Towle Silversmiths Contessina Jewelry Brand
The history of the silver jewelry trademark Contessina founded by Towle Manufacturing Company began in 1965. It was the year the American historical drama “The Agony and the Ecstasy” was released. Beautiful Australian actress Diane Cilento played Contessina in the film.
It was she who first appeared in the Towle Silversmiths’ 1965 advertisements for fashion magazines such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, House and Gardens, The New Yorker, etc. Inspired by the beautiful young countess who captured Michelangelo’s heart, romantic new patterns in sterling silver appeared in a full line of jewelry.
Under the leadership of Elliot Gordon, president of Towle Silversmiths in 1965, craftsmen made necklaces, brooches, pendants, bracelets, earrings, cufflinks, tie pins, and even banknote holders with these floral patterns. Produced in limited quantities, these pieces are now rare and highly collectible.
The Towle Manufacturing Co History
The Towle Manufacturing Co, Newburyport, Massachusetts, was established as early as the seventeenth century. The culmination of these efforts was the great factory of the Towle Manufacturing Co. The pioneer colonial silversmith of New England was William Moulton 2d (1664 – 1732), whose first silver shoe-buckles appeared about 1690.
Joseph Moulton, son of William Moulton 2d, became the first goldsmith in New England whose successors continued to the 20th century. They turned the rude “Blacksmith and Whitesmith Shop” of the Moultons in 1690 into one of the most complete silverware factories in the world. The grand army of craftsmen and many generations of good and true workmen in gold and silver brought glory to this well-known and reputable concern.
Trademark and logo
The first trademark of Towle Mfg Co registered included a lion mounted on a script letter T. Since 1965, the same logo craftsmen added next to the “Contessina” mark.
The Towle Manufacturing Co incorporated in 1880 with a capital of $20,000. Their growth was remarkable, and in 1900 it ranked among the first houses in America engaged in the manufacture of silverware. After going through ownership changes, divisions and mergers, the 300-year-old company ceased to exist in 1990.
Contessina Sterling Silver Jewelry
Towle Sterling Silver Jewelry
