Charles Horner jewellery of Halifax UK

Charles Horner jewellery | CH jewellery History.

Once of Halifax UK, this company produced a wide range of items from jewellery to buttons, ornaments, hat pins and thimbles. Famous mostly for the Art Deco silver jewellery it produced. However they also made a wide range of costume jewellery, ornaments, buttons, hat pins, thimbles and other metal and plastic items.

Charles Horner himself lived from 1837 to 1896. He started his jewellery business in 1860. Producing first silver jewellery. Later he became more well know for his Art Nouveau silver and gold hat pins, Art Nouveau pendant necklace as well as his twisted wire silver and paste knot brooches. In 1884, he patented the Dorcas thimbles. These thimbles were made to be more hard wearing than the softer and more pliable previous thimbles available. Thimbles were made up until 1947. His two sons and partner continued after his death. Eventually expanding the business into a very large company. 

One range was the Staybright shiny metal jewellery, with dimpled surfaces that glitter and were a poor man's “marcasite” reproduction style. The Staybrite jewellery is now very collectible today. 

There was also a wide range of cameo pieces produced in casein – a type of plastic. This range was called "Dorcasine" Very recognisable and also now very sought after.

Books are available on the jewellery and ornament range for further information. However most Charles Horner costume is unsigned and can be difficult to identify. Mainly because over their long history. But many of the silver pieces are - with the stamp CH. 

Sadly the decline in sales brought about the companies demise in 1984, when it went into liquidation. 
We have just some of the Charles Horner jewellery and accessories found on my travels.

Updated September 2023

Jewellery book for Charles Horner by Tom J Lawson

The jewellery book that I use often is the Charles Horner of Halifax by Tom J Lawson. A celebration of his life and work. Not only does it have information on Charles Horner jewellery but also the hat pins, thimbles, silver jewellery and other items produced by the factory once found in the UK.

Charles Horner started his first family business as a watchmaker in about 1857 and the factory in Halifax closed its doors in 1984. This book was produced in 2002 and now rare is well worth its value for the information it contains. It is well written and contains original designs and letters from the Horner family as well as the designers that worked for the company over the years. It uses a wide range of sources to authenticate the items. Using trade magazines and cards and a huge collection of different silver and costume jewellery, hat pins, thimbles, boxes, photographs, ornaments, wicker ware, brass, Riplak ware (coloured metal) and silver trinkets to illustrate.

Many of the vintage jewellery items were so familiar and a delight for me to have the original source verified. Especially as very few items were signed. Silver is the exception and is fully hall marked or marked CH if under the required weight for marking.
This company actually produced beads, brooches, brush handles, buckles, buttons, cameos, candlesticks, chess sets, cigarette boxes and lighters, combs, crochet hooks, dress ornaments, dressing table ware, fruit boxes, hair slides, handles for knives and button hooks, manicure sets, needle cases, novelties, parasol handles, pens, shoe horns, small boxes in mock tortoiseshell and thimbles to name just a small section of their products.

   
Very few books have been produced that looks specifically at a UK manufacturer of vintage jewellery. So when I hear of one I buy it straight away. In 2002 I missed this and it took 3 attempts for me to buy this. the first two times I purchased my money was returned as not in stock. The third time I managed to source and eventually brought this one from Belgium.   

We have over 300 different types of brooches

It is amazing on how many different types of brooches we have had available at one time or the other. Some are genuine vintage with some being pre owned, antique and some are new with a vintage inspired look. Today's count shows that we have over 300 different styles and in fact nearer 400. That's not counting the small brooches that we call pins.
Here are just a few showcased:

This is a fun purple rabbit brooch that is classed pre owned. Superb for an animal brooches collection.

A nice sparkling blue glass vintage brooch with a silver and gold ornate surround. This is ideal for a blue brooches collection.

This cameo brooch is a genuine vintage one by Charles Horner. Gainsborough lady profile in a gold tone frame.

