Birge, Brackett & Co.

Brattleboro, VT  c. 1835-1840
John Birge, Horace D. Brackett, and Zelotes Dickinson.

Birge & Dickinson

Brattleboro, VT c. 1829-1839
John Birge and Zelotes Dickinson.

John Birge / J. Birge & Co.

Greenfield, MA 1800-1804 and Brattleboro, VT 1804-1842
Was in the partnerships of J. Birge & Co. c. 1827-1828, Birge &
Dickinson with Zelotes Dickinson c. 1829-1839 and
Birge, Brackett & Co. c. 1835-1840.

Henry Birks & Sons / Maison Birks

Montreal, QU, Canada  1893-Present
Company founded by Henry Birks in 1879, became Henry Birks & Sons in 1893 when William M.,
J. Henry, and Gerald W. Birks were admitted to the firm.  Acquired the Canadian arm of The Gorham Co. in 1907 along with the rights to manufacture certain Gorham flatware patterns under the Birks name and sell them in Canada.  Acquired silversmith firms P.W. Ellis & Co. in 1928 and Roden Bros.
in 1953.  Production of sterling flatware and holloware ceased in the early 1990s and they continue today as manufacturing and retail jewelers.

In 1925 Birks began marking their sterling holloware with a date letter corresponding to those used by the London assay office along with a lion passant mark for sterling and a sheaf of wheat mark to represent Birks.  About 1935 the sheaf of wheat was changed to the newly created Canada National mark, that of a lion head inside the letter C, representing goods wholly manufactured in Canada.

Birks also acquired numerous retail jewelry firms, and these new companies often included the Birks name in them, such as Ryrie-Birks, Birks-Ellis-Ryrie, Birks-Dingwall, and Birks & Mayors.  In 2005 Henry Birks & Sons merged with Mayors Jewelers, Inc. to form Birks Group, Inc.  In 2013 the company and its retail stores were rebranded as Maison Birks.  Today Maison Birks operates numerous retail stores throughout Canada, the U.S., and are expanding further into the international market.

Erwin Bishop

Philadelphia, PA  1825-1839

John Bishop (b.c. 1817-1881)

Wheeling, VA  1839-1864

Joseph Bishop

Wilmington, NC  c. 1816-1822

W. & D.L. Bixler

Easton, PA 1830-1835
William Bixler and Daniel L. Bixler.

Bjarne

Chicago, IL  Late 1910s-1940s
Arts and crafts style silversmith.

Black, Starr & Frost

New York, NY 1874-Present
Successors to Ball, Black, Co.  Makers and retailers of quality sterling holloware and a small line of sterling flatware.  The present company no longer manufactures.

Black, Starr & Gorham

New York, NY  1940-1962

James Black (b.c. 1765)

Philadelphia, PA  1795-1821

John Black (d. 1819)

Philadelphia, PA  1811-1819
Was in the partnership of McMullin & Black 1811-1813.

R. Blackinton Co.

North Attleboro, MA 1862-1967
Founded by Roswell Blackinton, Walter Ballou, and Thomas Mann. Makers of sterling flatware, holloware, vanity items, and novelties. Purchased by Wells, Inc.; some of Blackinton’s dies were acquired by Towle Silversmiths.
See flatware patterns.

V.H. Blackinton & Co.

Attleboro Falls, MA 1888-Present
Manufacturers of badges, military insignia, and swords.
Website.

W. & S. Blackinton Co.

North Attleboro, MA 1871-1966
Founded by brothers William and Sumner Blackinton in Attleboro, MA, as W. & S. Blackinton.  Louis A. Blackinton was added to the firm in 1879 and the name was changed to W. & S. Blackinton & Co.  A fire caused the company to move to Providence, RI, in 1898, and it was incorporated as W. & S. Blackinton Co. in 1901, resulting in another move to North Attleboro, MA.  Originally a jewelry manufacturer, the company was acquired by the Ellmore Silver Co. in 1938 and the production of silverplated holloware began soon thereafter.  It was purchased by Raimond Silver Mfg. Co. in 1966 and moved to Chelsea, MA.

Frederick Starr Blackman (1811-1898) / Frederick S. Blackman & Co.

Danbury, CT  1840-1880
Worked as F.S. Blackman & Co. c. 1840.  Was in the partnership of J.C. & F.S. Blackman with his brother John C. Blackman (dates unknown).

