Thanks to him, elegant American women in the mid-20th century wore authentic regimental awards as jewelry. William R. Agnew, who served in the U.S. Army, was wandering through a Paris flea market one day in 1945, looking for an unusual gift for his fiancée. He found a Napoleonic belt buckle that she might appreciate as jewelry.

She was so delighted that Agnew decided that American women might also appreciate military trinkets. He ended up buying about 80 kilograms of military items, including uniform buttons, buckles, shoulder insignia, and the like, which he sent home and transformed into earrings, pins, bracelets, clips, and belt buckles.

Initially displayed in the window of Agnew’s mother’s flower shop on East 37th Street in New York City, these items immediately created quite a stir. Agnew immediately contacted contractors who supplied various foreign governments with blanks for military insignia. He negotiated the purchase of the stampings.

Stylized military insignia as costume jewelry

Later, they were stylized. Some were enameled, some electroplated, some aged, and some mounted on background elements. In fact, William Agnew undertook extensive research to gather all the information about each insignia. His jewelry became fashion accessories, chosen and advertised by renowned American fashion designers.

Partners

In 1948, two partners joined the business. One was William S. Palmer, a former lumberjack from Englewood, New Jersey, who enjoyed various crafts. The second was George Osk, a former musician, like Agnew, a former guitarist. At some point, Elizabeth Rich, a fashion marketer, joined them. She married George Osk and became the fourth member of the firm.

Advertising

Thanks to a wave of advertising in magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Seventeen, the business reached annual sales of $100,000. Agnew’s “regimental” line appeared in hundreds of the country’s most popular fashion stores, including Lord & Taylor, Ransahoft’s, Bonwit Teller, Bullock’s, Peck & Peck, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Nieman Marcus.

This curious story deceptively appears to be a happy accident. In fact, Agnew’s pieces filled a void in the costume jewelry industry, offering attractive, tastefully designed pieces accessible to the mass market. Prices ranged from $1.50 for a very small brooch to $10 for more striking pieces.

Customers derived extraordinary pleasure from owning a piece of jewelry with a rich and colorful story to tell. Each piece became a conversation starter. Thus, Agnew owners sparked their friends’ interest in similar items.

Closing the company

Agnew’s company rose to prominence and then suddenly ceased to exist. In 1953, William R Agnew, former president of the jewelry firm Agnew, Inc., joined Prince Matchabelli, Inc., as advertising manager.

Ads