Vintage cufflinks tie clip by Swank bamboo original box offered by Vintage Men's Swag buy Age-1

Let's face it, in about 1956 every company who designed goods for public consumption must have been drinking way too much coffee ( or something.... ) Designs couldn't get unique, gaudy, strange, big, or even bizarre enough. Every decorative idea of every world culture in the world provide fodder for their creative appetites. Colors and materials were explored, which for men's accessories meant anything other than simple gold or silver and plain mother of pearl. Porcelain and glass and, as seen here, wood were used.

This set is from one of Swank's quirky collections called "Bamboo". The face of the cufflinks and tie clip are actual bamboo, decorated with a variety of 'far east' images.

I'll point out here that the tie clip and original box are rarely found... if ever. I've not seen a 'bamboo' tie clip - with cufflinks or alone - before this set.

We here at Vintage Men's Swag are just giddy to offer some new owner this amazing, rare, and beautiful set of men's cufflinks and tie clip!

Date:

Condition: Very Good

Name: Bamboo

Item Type ((see shop home page: www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/vintagemenswag for definitions) : Cufflinks, tie clip

Frame type (Cufflinks): (see shop home page: www.etsy.com/shop/vintagemenswag for definitions) : Toggle, thick shaft

Metal: Alloy

Metal Color: Gold tone

Stone or applied decoration: Bamboo

Engravable?: No (** Use your local Jeweler, Vintage Men's Swag does not offer engraving)

Brand: Swank, Inc.
The “King” of brands in the vintage men's costume jewelry game, Swank has a long history as well as high name recognition. The company began as Attleboro Manufacturing Company in Attleboro, MA in 1897, by Samuel Stone and Maurice Baer, making women's jewelry. Men's jewelry was added in 1908, and during World War I the company produced dog tags in support of the war effort. Swank's first line of men's cufflinks were a unique design called “Kum-a-Part” (sometimes marked as Baer and Wilde Company), and are a strong collectable today. More cufflink styles were added in the 1920s as the wearing of cufflinks returned to popularity, and in that decade, the name “Swank” was first used in advertising. The company itself became “Swank Products Inc” in 1938 and in 1941 the name was simplified again to “Swank Inc.” In the 1950s the men's accessory market exploded and would grow continually into the 1960s, with Swank riding the wave of popularity. Leather goods and other men's accessories were added in that decade as well. In the 1960s, during the height of popularity of cufflinks and tie accessories, the company produced over 12 million pairs a year, at an average cost of around $2.50 a pair. In 1967 Swank introduced the chain-back tacks, probably based on a recent patent they obtained. They called them “Action Chain”. The popularity of the brand was driven by the high number of unique styles produced, from very traditional to very artistic and modern. Swank men's pendants and chains, as well as other items, are also moderately common on the market. That variety continues to drive the demand for vintage Swank pieces in the collectables market today. The company name changed several times. It became Swank Products, Inc in 1938, then just Swank, Inc. in 1941. Swank seemed to have a name for everything in the mid-1950s, including a jewelry box for sets which they called “Florentine Golden Embossed Gift Box”, which was black imitation leather with a gold grid with shields and things inside the squares of the grids. Old ads are typically used to identify items from ‘collections', although the “Grand Prix”, “Arts of the World”, “Collezione Contintale”, “Royal Copenhagen” and other collections are also found in original boxes with the box bearing the collection name. If other cufflinks have not been put into the boxes for those collections can also identify what cufflinks or accessory sets belong to a ‘collection'. Also, cufflinks which are identified in certain collections based on advertising are also found in variations of the illustrated examples. Those variations can be in metal color, paint color, color of rhinestones or other stones used, or a change to a major component of the design. The brand is now a division of R..A. Randa, who also owns tie manufacturer Wembley.


NOTES ON TIE CLIPS AND ACCESSORIES: Cufflink sets were common gifts in the first half of the 1900s. And they were often sold in sets that included the cufflinks and a tie accessory. However, as the 50s and 60s progressed, the cufflinks were not as often worn as the tie clip or accessory, and so the tie accessory was separated from the links or completely worn out or lost. So, finding a set that includes a tie clip, or finding a tie clip to match a pre-1970 set of cufflinks is somewhat rare. If you see a pair of cufflinks offered with a tie accessory and you like the design, consider yourself lucky and snap them up!

INITIAL AND NAME JEWELRY: Initial jewelry was popular from about 1930 to 1970, and can be found with one, two, or even three initials. Also, in the 1960s, some companies even began producing men's accessories with full names on them. My two cents worth? If you find a set with your last initial, strongly consider purchasing it if you like it. If it has your first and last initial, that's a pretty rare match. Three initials or your full first name? The stars are perfectly aligned for you and it's just meant to be! And for all these examples if it is a cufflink and tie accessory set, you really can't go wrong! As a friend advises, if it's your name or initial, you probably won't see it again!

SHIPPING: Vintage Men's Swag prides themselves on the quality and speed of their shipping. Each item you purchase will be carefully wrapped and boxed to insure its safe arrival.


CONDITION GUIDE FOR MY DESCRIPTIONS: Perfect/New/Mint in Box: The item and or piece of jewelry has no visible flaws and no signs of wear or use. Excellent: The item and or piece of jewelry has evidence of wear. Very Good: The item and or piece of jewelry has small flaws that are not usually noticeable during wear. These flaws could include light scratches on the surfaces of imitation pearls, light scuffs on rhinestones, or light marks on the metal's finish. Good: The item and or piece of jewelry is completely wearable with working hardware. However, the rhinestones may be yellowing or beginning to turn gray (dark spots are visible when you are looking into the stone). Wear may be more visible, and there may be light chipping. Fair/Poor: The item and or piece of jewelry has visible damage that may include dark stones, missing stones, or broken parts. This item should be considered for repair or restoration purposes only.

REMEMBER: buy You are buying a vintage item. Even for items I indicate are in ‘perfect/mint/new/Mint in box, there still may be some minor scratches or other issues when the item is examined very closely. Most items in my shop are 40 to 60 years old, with many even older. They will have some ‘acquired character'. Also, even if I indicate the original box is present, the condition of that box may not be very good, particularly the exterior.
PHOTOS: I try to get sufficient pictures, of good quality, that allow you to see the details, construction, condition, and color of the items I list. However, with gold tone and silver tone items, by their very nature, it is difficult to capture the ‘exact shade' of their color. Compounding that issue is the difficulty of photographing certain rhinestones and crystals. Many will flash a variety of colors or have a luminescence that is hard to capture. In those cases, I try to indicate that in my description.