Elkington & Co.

Elkington & Co. was a major British silversmiths, which was founded in Birmingham in the 1840s.

History

The inventors of silver were George Richards Elkington (1801-1865) and Henry Elkington († 1852), whose research began during the Industrial Revolution. In the 1830s, they had patented the processes and 1840 the technique of plating was perfected.

The contemporary John Culme, who then was compiling a list of the gold - and silversmiths, mentions in his writings that the electroplating of Elkington was adopted by numerous companies under license. One of the first companies that used this method, Christofle & Cie was. in France.

In 1868, Queen Victoria Elkington gave permission to copy a large part of the royal table collection. Subsequently, several orders were completed, in which princely families Elkington gave permission to copy the family silver and other works of art.

Due to the high quality of products and services, the company received the highest awards at international exhibitions. Elkington & Co was awarded the Legion of Honor of the French Republic, and was several times of Queen Victoria, Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, George V, Queen Mary and George VI. and the Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII ) and Princess Helena of Great Britain and Ireland, appointed by Royal Warrant for royal supplier. Outside of England Elkington purveyor by the King of Spain and the King was appointed by Italy. The company was also a k.u.k. Appointed purveyor to the court.

Elkington made ​​cutlery for the luxurious dining rooms on board the Titanic and other ships of the White Star Line fleet. The pattern was then delivered Dubarry, which is available today. In order to protect against counterfeiting and there is this pattern with the logo of the White Star Line it punched.

Elkington also supplied the cutlery and silver for the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in the late 1990s.

The company existed until the 1960s.