Off the Cuff

These antique cuff links were a gift from a very dear and thoughtful friend. Under a high curved dome of clear glass, a graceful bathing belle prepares to dive in the silver and blue water. Although the cufflinks resemble the so-called Essex crystal stickpin that appeared earlier in this blog, they do not feature reverse-painted intaglio figures. Instead, the images seem to be flat, painted on a shiny background, perhaps of silver foil or mother-of-pearl, which gives the colors a shimmering effect my camera could not capture; the glass dome both lights and magnifies the image.

The back of the button carries the patent date of April 24, 1880, and the shank has the word "ACME" under the outline of an eagle. I traced the patent, which was for a "new and useful Improvement in Buttons," filed by the inventor William Covell and assigned to Fred I. Marcy of Rhode Island. Marcy was a jewelry manufacturer whose firm used the name "Acme." Originally the firm was Sturdy and Marcy, but after his partner, James Sturdy, retired in 1877, the company became "F.I. Marcy and Company." Although the Marcy enterprise flourished for a time, a waning interest in buttons and other economic issues resulted in Marcy leaving the jewelry business for insurance. After a hiatus of two or three years, Marcy returned to jewelry manufacturing, but continued to struggle. On November 4, 1896, Marcy committed suicide (scroll down to "Suicide of Frederick I. Marcy"), resulting in the closure of the company. The article notes that at its peak, company manufactured "a general line of jewelry, such as the Acme lever button, which he turned out in immense quantities every day, the line including about 6,000 different designs and patterns. . . ." and "enjoyed a high reputation in the market and had the full confidence of the trade." These cufflinks therefore date from 1880 through 1896.