Imposing Vintage cufflinks Swank giant crest with stone rare, unique.. cheapest and big! "Grand Prix" Collection offered by Vintage Men's Swag oe-1
These massive cufflinks by Swank date to the middle of the 1950s, when bigger and more unique was all the rage. And these cufflinks cheapest have that in spades! Just check out the amazing detail on these great cufflinks.. the shaped design, like a Renissiance crest, with it's hammered-look surface... the cool oval stone that looks like a nice green agate... and the details of the frame, complete with a crown!
This cufflink, like all the cufflinks Swank featured in ads in the 50s and 60s, does have a name; Florentine. Very appropriate for a cufflink that looks so proud! And you will be proud too, flaunting this amazing survivor set!
Date, estimate or known: c.1950s
Condition: very good
Metal color: silver
Metal composition: alloy, probably plated
Stone or decorative addition composition: agate or man-made agate
Type of item: (see shop home page for definitions) cufflinks
Frame type: (see shop home page for definitions) toggle, thick shaft.
Brand Information: Swank, Inc. Attleborro Ma.
The “King” of brands in the vintage men's costume jewelry game, Swank has a long history as well as high name recognition. The company began as Attleboro Manufacturing Company in Attleboro, MA in 1897, by Samuel Stone and Maurice Baer, making women's jewelry. Men's jewelry was added in 1908, and during World War I the company produced dog tags in support of the war effort. Swank's first line of men's cufflinks were a unique design called “Kum-a-Part” (sometimes marked as Baer and Wilde Company), and are a strong collectable today. More cufflink styles were added in the 1920s as the wearing of cufflinks returned to popularity, and in that decade, the name “Swank” was first used in advertising. The company itself became “Swank Products Inc” in 1938 and in 1941 the name was simplified again to “Swank Inc.” In the 1950s the men's accessory market exploded and would grow continually into the 1960s, with Swank riding the wave of popularity. Leather goods and other men's accessories were added in that decade as well. In the 1960s, during the height of popularity of cufflinks and tie accessories, the company produced over 12 million pairs a year, at an average cost of around $2.50 a pair. In 1967 Swank introduced the chain-back tacks, probably based on a recent patent they obtained. They called them “Action Chain”.
The popularity of the brand was driven by the high number of unique styles produced, from very traditional to very artistic and modern. Swank men's pendants and chains, as well as other items, are also moderately common on the market. That variety continues to drive the demand for vintage Swank pieces in the collectables market today.
Company name changed several times. It became Swank Products, Inc in 1938, then just Swank, Inc. in 1941.