J.C. & F.S. Blackman

Bridgeport, CT  (dates unknown)
Brothers John Clark and Frederick Starr Blackman.

John Clark Blackman (1807-1872) / J.C. Blackman & Co.

Danbury, CT 1827-1850 and Bridgeport, CT 1851-1872
Son of John Starr Blackman.  Was in the partnerships of
J.C. & F.S. Blackman with his brother Frederick S. Blackman (dates unknown); Blackman & Sanford with George S. Sanford in 1851; J.C. Blackman & Co. 1859-1870; and Blackman & Warner c. 1871-1872.

John Starr Blackman (1775-1851)

Danbury, CT  1805-1840
Silversmith and clockmaker.

Charles W. Blake / C. Blake & Co.

Baltimore, MD 1840-1893
Was in the partnerships of Blake & Lyon with Ira C. Lyon 1846-1848,  C. Blake & Co. with Joseph Bevan 1856-1861 and another
C. Blake & Co. with J.W. Webb 1865-1868.

Elbridge G. Blake (1826-1903)

Farmington, ME  1855-1903

James E. Blake Co.

Attleboro, MA  1896-1939
Originally formed as Sturdy Bros. c. 1859., later becoming Sturdy Bros. & Co. then Blake & Claflin.  Began as James E. Blake & Co. in 1896 and incorporated as the James E. Blake Co. in 1898.  Makers of sterling cigarette cases, holloware, vanity items and jewelry.  Their mark is an intertwined JEBCo.

John Quincy Blake (1809-1904)

Boston, MA  c. 1834-1854

C. Blakeslee

Unknown town, CT  c. 1825

Asa Blanchard (Blansett) (b.c. 1770-1838)

Dumfries, VA 1795-1806 and Lexington, KY 1806-1838
Silversmith, jeweler and clockmaker.

George & Porter Blanchard

Gardiner, MA 1909-1915
George Porter Blanchard (1855-1931) and his son Porter George Blanchard (1886-1973).  It is believed the B09 mark has been used independently by George and his sons Porter and Richard.  The B represents the family’s last name and the 09 is for the year the business started.  A single letter P mark in conjunction with this one denotes a piece made by Porter and a letter R denotes silver made by Richard.

Porter Blanchard / Porter Blanchard Shop

Gardner, MA c. 1915-1923; Burbank, Pacoima, and
Calabasas, CA 1923-1993
Porter George Blanchard (1886-1973), son of George Porter Blanchard (1855-1931), was a member of the Society of Arts & Crafts in Boston.  Shortly after his move to Burbank, CA, in 1923, his father and brother, Richard, soon joined him in his workshop.  In 1926 they went by the name Blanchard Brothers, but the shop was soon renamed the Porter Blanchard Shop. Makers of handwrought sterling flatware and holloware.  Founders of the California Society of Arts & Crafts.  The profile mark has been used since c. 1933.  Porter Blanchard died in 1973 and the Porter Blanchard Shop remained in business until 1993.
See flatware patterns.

Richard Blanchard (1893-1976)

Gardner, MA 1909-1922 and 1937-1958 and
Pacoima, CA 1931-1935
Son of George Porter Blanchard. Worked at the Porter Blanchard Shop c. 1923-1930.

Peter Blancjour (1810-1877)

Richmond, VA 1838 and Weston, MO c. 1846-1877
Silversmith and jeweler.

Joseph Blauvelt (1797-1879)

New York, NY  c. 1818-1819

Bliss Bros. Co.

Attleboro, MA  1887-1950
Began as Bliss Bros. & Everett in 1873 which was succeeded by Bliss Bros. in 1887 and incorporating c. 1903 as Bliss Bros. Co.  Primarily known as manufacturing jewelers; also made small sterling items such as compacts and pill boxes.

Bliss & Creighton

New York, NY 1835-1853
John Bliss and Frederick Creighton. Started out as as silversmiths and jewelers and evolved into chronometer and nautical instrument makers.

The E.A. Bliss Co.

Attleboro Falls, MA  1878-1881; North Attleboro, MA 1881-1890; and Meriden, CT 1890-1920
Founded as Carpenter & Bliss in North Attleboro, MA, in 1875.
Became The E.A. Bliss Co. in 1878 and moved to Meriden, CT, in 1890. They began making sterling silver dresserware, smoking accessories, and novelties in 1893. Succeeded by Napier-Bliss in 1920, the name changed to the Napier Co. in 1922, which is still in business today.

