German jewelry designer Ernst Gideon Bek

German jewelry designer Ernst Gideon Bek
Born on April 18, 1872 in Pforzheim, Ernst Gideon Bek (1872-1945) was best known for making mesh handbags in silver, gold and platinum. Pforzheim in Germany, like Providence in the United States, was the center of jewelry manufacture at the time. Young Ernst had the opportunity to study jewelry and gain good practical experience in well-known local companies and workshops. In particular, at Rothacker, Kinzinger in Pforzheim and Baer in Hanau. A talented jeweler, he was CEO of the Pforzheim jewellery industry at the Chicago World’s Fair at the age of 24. At the age of 25 he founded his own company with branches in Birmingham, Paris, Toronto, New York, and India (1897).
Noteworthy, Ernst’s wife, Emily, was the sister of one of the founders of the American jewelry company Binder Bros. Accordingly, he traveled frequently to the United States and subsequently sold his products through Binder Bros. In addition to handbags, he produced costume jewelry, which he marked with a butterfly stamp. Traditionally, the designer used sterling silver, gilding, metal alloys, bakelite, and enamel.
Two years after a trip to Italy in 1932, he retired from business due to a stroke. His two sons, Wesley (born 1903) and Orville Sigfrid (born 1909), helped his father in the family business. After Ernst’s death in 1945, the sons took over the business and renamed the company to EG Bek & Co.

German jewelry designer Ernst Gideon Bek