Last to show is this pink vintage hat brooch pin from the 1960s. Fun vintage pins that are available in a wide range of styles and colours.
Our brooches are in many colour collections of red, black, pink, orange, amber, blue, turquoise, red, amethyst/purple, white and green. Then we have shown cameo, antique, animal, cat, dog, fish, bird, wedding, diamante and rhinestone on this blog. It is one of my popular choices and a versatile piece of jewellery.
 

Alphabet soup - G & H jewelry

For the Jewelry Ring I have compiled this vintage jewellery selection with pieces from designers/manufacturers beginning with G and H.
First I will start with Charles Horner of Halifax, UK. They also had a show room at Frederick Street in Birmingham, UK, which is why we come across a large number of their productions.

Charles Horner LTD (1860 - 1984) is renowned for its silver jewellery in Art Nouveau, Dorcas thimbles and silver hat pins. However they also made costume jewellery. Most of their silver pieces are marked and can be distinguished as belonging to the Charles Horner factory, but most of the costume pieces were not.

  
 Here are just 3 of the mock marcasite vintage brooches from Charles Horner. All are unmarked accept the pelican bird which has CH stamped on the beak's back part.It has numbers in front of the CH but we can not distinguish what they say.

Bird brooch with enamel by Charles Horner. The circles that glint like marcasite are stamped (see the reverse photo coming up) Signed vintage brooch.

  Bow vintage brooch with stamped silver metal detail. Blue enamel on the edges. Produced by Charles Horner.

 Sailing ship vintage brooch by Charles Horner Does not appear to have any enamel originally. A lot of these great pins have some enamel detail but it wears off, leaving just a little colour in the edges/circle stampings.

Back view to brooches. All have C shaped fastenings.
For more Charles Horner jewellery see our designer jewellery collection. It includes some of his other mock marcasite pieces and cameo brooches of casein. Will write another blog shortly just on Horner pieces as we have many more to show.

Hong Kong jewellery.

Some fabulous beads are still available from Hong Kong as well as other items such as earrings and bracelets. The beads are usually in plastic but come in a fabulous range of shapes and colours.  Here are just a few.

 White bead torsade necklaces signed Hong Kong.

 Three strand green bead necklace. Lots of different shapes to the beads in this one. Hook fastening where it is signed Hong Kong.

A very long green bead vintage necklace with waxy beads. The strand has fixed beads where they are attached to the string. Signed on the clasp.

For other Hong Kong jewellery on Jewels and Finery. We also have repair necklaces that need restringing on Jewels and Finery Craft that includes some Hong Kong beads.

Hollywood Jewellery.

Hollywood jewellery was produced from the early 1900s up to the 1970s by the Bloxidge Brothers in Birmingham. They made costume jewellery that was fairly cheap and cheerful. They were at one point the main supplier of jewellery for Woolworths.

Very large flower vintage brooch by Hollywood in a gold-tone metal.

Not all their pieces are signed but this one is. It is always HOLLYWOOD in block capital.

For more Hollywood jewellery.  


Germany made jewellery.

The G that we have photographed for Germany (other than what is in our designer jewellery collection) is by Christian Dior and these are big earrings.

 

All of the pieces are not for sale at present shown in this blog, but will be shortly.

Brooches - new to Jewels and Finery in the last few days

Vintage marcasite poodle dog brooch

Just a quick blog on the vintage brooches added to Jewels and Finery in the last few days.

Brooches are ideal to lift an outfit with very little effort. Add a vintage brooch to a jacket as traditionally worn. But wear one on a t-shirt or hat. Pin lots of brooches to a bag and then when it becomes colder fasten a brooch to a scarf. A vintage brooch can also be fastened to a headband (just make sure the brooch has a ball and clasp fastening for safety)


Vintage modern cameo brooch popular goddess

Wearing vintage brooches can transform an outfit into something unique and special.

We still have more vintage Christmas jewellery to add as well as many unique brooches. But you will find brooches - both vintage and vintage modern; with cameos, fifties poodle dog, flowers, Christmas themed and dolphins to name just a few.

Deer brooch mock marcasite by Charles Horner.