With intricate and refined artistry, the jewelers at J.E.Caldwell & Co. have been handcrafting illustrious watches and adornments — including cocktail rings, engagement rings and link bracelets — for nearly two centuries. The American firm, which is among the oldest silver and jewelry companies in the United States, has found acclaim with collectors and buyers worldwide.
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, J.E. Caldwell & Co. founder James Emmott Caldwell (1813–81) apprenticed as a silversmith and subsequently trained in watchmaking under the esteemed watchmaker Samuel Ward Benedict in New York City. Following his apprenticeships, Caldwell sought work in Philadelphia, initially securing a position with a wholesale jeweler before importing watches for a jewelry manufacturer. In the late 1830s, he established a storefront of his own, in a stately marble building on Chestnut street. Caldwell partnered with James M. Bennett thereafter in order to launch a jewelry shop nearby that they called Bennett & Caldwell. With the passing of Bennett, Caldwell partnered with a former employer, John C. Farr, and changed the company name, establishing the J.E. Caldwell & Co. of today.
In 1876, Philadelphia hosted the first World’s Fair held in the United States. Alongside the Gorham Manufacturing Company — a legendary but largely overlooked American silver firm — J.E. Caldwell showcased an array of stunning jewelry and silver objects at the event’s Centennial International Exhibition. In the early 1900s, J.E. Caldwell was contracted to fashion a presentation silver tea service — more than 160 pieces — for a newly commissioned battleship, the U.S.S. Pennsylvania. The brand’s exquisite silver wares traveled at sea aboard this battleship — and later, on the U.S.S. Valley Forge — for decades.
J.E. Caldwell & Co. became known for exquisite Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewelry. Ownership of the firm passed through the family over the years before changing hands to business interests outside of the family. Today a J.E. Caldwell & Co. retail location continues to operate in Philadelphia.
Find antique and vintage J.E. Caldwell & Co. jewelry on 1stDibs.
"Art Deco Clock in Chinese Manner", Gübelin Clock w/ Red Hardstone Finial
By Gubelin
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Bold and elegant, this rare -- possibly unique -- Art Deco table clock in the Chinese manner by the renowned Gübelin firm in Switzerland is a close cousin to the impossibly rarified ...
Marble
"Zodiac Clock, " Spectacular Art Deco Sculptural Clock in Wrought Iron and Copper
Located in Philadelphia, PA
One of the most unusual and spectacular Art Deco pieces we have ever offered, this large Art Deco clock is composed of fer forgé or wrought iron a...
Copper, Wrought Iron
Arts & Crafts/Secessionist Clock with Female Figures by Roman Bronze Works
By Roman Bronze Works
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Extremely rare if not unique, this extraordinary timepiece may be the only sculpture-cum-clock ever cast by the Roman Bronze Works, America's premier bron...
Bronze
Superb, Unique "Father Time" Art Deco Clock, Wood Inlay
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Extremely fine, made in America, Germany or France, this "Father Time" electric wall clock is a masterpiece of wood and brass inlay. Using a series of hard...
Brass
"Helios, God of the Sun", Large, Spectacular Art Deco Bronze Sculpture by De Lue
By Donald De Lue
Located in Philadelphia, PA
One of the largest and most impressive bronzes ever sculpted by Donald De Lue -- one of America's greatest sculptors of Art Deco monuments over the course of 50 years -- this bronze ...
Bronze
Verdigris Bronze Art Deco Centerpiece Supported by Three Nude Male Figures
By Maurice Guiraud-Rivière
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Spectacular and very rare, this large, high style Art Deco bronze centerpiece with a beautiful verdigris patina, consisting of a semi-spherical dish richly decorated with a dense pat...
Bronze
Sienna Marble, Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantle Clock, Edward F. Caldwell
By Edward F. Caldwell & Co.
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
E.F. Caldwell & Co., Inc., New York A patinated bronze and yellow Siena marble clock by Edward F. Caldwell & Co., New York, early 20th century, the circular dial with Roman numerals...
Bronze
American Gilt Bronze and Marble Figural Clock, E.F. Caldwell, circa 1900
Located in New York, NY
With two classical figures on a stepped markble base surmounted on a pair of yellow marble urn shaped supports, flanking a rectangular plaque with a gilt bronze bas relief of ribbons...
Marble, Bronze
American Bronze and Marble Table Clock, E.F. Caldwell and Co., circa 1900
Located in New York, NY
The base with bronze bacchus masks.
Marble
19th C. Patinated & Dore Bronze Hercules Clock on a Marble base, E. F. Caldwell
By Edward F. Caldwell & Co.
Located in New York, NY
An Marvelous Signed Caldwell 19th Century Patinated and Dore Bronze Hercules Clock on a Marble Mount. The clock features a Roman Numeral ormolu dial wi...
Marble, Bronze
Austrian Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Mantel Clock by Anton Grath circa 1925
By Anton Grath
Located in Shippensburg, PA
ART DECO FIGURAL MANTEL CLOCK Anton Grath (Austrian, b. 1881) patinated and burnished bronze over marble signed "Anton Grath" and foundry marking monogrammed "HW" within an "H" to right side of base Circa 1925 Item # 203AXG01W A powerful figural clock of a partially nude male and female raising offerings of a laurel wreath and an empty vessel, they face one another before the bold architectural display of the clock flanked by coned finials. They are loosely symmetrical in garb, the burnished bronze capes flowing gently around and before them. The circular face of the clock rests on a pair of sleeping lions over a textured bronze rectangular plinth with a burnished bronze bas-relief of a young woman lying in the grasses of a setting sun raised on a variated marble base. This model was acquired formerly at the Sotheby's, New York sale on April 14th 2008, [Sale N08427, lot 155, achieved $ 5,000 USD] and the patina was enhanced at some point in the last fourteen years to include the parcel-burnished highlights in the figures. The right side of the base includes the signature and a monogrammed foundry mark (HW within an H). A very fine period example. Artist Listings & Bibliography: *E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. VI, Gründ, 2006, p. 592-593 *The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, Mackay, Baron, 1977, p. 166 *Art Bronzes...
Marble, Bronze
Monumental Early 19th Century Marble Clock from the Collection at Boscobel
Located in Essex, MA
Carved marble figure of a draped woman and urn as a clock --Moving and rare --Ex Collection at Boscobel, Boscobel is an estate overlooking the Hudson River built in the early ...
Marble
