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A close up of some Carence Crafters hatpins, a brooch & a wonderful pair of cufflinks. The silver with stone jewelry is much rarer than the acid etched work, it is very similar to the period work of the fellow Chicago firm, Kalo.
The Carence Crafters were located in Chicago and were in business for a relatively short period (maybe 10 years), very little is known about the company today. The only research that has been discovered was produced by Alan Thatcher & the late Sybil Brabner:
The company Carence Crafters was chartered by the State of Illinois on March 7, 1908. The principals in the company were: R. D. Camp, C. D. Greene & J. H. Dunham. The business purpose was to manufacture, buy, sell, and generally deal in Jewelry, and Arts and Crafts products, and all kindred articles. Mr Camp was the president. His address was given as 449 E. North Avenue, Chicago. Dunham, the secretary, gave his address as the Hyde Park Hotel, in Chicago; and Greene, treasurer, gave his simply as Evanston, Ill. The business address was listed as 170 E. Madison St. The company later moved to 170 East Madison St. The officers were then listed as Mr Camp, H.L. Morris as Secretary, and C. L. Lindsley as Treasurer. Some evidence exists that one of the principals was involved with the Marshall Fields' metal shop. It is possible that the Carence Crafters was a design studio who had other workshops create their wares, it is still unclear.
The majority of Carence Crafters metal was made from copper, brass or german silver (a fine pewter) with the designs "acid etched" into the material, leaving a raised or reliefed pattern. Their subjects ranged from the whimsical (flying dragonflies, crabs, geese) to the conventionalized patterns of nature as was a hallmark of the Arts & Crafts Movement, much of the work is decorated with stylized flowers & trees.
FORM & DESIGN
Once you get an eye for Carence metal, you can spot it a mile away. The etching is very similar on most pieces, the majority of edges are unhammered and unetched leaving a nice border all around, most designs are very angular & squared off & the motifs as mentioned above are very consistent.
PATINA & FINISH:
As with most period art metal, the patina is very important in the original design & creation of the item. You will typically see a few variations in their patinas, although experimental examples always exist. My favorite is the copper or brass work with an overall verdigris (green) patina that is highlighted around the acid etched work. Also very common is the copper or german silver metal where the background has been slightly darkened making the raised design that much more striking. Another very common finish is a plain waxed patina in any of the metal colors that is the same color all over the piece.
Here are some visual examples of their finishes:
FORM EXAMPLES:
DESK SETS / INKWELLS:
LETTER OPENERS:
LETTER HOLDERS, BOOKENDS & BOOK RACKS:
CANDLESTICKS:
SMOKING ITEMS:
HUMIDOR:
FRAMES:
BOXES:
SILVER:
MISC:
CRUMBERS:
Please see page 2 for CARENCE Trays & Jewelry!
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