BAILEY, BANKS & BIDDLE (1832 - present)

Diamond ring by Bailey, Banks & Biddle, ca 1900

Famous American jeweler from Philadelphia. Bailey, Banks and Biddle first opened its doors as Bailey and Kitchen in 1832. Catering to modish Philadelphians, the firm sold fashionable jewelry as well as silverware and precious objects. In 1846, one of the original owners, Joseph Trowbridge Bailey, invited his brother into the business. In 1878, Joseph’s son, Joseph Bailey II, forged a partnership with two other jewelers: George Banks of J.E. Caldwell and Samuel Biddle of Robbins, Clark, & Biddle. The result was Bailey, Banks, and Biddle. Though not particularly innovative, the firm has a reputation for offering high quality, well designed jewelry. It has also been given important commissions, for instance, the commission to design the first 40,000 Purple Hearts for the United States military as well as to create the Naval Academy and West Point class rings.

Today the firm is a division of the Zale Corporation.

Maker's Mark	Name/Period	Location	Specialty
	Bailey, Banks & Biddle e.1878	Philadelphia PA	Founders • George Banks • Samuel Biddle • Joseph T. Bailey • Floral jewelry with semi-precious colored stones

Sources Consulted

• Proddow, Penny & Debra Healy. American Jewelry: Glamour & Tradition. New York: Rizzoli, 1987. ISBN 9780847808304
• Rainwater, Dorothy. American Jewelry Manufacturers. Shiffer Publishing Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0887401201

External links

• Bailey Banks & Biddle Website