14-16 inch necklace 1960’s

Back is marked 14K STIEFF

Men’s cuff links and tie tack

1974 Smithsonian Institution

Sterling Necklace w/ Coptic Cross Medallion

This emblem dates to the 4th century when Ethiopia converted to Christianity

Weight w/ chain is 50 grams    Medallion is 2.25 inches across.

Sterling Pendant, presumed 1970’s

Stieff ring, 14K  Goldsmiths at Stieff created some of the pieces, others were sourced from other Goldsmiths

These pins were sold by retailers across America and at Stieff stores.

This is the Coat of Arms of the Monarch of England in Stieff Sterling Silver

A matching necklace was also made, again in Sterling Silver

Over the years an assortment of Men’s items were sold.. in both pewter

and sterling silver.

Blazer buttons of early automobiles

For the Smithsonian

Sterling Silver Blazer Buttons,   The First Balloon Flight, 1783

This piece was made for the Museum of Modern Art   MOMA   1970’s

Richard Cain, former head silversmith at The Stieff Company told me that this

particular piece was a “real pain” to make because of the many curves

Artist Original Unknown.

Stieff also ran ads for the Stieff stores in each and every Baltimore Sun Sunday paper.  To see the ads from the mid 1960’s click on the image below.

Click for

More from the Stieff Retail stores

1100 1/2 Coffee Set   Made in 1941

This set was re-sold by Coast to Coast Antiques, Newport NH on eBay.

The Coffee Pot is 10.5 inches tall,  total weight of the set is 48.74 Troy ounces.

Sterling Silver Sailboat buttons for the Smithsonian,

1970’s

In the mid 1970s Stieff made a series of items for The Smithsonian around the theme of the buttons of the coat George Washington wore to his swearing in as President.

The buttons were made in both Sterling Silver and Pewter

Pewter shown above, Sterling Silver below.

George Washington Pewter Pin

Sterling Silver Cuff Links in the GW format

1/20 GOLD FILLED, STERLING SILVER NECKLACE

The pendants had very nicely worked swivels to keep the chains from twisting.

Cuff links, Plain Age unknown.

Style wise, first half of the 20th Century

1.5 Inches in length, 1/4 inch side

Sterling Silver ROSE Earrings

Back of earrings. Dime shows scale

Ladies Watch Pendant

Ladies wristwatch

These watches were “retailed” by The Stieff Company, but were not made by them. According to Gideon N. Stieff Jr., over the years several different manufactures made the watches for them.

From it’s earliest days as The Sterling Silver Manufacturing Company, Stieff operated retail stores. The first store was in the combined factory on Fayette Street in Baltimore.  This quickly shifted to Liberty Street along with a name change to The Baltimore Sterling Silver Company.  In those early days the store at 17 N. Liberty Street was selling not only BSSCo/Stieff silver, but also the wares sold by Charles C. Stieff in his other business as a middle man for Cutlery, Silver and fine Glasswares. A early photo of the store shows showcases brimming with these objects.

In 1928, Stieff ventured to Richmond Virginia to open it’s second retail store. The store soldiered on during the depression, lasting until 1937. At this time Thalhimer Brothers Dept. Store became a Stieff dealer... making the Stieff store located only a block away on 6th Street, an unneeded duplication in Richmond.

After World War II, Stieff branched out into more and more retail stores. This division was headed up by Gideon Stieff Jr., son of the company President.  The  stores carried Stieff Sterling silver of course, but also gold and silver jewelry, special limited edition works of “fine art” as well as china and crystal wares.

At the bottom of this page is a section showing some of the 1960’s ad’s run by The Stieff Company in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. These ad’s show the great variety of products carried by the Stieff Stores.

By 1979, Stieff had become a national presence in the Pewter business as well as Sterling Silver. Their products were sold by hundreds of retailers across the country and the globe. The local stores were no longer needed and in 1979 were sold to Gordon Jewelers.  Gordon’s keep the Stieff name for a while but eventually dropped the Stieff name.

Stieff would continue to operate the retail store at the Stieff factory

Later as KIRK STIEFF, a line of fine jewelry would be offered, for retailers looking to add a bit of extra splash and sparkle to their stores.

Click here to see the Kirk Stieff line of Fine Jewelry.

As seen above, First Balloon Flight, Men’s Jewelry

These are PEWTER cuff links in the same pattern as the blazer buttons.

Egyptian Lion 1970s

Smithsonian Collection

Pendant measures 1 1/8 inches across by 1 5/8 inches tall

Chain is 22 inches, Combined weight is 21.2 grams