party do not be demure, make a statement. Quite frankly, there are times that you wish to fit in with your surroundings and it takes a variety of styles and sizes of cuff links to fit into different circumstances.

Good luck in finding the style that is normally you and have fun with determining what to wear for those unusual events.

Small cuff links are generally worn by conservative dressers, thin individuals or those who do not wish to actively broadcast their wealth.

Enamel and Glass Snappers

Large cuff links are worn by flamboyant dressers, large people and those that wish to demonstrate their position in life.

Gold and sapphire cufflinks
gold and sapphire links

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If you have questions about cuff links or cuff link collecting, please send an e-mail to Huck@Tias.com I will not respond to questions solely about value. For an estimate, check with a local appraiser or auction houses or, on the web, try http://www.kovel.com for a price book or for online appraisals, not affiliated with Kovel, http://www.collectingchannel.com/cMart/cesATEIndex.asp or http://www.whatsitworthtoyou.com/Tias.htm

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to forward this to a friend.

Paul G. Huck
email: Huck@Tias.com
website: http://captainhucksbooty.com