Born in New York, Robert Fitz Simmons (1842 – 1894) moved to Waterbury, Connecticut with his parents. At an early age he tired of parental restraint and started out to seek his fortune. He first located in North Attleboro and soon secured a position with Daniel Evans.

Having earned some money, he soon decided that he had enough experience and capital to start a small business of his own. He worked as a minter and merchant, forming a partnership with Albert F. Briggs.

Albert Briggs soon left and was replaced by Edward L Hickson, and a year later by Joseph Lyman Sweet. In 1875, the firm of R F Simmons & Co, founded by Simmons and Briggs, was located at Falls Village in the part known as Robinsonville. From the start, the business was successful and Simmons built the largest factory in Attleboro.

Simmons was one of the most successful manufacturers of jewelry in the history of Attleboro. Chief owner and president of one of the largest and most noted firms, he left an estate valued by some as high as a million dollars. He married Mary Stanley, daughter of David Stanley, but they had no children.

In 1880 Simmons became ill with consumption. So, in 1890 he moved to Los Angeles, California, where the climate was more favorable. Simmons was a great lover of fine, fast horses, and for many years he kept a fine stable. He also served for many years as president of the Attleboro Agricultural Association.

History of R F Simmons Jewelry Company

By 1885, the company employed 200 people, and offices and representatives appeared in the world’s largest capitals, from New York and Berlin, to ​​Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. As Simmons himself said, his belief in “constant forward movement was entirely responsible for his success.”

Thanks to Simmons’ extensive advertising campaign, we can trace its products and history today. Notably, the company was the first jewelry house to publish a catalog in 1881. As innovators in the jewelry business, they were the first to mark their products. Today, collectors of antique and vintage jewelry highly value jewelry from Simmons.

After the death of Simmons in 1894, Edward Hickson and Joseph Sweet continued to operate under Simmons name. According to 1936 JCK, The company announced admission of Hayward H Sweet, the third generation jeweler. “His grandfather, Joseph L Sweet, entered the firm in 1875, and his father, Harold E Sweet, the present head of the concern, joined it in 1898. All the original members, Simmons, Hixon and Sweet, have passed away”.

In 1958 the company ceased to exist.

Antique and Vintage Jewelry by R F Simmons