Antique Watch Chains
As watches became more reliable and therefore more widely used, watch chains came into their own as a method of keeping watches safe from pick pockets.
As with all things they soon became a status symbol so the high carat gold and pretty ladies watch chains came into fashion, men had a special waist coat to hold both watch chain and watch for easy access. Ladies used to have them attached to their purses.
Prince Albert invented the Albert watch chain and indeed the Double Albert, the later being for watch, vesta (match safe) or more often a fob or fob seal. Seals were used for sealing post again coming into it's own around the same time, so the T Bar sat centrally with one chain going to a watch in one pocket and fob in the other. We sell a lot of fobs and fob seals.
Albertina was the feminine version , normally with a tassel and a lot lighter in weight and nearly always pretty with a chased or engraved detail slide to centre of chain.
Nowadays , of course watch chains can be used as described but are more usually used for necklaces, in the case of men and ladies Albertinas make great bracelets especially as will fit today's larger wrists.
We stock silver, gold and pinch beck Watch Chains and Albertinas too.
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