Postby dognose » Thu Dec 03, 2020 6:24 am
HAMILTON and CO., LTD
Jewellers, Siversmiths, Watchmakers, etc , 8, Old Court House Street
In London, Paris, New York and the other great cities of the West are to be found establishments of jewellers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths on a very elaborate and extensive scale , but none is upheld by such unique conditions as obtain in India, and especialy in Calcutta, in relation to all those precious materials that have symbolised and indicated wealth and royalty since the dawn of history and before it. The rulers of India have never been surpassed for the magnificence of their regalia and personal adornments , and that ancient land of contrasts and castes is preeminent amongst all countries for the splendour still exemplified by its great and wealthy nobility. These facts explain the existence in Calcutta of the business of Messrs. Hamilton and Co , Ltd , established since 1808.
The handsome white frontage of that firm’s establishment at 8, Old Court House Street, is entirely different from the aspect of the ordinary jewellery store which bases its attraction on overwhelming profusion of mass production goods and the sameness of the obvious and the orthodox. Extending from the street to the entrance is a covered arch which greatly enhances the appearance of the establishment, and protects on wet days the customers stepping from their motors in the reign of His Imperial Majesty, the King Emperor, George V , as it did when the subjects of his four predecessors alighted from their gaily caparisoned horse equipages to visit the famous emporium so noteworthy for the gleam of gold and silver, and the flashing of fire of exquisite jewellery. Constructed long before the methods of modern display, the windows are guarded in front by an iron railing about two feet high which prevents too intimate approach , nor is such close inspection necessary, for the exhibition in the windows is of no stereotyped character, but a few superb examples of miniature statuary in marble and bronze, etc , which are in harmony with the manifest superiority proclaimed by every detail of the establishment and its contents.
Amongst the first objects of the beautiful interior which the artistic eye will notice with appreciation are two exquisite, almost life-size, bronze statues, "The Runner" and the "Sitting Mercury." The originals of these are in the Naples Museum, and are amongst the finest works of the great Greek sculptor, Praxiteles who lived in the fourth century BC.
The rich and choice goods shown by Messrs. Hamilton and Co , Ltd , impart an impression of discriminating selection and superiority to even the dullest consciousness where, for instance, may be found such royal crowns, necklaces, and other gorgeous specimens of the firm's skill in jewellery as are seen exhibited by them as examples of ordinary achievement and nothing out of the common. The writer, during his inspection of the place, noticed an illustration of a crown made by the firm, valued at £180,000, and a necklace valued at £85,000. In contemplation of such things ordinary jewellery seems so paltry and commonplace.
The business gives employment to about 150 workmen, and their operations embrace everything pertaining not only to the manufacture of
jewellery , but also engraving, gilding, and electroplating.
Messrs Hamilton and Co , Ltd , have always been entrusted with the auction sales of Tosha Khana, or, in other words, the treasure accruing to the Government from the fortunes of war and the changes m the royal houses of India through death and other causes. Long ago they used to dispose by auction, in the portion of their premises now forming their workshop, the loot of the East India Company, and amongst the many historic collections of great treasure that have passed through their hands in this way was the glittering assortment that had been in the possession of Nana Sahib, the leader of the Indian Mutiny, and which, together with other Mutiny loot, was sold by Messrs Hamilton and Co for £750,000.
Among the archives of the firm are many interesting old documents testifying to the services they rendered m the far-off past, including a letter dated July 2nd, 1850, from Sir John (later Lord) Lawrence, expressing his great satisfaction at the able manner in which Messrs Hamilton and Co had always fulfilled everything committed by him to their trust.
In this necessarily brief review it is impossible to deal with this famous old firm with a fulness befitting Its long and influential record. In 1835 the business passed into the possession of the Remfry family, with whom it remained until 1900. In 1919 the firm was formed into a private limited liability company. The managing director is Mr J F Snaith, who has been connected with the concern since 1903. Messrs Hamilton and Co , Ltd , have branches at Delhi and Simla.
Source: Seaports of India and Ceylon - Allister Macmillan - 1928
Trev.
