The history of Curtis Jewelry Manufacturing Company began in 1949, when it was registered at 861 Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island. A manufacturer of precious metal jewelry, Curtis Jewelry Mfg Co was a division of Chicago based company Donald Bruce & Co.

Led by president Gary Solomon, Curtis Jewelry Mfg. Co. employed 150 people. According to the 1950 Providence Business Directory, it was a fairly large corporation, with annual sales of $10 to $25 million. Vice-presidents were Howard Solomon, David Toppin, Michael McWilliams, Ed Anderson, William Jobbins, and Yaffa Leitman.

Other officers included Everett Westmeyer, contractor, and Kenneth Wehlstrom, Human Resources Manager. In 1950 Curtis Jewelry Mfg Co moved to a new address 11 Dearborn street, Providence, R.I. Curtis Jewelry Manufacturing Company ceased to exist in 1972, having merged into Donald Bruce & Co.

It’s important to note that Curtis Jewelry Manufacturing Co is not related to the Curtis Creations trademark, owned by the Providence-based jewelry company Curtman. Also, the “DEC” trademark for DeCurtis (often mistakenly referred to as DCE) and launched by Curtis Jewelry Mfg Co has no connection with the Curtman company.

Vintage DEC signed Jewelry