Charles Horner of Halifax : A Celebration of His Life and Work (English jeweller)

GML Publishing, 2002, hardcover, illustrated, A4 format, index, 292 pages, condition: as new.

This book celebrates Charles Horner in many ways. The richness and diversity of Horner products are beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched; the inventiveness of the Horner firm, the social history of the period and the character of Charles Horner are also discussed in a chapter dedicated to Horner's life. Employees tell their story through oral history extracts while the initiative of management is conveyed in the detail of patents they lodged and a broad history of the firm itself. Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco style enthusiasts will discover in this inspired book the wealth of numerous Horner products and can enjoy the revealing company pattern and price books that accompany them. Thimble collectors will be pleased to find that this work features a chapter that was specially commissioned from Norma Spicer - acknowledged as an authority in the field.

Charles Horner (18371896) was an English jeweller and founder of the Halifax jewellery business Charles Horner of Halifax.

Horner's business was founded in the 1860s and was based at 23 Northgate, Halifax. It produced silver jewellery and ornaments. Among its better-known jewellery lines were enamelled Art Nouveau pendants and necklaces, twisted silver wire and glass paste 'knot' brooches, and silver hatpins.

Horner's "Dorcas" thimbles were patented in 1884. These solved the problem of the previous soft, silver thimbles by using a sandwich of strong steel and sterling silver layers. The three layers were formed separately, stacked together, and then a protruding lip of the inner silver liner was burnished over the steel, locking into place in a groove around the outer silver decorative layer.