DESIGN ARCHIVE: DEAKIN & FRANCIS

Design Archive: Deakin & Francis

Est. 1786

Location: Birmingham (UK)

There can be few companies as steeped in the history and traditions of craftsmanship as Deakin & Francis. For seven generations, since 1786, this family run business has been producing some of the finest handmade metal ware in the world from its workshops in Birmingham. The company’s design archive collection dates back to the early 19th century and contains a huge range of beautifully crafted metal products, original design work and documentation, photography, advertisements and the historic factory itself.

These days, Deakin and Francis are best known for the design and manufacture of the world’s finest cufflinks. Their workshops produce fine quality handmade jewellery in precious metal, incorporating vitreous enamel and fine gemstones.

This firm of manufacturing jewellers and silversmiths was founded by Benjamin Woolfield in 1786, later to be joined by Charles Washington Shirley Deakin, who together with C.W.B Moore traded as Deakin and Moore from 1848 – 1879.

Upon Moore’s retirement, Stephen Deakin joined his uncle Charles and the firm became Deakin and Nephew 1879- 1881. Charles Deakin retired in 1881 and Stephen was joined by his brother-in-law John H Francis and the style changed again to Deakin and Francis, becoming a limited company in 1902.

The Francis line ceased with the death of Captain J H Francis in the First World War, and the company is now managed by the 7th generation of the Deakin family, James & Henry Deakin; who’s father is the great, great nephew of the co-founder CWS Deakin.

Throughout this period of more than 200 years, the business has never veered from the high standards of craftsmanship and quality that are its tradition. Housed in the same building that James Watt called home from 1777-1790, both the company and its workshops are surrounded in a unique heritage. Indeed the actual design archive collection is itself housed in a particularly historic location... the very same room that was once James Watt's original drawing room.

Today, the Deakin & Francis design archive contains countless artefacts that detail the intricate history of the company. Collected over the years, the show cabinets in the boardroom are filled with various items including silver teapots, chainmail bags, decorative hairbrushes and toast racks, along with one of the first pairs of cufflinks ever made by Deakin & Francis.

It was David J Deakin who decided to turn the main focus of the company towards making cufflinks, and he was also responsible for the creation of the incrediblly successful Deakin & Francis moving skull cufflinks. With opening jaw and popping diamond eyes they are some of the most iconic cufflinks made by the jewellers. This desire to create fun and unusual cufflinks was passed onto David Deakin’s son and part of the seventh generation to run Deakin & Francis, James Deakin. Since taking over the company, James has challenged the traditional practices of the jewellery trade to create unique and inspiring designs, previously unheard of. Once taught by his father never to set diamonds into silver, James has since created a whole range of silver cufflinks incorporating rubies, diamonds and sapphires into his designs.

Using the knowledge that has been passed down through seven generations, Deakin & Francis is still the leading manufacturer of men’s cufflinks, with designs still in production today that were first created hundreds of years ago.

The company is justly proud that it is still able to offer the very best of British jewellery and silverware produced in its own workshops and supplied to many customers, both at home and overseas.

Much of their jewellery is still die-stamped in the traditional way using the original press machines situated in the factory premises. At the back of the workshop, the belt driven cast iron drop presses are a living and working embodiment of the company's incredible heritage, a testiment to the time honoured techniques used to make such unique objects.

When Deakin and Francis first produced cufflinks they were part of every gentleman’s attire. These days men and women wear them as a statement of wealth, style, tradition and humour. Their cufflink collections now encompass any occasion and personality, being worn by enthusiasts, celebrities and royalty from around the world. The company produces well over 1000 designs, from a range of silver to the finest diamond and gem set selection in platinum or 18ct gold. Whatever the design the same quality can be seen throughout all of their work, continuing a tradition that has been passed down the from one successive generation to the next over a period of more than 225 years.

Visit the Deakin & Francis website here 

Visit the Deakin & Francis blog  here

Obsessionistas would like to thank James & Henry Deakin, along with Nikki Bruce for sharing these exclusive insights and allowing us unique access to photograph the company's design archive material. Visiting their historic factory, where all these items were and continue to be manufactured from was a real joy.

Images © Obsessionistas and Deakin & Francis - and published with kind permission of Deakin & Francis.