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Page under construction, contributions
welcome.
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King of Diamonds |
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Queen of Diamonds |
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Diamond Prince |
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Diamond Princess |
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James Clews and Sons of Manilla Works, 195 Aston Road,
Birmingham, furnishing brassfounders were one of the foremost producers of
quality candlesticks in the late 19th century. To celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, they designed a series of candlesticks that
were first made in 1897. They were the ‘Ace of Diamonds, ‘King of Diamonds’ and
‘Queen of Diamonds’ and the designs proved so popular that they were still in
production until the start of war in 1939. During the late 1940s the remaining
warehouse stocks were mostly exported to USA enthusiasts. |
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As can be seen in the photos, the
range includes differing sizes and designs. The 'Ace' is rare, expensive
and not yet added to this collection. All designs have similar square bases
with clipped edges and a large centre knop with the namesake diamond
decoration. The sconces have well-proportioned flanges and columns. The
intermediate knops vary between designs, those for the ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’
each have one with a serrated edge, though these are sometimes only feint after
a lifetime of enthusiastic polishing. Candle ejector pusher rods are fitted to
all.
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Each stick has the name stamped on the
base. Presumably this would have been done on final inspection but the stamps
are sometimes at an angle that does not show full pride in a top quality
product!
The ‘Prince’ design
was registered on 18th January 1902 as No. 385856 and the ‘Princess’
as No. 392433. These numbers are stamped on the opposite flanges of the base,
sometimes the numbers are confused between the two designs. |
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The table shows approximate dimensions measured on a small
sample. As would be expected with sand castings, the weights vary to some
extent. |
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Height, approx |
Width, base |
Sconce diameter |
Weight, each |
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mm |
mm |
mm |
g |
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Ace of Diamonds |
355 |
127 |
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King of Diamonds |
315 |
121 |
63 |
860-970 |
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Queen of Diamonds |
292 |
118 |
56 |
744-770 |
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Diamond Prince |
299 |
109 |
53 |
846-876 |
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Diamond Princess |
274 |
103 |
53 |
598-622 |
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