Jewelry Makers Outlet Filled with History and Treasures

When you shop the Attleboro on County Street, rumor has it you'll get the best value for your dollar because the store sells locally-manufactured pieces at wholesale prices.

There is more to Attleboro's jewelry story, however, than the wholesale prices at Jewelry Makers Outlet. The jewelry industry in Attleboro is a priceless piece of Attleboro's legacy.

Ted Leach, president of Leach and Garner Company, reminisced about Attleboro earning its title as "Jewelry Capital of the World" when Life magazine visited the city in the 1950s. "The jewelry manufacturers then were far more numerous than they are now," Leach said.

The facets of the jewelry industry in Attleboro are too great to even begin to describe. A college course would not be enough to cover the sheer number of Attleboro jewelry factories and their accomplishments over the years starting in 1780 and continuing 230 years later, in 2010.

The stars of the jewelry industry were the many men and women in the city that worked diligently creating new methods in the production of high-quality jewelry, according to those in the industry. Without their creative and innovative spirit, Attleboro may be known instead for its cotton textile industry.

In 1964, nearly 13,000 people were employed by the 163 jewelry factories in Attleboro. That was nearly half of the city's population at the time. 

"I don't know how many jobs were provided by these companies at that time, but in 1971, when I started working, there were about 25,000 jobs in Attleboro of which 20,000 were in the jewelry industry," Leach said. "All of those big buildings downtown were filled with jewelry: watch chains, necklaces, rings, eyeglass frames, watch cases, broaches, lockets, buttons  and anything you can think of was made here in Attleboro. The jewelry companies were incredible conglomerations."

The national association Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, located in the Leach and Garner building in Attleboro Falls, reports there are about 21 jewelry factories operating in the Attleboro area today. It's difficult to count as many of the companies are affiliated or are subsidiaries of each other.

Attleboro's First

The first jewelry maker in Attleboro was known as "the Frenchman," according to Leach.

In Attleboro Industrial Museum reports, the Frenchman, a soldier, was said to have come to Boston from France in 1772 with General LaFayette. The Frenchman set up shop at an abandoned forge at the corner of Chestnut and South Washington Streets (known as North Attleboro today) and made gold buttons for the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The jewelry industry took root in Attleboro with this first factory in 1807 and it flourished due to the ingenuity of the toolmakers and collaboration with jewelry makers throughout the city.

Former owner of the R.F. Simmons company, Nancy Young explained that the company's toolmakers were constantly looking for better methods, moving away from handcrafted pieces to mass production. They developed a seamless ingot, which evolved into gold tubing, which won the distinction of one of the "Inventions of the Century" at the 1930 World Fair.  It was a major innovation that made gold jewelry lighter and therefore less expensive.

"You could make big gold bangle bracelets and hoop earrings that were lighter, therefore easier to wear and less expensive," explained Young.

Leach and Garner also worked to produce materials that were lighter, possessed more modeling possibilities and could be made into jewelry more economically accessible. They developed processes bonding gold to brass and then innovative processes in rolled gold plate.

Long since the first button maker in Attleboro, the jewelry industry in Attleboro is still thriving.

In 2003, Leach and Garner launched a new product called "hardenable gold." The gold is dramatically stronger than what is available on the market because it doesn't dent or scratch. Jewelry pieces made with this product have a lifetime warranty.

Leach's grandfather who started the business in 1889, would never have imagined that jewelry made with EnduraGold, would become national best sellers on the shopping channel, QVC. Leach appears often on the QVC program touting his product.

Outlet a Tour Stop

Balfour  founder Lloyd G. Balfour would be surprised to see a park where his 1913 built factory once stood. The Attleboro Jewelry Makers Outlet occupies the one remaining building of the former Balfour refinery.  

Tour buses from as far away as Canada stop at the Attleboro Jewelry Makers Outlet on their way to to see the Shrine's annual Christmas lights.

Young, who is the current owner, said the outlet was originally a fundraising enterprise of the Auxiliary. During the 1990's, area jewelry manufacturers contributed surplus items and items at wholesale cost. Thousands of dollars were generated for the hospital during the twice-annual jewelry sales.

The Downtown Attleboro Associates urged the jewelry industrialists to increase their hours so that the outlet could become a year-round attraction for visitors to the city. However, keeping the outlet open year round became too cumbersome for the industrialists and that's when Young took over. She is now both owner and operator of the outlet.

"It was a brilliant concept," Leach said. "We were able to donate to a worthy cause and clear our factories of surplus goods, not to mention showcasing our work. It was a win-win opportunity."