Henry Bliss (1808-1862)

Cincinnati, OH  1851-1862

James A. Bloodgood (b. 1778)

Utica, NY 1800-1810
Was in the partnership of J. & L. Bloodgood with his brother
Lynott Bloodgood 1804-1810.

Fridl M. Blumenthal (1905-1998)

Chicago, IL  c. 1945-1985
Modernist studio jeweler.

J.C. Boardman Co. / Boardman Silversmiths, Inc.

Wallingford, CT and Meriden, CT 1950-Present
Founded by Joseph C. Boardman. Acquired F.B. Rogers Co. and the Manchester Silver Co. in 1985. The company was sold to the founder’s son, Burton Boardman, in 1985. The company moved to Meriden, CT, in 1992 and was renamed Boardman Silversmiths. Makers of sterling holloware, trophies, and jewelry.  Website.

Volney Boardman (1810-1890)

Greensboro, AL 1832-1833 and 1835-1860 and
Tuscaloosa, AL 1833-1835

Charles Louis Boehme (1774-1868)

Baltimore, MD  1799-1813
Would occasionally work in higher grade English sterling when the use of coin silver was commonplace.

Henricus Boelen II (b. 1697 d. 1755)

New York, NY 1718-1755

Jacob Boelen II (b.c. 1733 d. 1786)

New York, NY c. 1755-1780

Albert Bogert (d. 1832)

New York, NY  1812-1832

David G. Bogert (b. 1802)

Montgomery, NY  c. 1825-1855

James Bogert (1809-1877)

Newburgh, NY  1843-1856
Produced silver mainly for Ball, Thompkins & Black.

Nicholas James Bogert (1776-1843)

New York, NY 1801-1803 and St. Andrew’s (now Montgomery), NY 1803-1843

William Bogert / William Bogert & Co.

Albany, NY c. 1839-1845 and New York, NY 1849-1880
Was a partner in the firm of Eaton, Gordon & Bogert with William R. Eaton and John Gordon 1856-1860 then Gordon & Bogert
1860-1864.  Went on to form the business of William Bogert & Co. 1866-1880 and was a major supplier of holloware to Tiffany & Co. 1866-1868.

Bolles & Childs

Hartford, CT c. 1840
Edward Bolles and Lucius B. Childs.

Bolles & Day

Hartford, CT c. 1825

William Bond (1753-1848)

Portland, ME 1785-1792 and Boston, MA 1793-c. 1831
Silversmith, clockmaker, and watchmaker.

William Cranch Bond (1789-1859)

Boston, MA  1813-1859
Was in the partnerships of William Bond & Son 1813-1848 and William Bond & Sons 1848-1859. Bond was also well known as an astronomer and is credited with a number of astronomical discoveries. He served as the first director of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard in Cambridge, MA.

Bolles & Hastings

Hartford, CT 1843-1848
Edward W. Bolles and Gerry Hastings.

Timothy Bonticou, Jr. (b. c. 1723 d. 1789)

New Haven, CT 1749-1789

Sanford Boon (1799-1857)

Hamilton, NY 1822-1844; Cortland, NY 1832-1834;
and Galesburg, IL c. 1850
Silversmith and jeweler. Was in the partnership of Boon & Ormsby in Cortland 1832-1834.

Jeremiah Boone (1765-1833)

Philadelphia, PA  c. 1791-1820

E.B. Booth & Son

Rochester, NY  c. 1863-1888
Partnership of Ezra B. Booth and his son Henry G. Booth.  The firm briefly was renamed E.B. Booth, Son & Co. when Frederick H. Lewis became a partner c. 1869.

Ezra B. Booth

Middlebury, VT 1828-1837 and Rochester, NY 1838-1888
Partnered with his son in the firm of E.B. Booth & Son c. 1863-1888.
Silversmith and jeweler.

Frances Holmes Boothby (1919-2000)

Weston, VT  1950s-1960s
Modernist studio jeweler.

Edward Borhek

Philadelphia, PA  c. 1835-1850

Eivind Borsum (1875-1925)

Chicago, IL  c. 1915-1925
Maker of handwrought Arts & Crafts flatware and holloware.