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 Silver Jewelry
 John O. Bellis -- Part 1
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| Author | Topic: John O. Bellis -- Part 1 |
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chicagosilver Posts: 227 |
posted 08-14-2010 02:01 PM
  
John Owen Bellis was a notable California silversmith and jeweler. According to Pansylea Howard Willburn's interesting article in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Silver Magazine, Bellis was born in 1872 in England near Liverpool, and trained as a jeweler. At the age of 21 Bellis emigrated to San Francisco, where after a short stint as an independent jeweler, was hired by Shreve & Co. to work as a silversmith. After the 1906 earthquake, Bellis struck out on his own. Bellis is probably best known as a holloware maker. His work is often heavily hammered, and commonly incorporates elements of the then-popular Shreve "Fourteenth Century" style, with medieval crosses, and plentiful strapwork and rivets. According to Edgar W. Morse in Silver in the Golden State, Bellis spun most of his holloware and then hammered it and applied details. The pierced monogram in this bowl is actually quite nice: IP: Logged |
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chicagosilver Posts: 227 |
posted 08-14-2010 02:02 PM
Bellis also purchased other maker's flatware (from companies like Gorham, Wallace, Alvin, Lunt, and National according to Willburn) and added his own hammered details and distinctive monograms. Here's a boxed child's set with Bellis hammering and another pierced monogram: While Bellis considered himself to be a jeweler, little of his jewelry seems to have survived, mostly simple bangles. The necklace below, with its Fourteenth Century detailing, is unusual: IP: Logged |
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FredZ Posts: 1070 |
posted 08-14-2010 02:38 PM
These are great images and I love the pendant. I have only seen a simple wrist cuff by Bellis. I also like the information on the box. Thanks, Fred IP: Logged |
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rat Posts: 63 |
posted 09-20-2010 05:48 AM
I have a ring and a posey holder brooch by Bellis, both with his signature raised initials. I'll try to post pics some day. I also have lots of his flatware. That pendant is fabulous though! - rat IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 09-20-2010 01:36 PM
I am curious about just exactly what 'struck out on his own' consisted of. Did Bellis open a retail store with regular hours etc? Or did he have a studio that took commisions? Really curious about how this functioned. IP: Logged |
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chicagosilver Posts: 227 |
posted 09-22-2010 11:34 AM
Dale -- regarding "[striking] out on his own," from Pansylea Howard Willburn's Jan/Feb 2007 fine Silver Magazine Article: "After his arrival in San Francisco, John O. Bellis worked for a short time as a jeweler, but was soon hired as a silversmith by Shreve & Co....The company was an excellent training ground where John O. Bellis learned the precepts of the Arts and Crafts movement tempered by the realities of commercial manufacturing....The after-effects of the San Francisco earthquake and fire in April of 1906 changed the course of life for many San Franciscans and could well have been a factor in John O. Bellis's decision to leave Shreve and set up his own business....A rebuilding period for Shreve followed the earthquake, and during this time Bellis started his own business in San Francisco. Another possible factor in Bellis's decision to start a business was his growing family. In 1903, he had married San Franciscan Daisy Emeline Thomas, and they had a daughter Roberta born in 1905. They were soon to have two other daughters, Ruth and Daisy. Bellis, who would become a naturalized citizen in 1909, saw his future in San Francisco. The 1907 city directory lists John O. Bellis's silversmith shop at 1624 California Street." IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 09-22-2010 05:37 PM
An advertisement in The Journal published by the Class of December 1922 Girls High School San Francisco simply reads JOHN O BELLIS The Store of a Thousand Novelties 55 Geary Street, San Francisco. IP: Logged |
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