Description
Napier Sterling Mid Century Modernist Link bracelet. Great looking bracelet with<br>no damage or significant wear 27.4 grams.<br><br>The Napier Company got its start in North Attleboro, Massachusetts 1878, under<br>the name of The E. A. Bliss Co., manufacturing gilt men's watch chains. In 1882,<br>the company became incorporated as The E. A. Bliss Company with the word "The"<br>as part of its legal name. The company relocated to Meriden, Connecticut in<br>1890, after the company sustained rapid growth in the previous decade. During<br>World War I (and again in World War II), they ceased production of jewelry, and<br>instead focused on producing war-related items, such as medallions and medals.<br>James H. Napier became president of the company in 1920, and the company was<br>renamed, The Napier-Bliss Co. In 1922, the company again changed its name to The<br>Napier Co.<br><br>Timeline<br>The company was known for its ability to be on the forefront of fashion and<br>design and had a history of sending its designers to Europe. In 1925, James<br>Napier attended the World's Fair Exposition Internationale des Artes Decoratifs<br>et Industriels Modernes in Paris, and brought back with him business ideas,<br>including designs influenced by Parisian and European fashion. Mr. Napier<br>himself, did not design jewelry. James Napier work for the company from 1914 to<br>his death in 1960. From 1920 to 1960 he served as president. In 1999, the<br>company was bought by Victoria & Company. The plant in Meriden, Connecticut was<br>closed by Victoria & Company on October 15, 1999. However, under the umbrella of<br>Jones Apparel Group, Napier jewelry is still being manufactured and distributed.<br><br>Jewelry designs<br>In the 1920s and 1930s, Napier designed necklaces, bracelets and earrings in a<br>range of styles including, designs featuring Egyptian motifs, such as cobras,<br>Victorian Revival designs and Deco-style motifs. The company produced very<br>little jewelry during the 1930s, focusing on its giftware lines. In the 1940s,<br>most of the jewelry produced was sterling silver tailored pieces. In the 1950s,<br>it produced jewelry in a wide range of styles. Napier jewelry is notable for its<br>simple, modern, geometric and floral designs. However, the company also produce<br>boutique and high-end jewelry. Some of the metalwork bears resemblance to<br>Mexican and Scandinavian designs. The fan jewelry collection was introduced as a<br>10-year fundraising commitment in 1955. In the 1950s, the Napier Company<br>presented First Lady Mamie Eisenhower with a bracelet bearing an elephant<br>design, which was reputedly one of her favorite pieces of jewelry, and which she<br>wore often, and the Napier Company gifted the contestants of the 1955 Miss<br>America Pageant with fashion jewelry.<br><br>Historical silver designs<br>Napier silver designs from the first half of the 20th century are in museum<br>collections including the Brooklyn Museum, Newark Museum and a substantial<br>collection at the Dallas Museum of Art. Over the years, Napier silver has been<br>featured in museum exhibitions, including Modernism in American Silver: 20th<br>Century Design at the Smithsonian in Washington, the Dallas Museum of Art, the<br>Wolfsonian in Miami Beach, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, and the Dixon<br>Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, TN (2005–07). Napier designs have also been<br>included in two shows at the Brooklyn Museum, entitled 19th century Modern<br>(2011–12; 2013–15). In November 2016-November 2017, the iconic Napier penguin<br>cocktail shaker is the lead design of a Dallas Museum of Art exhibition Shaken,<br>stirred, styled: The art of the cocktail.
