The articles below are genuine antique pieces made in the last century.

The famous California gold rush began in 1849 following the discovery of gold on January 24, 1848 by James Marshall, a carpenter working on John Sutter’s Mill at Coloma, on the south branch of the American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

The following three years saw a population migration not seen since the Crusades! Hundreds of thousands of people eventually descended upon California from the world over… from America’s east, from central and south America, Europe, Hawaii, China and Australia… from almost everywhere! They came across North America from the East by wagon train and stagecoach, and around Cape Horn by sail. Some sailed to the Isthmus of Panama, crossing to the Pacific on horseback or wagon, a four or five day journey through jungles, where many perished of yellow fever. Those who made it caught waiting ships to take them north to San Francisco! By 1855, the new Panama Railway eased the crossing to a bumpy 3.5 hour ride!

They came to seek their fortunes in GOLD! Some few actually became rich but most eventually became involved in agriculture. The great central valley of California proved to be receptive to producing virtually every type of fruit, vegetable and grain. Craftsmen of every trade settled in San Francisco, a boomtown which grew from a few hundred people in 1848, to over 40,000 by 1852! Among them were skilled jewelers, goldsmiths and silversmiths who fashioned a broad range of jewelry and gold and silver objects of every description. One particular range focused on gold-bearing quartz! Much of the gold being mined in the Sierra foothills was extracted from gold-bearing quartz… actually veins of gold trapped in a matrix of generally white, rose or black quartz. Some enterprising jewelers learned to saw attractive pieces of this material into thin slices, then fashioned all types of jewelry and small objects such as match boxes (often called match safes), cane tops, rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, cufflinks and other items, using gold settings embellished with polished gold quartz. The gold veins shone brightly from their quartz matrix and the finished articles proved to be unique… and unique to California! People from all walks of life carried or wore gold quartz… and sent it back home to the East and abroad!

The era of gold quartz came to an end around 1906, undoubtedly precipitated by the great San Francisco earthquake which destroyed most of the city. By the time the city was rebuilt, the former producers embarked in other directions of jewelry manufacturing and abandoned the gold quartz legacy. About three decades ago, collectors began searching for antique gold quartz jewelry and other articles. Now, ardent collectors are seeking out a fast diminishing supply of these antique pieces representing the romance of the gold rush! Some pieces have commanded astronomical prices… antique match boxes, for instance, bringing over $150,000, stickpins $1,000, earrings, cufflinks, and rings up to $35,000, brooches from $2,500 to $150,000, bracelets to $200,000, and one particular piece was sold for over $1 million.