 | OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 |  |
OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF JEWELLERY.
The jewellery now sold in the streets far ex-
ceeds, both in cheapness and quality, what was
known even ten years ago. Fifty years ago the
jewellery itinerant trade was almost entirely, if
not entirely, in the hands of Jews, who at any
rate professed to sell really gold articles, and who
asked large prices; but these traders have lost
their command over this, as I have shown that they
have over other street callings, as not a twelfth of
the street-jewellers are now Jews. A common
trade among such street and country itinerant
jewellers was in large watch seals, the bodies of
which were of lead, more or less thickly plated
with gold, and which were unsaleable even as old
metal until broken to pieces, — but not always sale-
able then. The street or itinerant trade was for
a long time afterwards carried on only by those
who were regularly licensed as hawkers, and who
preferred "barter" or "swopping" to actual sale,
the barter being usually for other and more solid
articles of the goldsmith's trade.
The introduction of "mosaic" and other cheap
modes of manufacturing quasi gold ornaments,
brought about considerable changes in the trade,
pertaining, however, more to the general manu-
facture, than to that prepared for the streets.
The itinerants usually carry their wares in
boxes or cases, which shut up close, and can be
slung on the shoulder for conveyance, or hung
round the neck for the purposes of sale. These
cases are nearly all glazed; within them the
jewellery is disposed in such manner as, in the
street-seller's judgment, is the most attractive. A
card of the larger brooches, or of cameos, often
forms the centre, and the other space is occupied
with the shawl-pins, with their globular tops of
scarlet or other coloured glass: rings, armlets,
necklaces, a few earrings and ear-drops, and
sometimes a few side-combs, small medals for
keepsakes, clasps, beads, and bead-purses, orna-
mental buttons for dresses, gilt buckles for waist-
belts, thimbles, &c., constitute the street jeweller's
stock-in-trade. The usual prices are from 2d. to
1s. 6d.; the price most frequently obtained for
any article being 3d. It will be seen from the
enumeration of the articles, that the stock is such
as is required "for women's wear," and women
are now almost the sole customers of the street-
jewellers. "In my time, sir," said one elderly
street-trader, "or rather, when I was a boy, and
in my uncle's time — for he was in jewellery, and
I helped him at times — quite different sorts of
jewellery was sold, and quite different prices was
had; what's a high figure now was a low figure
then. I've known children's coral and bells in
my uncle's stock — well, I don't know whether it
was real coral or not — and big watch keys with
coloured stones in the centre on 'em, such as I've
seen old gents keep spinning round when they
was talking, and big seals and watch-chains;
there weren't no guards then, as I remember.
And there was plated fruit-knives — silver, as near
as a toucher — and silver pencils (pencil-cases), and
gilt lockets, to give your sweetheart your hair in
for keepsakes. Lor' bless you! times is turned
upside down."
The disposition of the street-stalls is somewhat
after the same fashion as that in the itinerant's
box, with the advantage of a greater command of
space. Some of the stalls — one in Tottenham-
court Road, I may instance, and another in White-
chapel — make a great show.
I did not hear of any in this branch of the
jewellery trade who had been connected with it
as working jewellers. I heard of two journey-
men watchmakers and four clockmakers now
selling jewellery (but often with other things, such
as eye-glasses) in the street, but that is all. The
street mass selling jewellery in town and country
are, I believe, composed of the various classes who
constitute the street-traders generally.
Of the nature of his present trade, and of the
class of his customers, I had the following ac-
count from a man of twelve years' experience in
the vending of street jewellery: —
"It's not very easy to tell, sir," he said, "what
sells best, for people begins to suspect everything,
and seems to think they're done if they give 3d.
for an agate brooch, and finds out it ain't set in
gold. I think agate is about the best part of the
trade now. It seems a stone as is easy imitated.
Cornelians, too, ain't so bad in brooches — people
likes the colour; but not what they was, and not
up to agates. But nothing is up to what it once
was; not in the least. Sell twice as much — when
you can, which often stands over till to-morrow
come-never — and get half the profit. I don't ex-
pect very much from the Great Exhibition. They
sends goods so cheap from Germany, they'll think
anything dear in London, if it's only at German
prices. I think it's a mistake to fancy that the
cheaper a jewellery article is the more you'll sell
of it. You won't. People's of opinion — at
least that's my notion of it — that it's so common
everybody 'll have it, and so they won't touch it.
It's Thames water, sir, against beer, is poor low-
priced jewellery, against tidy and fair-priced; but
then the low-priced has now ruined the other sorts,
for they're all thought to go under the same um-
[Description: 915EAF. Page 347.]
who's the best customers, that depends on where
you pitches your pitch, or works your round, and
whether you are known, or are merely a upstart.
But I can tell you, sir, who's been my best cus-
tomers — and is yet, but not so good as they was
— and that's women of the town; and mostly (for
I've tried most places) about Ratcliff Highway,
Whitechapel, Mile-end-road, Bethnal-green, and
Oxford-street. The sailors' gals is the best of all;
but a'most all of them is very particular, and
some is uncommon tiresome. `I'm afeard,' they
says, `this colour don't suit my complexion; it's
too light, or it's too dark. How does that ring
show on my finger?' I've known some of the fat
and fair ones — what had been younger, but would
be older — say, `Let me have a necklace of bright
black beads;' them things shows best with the fat
`uns — but in gen'ral them poor creatures is bad
judges of what becomes them. The things they're
the most particular of all in is necklaces. Amber
and pearl sells most. I have them from 6d. to
1s. 6d. I never get more than 1s. 6d. Cornelian
necklaces is most liked by children, and most
bought for them. I've trusted the women of the
town, and trust them still. One young woman in
Shadwell took a fancy the t' other week for a
pearl necklace, `it became her so,' which it didn't;
and offered to pay me 6d. a week for it if I
wouldn't sell it away from her. The first week
she paid 6d.; the second nothing; and next week
the full tip, 'cause her Jack had come home. I
never lost a halfpenny by the women. Yes, they
pays you a fairish price, but nothing more. Some-
times they've beat me down 1d., and has said, `It's
all the money I has.'
"It's not very long ago that one of them offered
me a fine goold watch which I could have bought
at any price, for I saw she knew nothing of what
it was worth. I never do anything that way. I
believe a very few in my line does, for they can't
give the prices the rich fences can. It's common
enough for them gals to ask any street-jeweller
they knows how much a watch ought to pop for,
or to sell for, afore they tries it on. But it isn't
they as tries it on, sir; they gets some respeckbel
old lady, or old gent, to do that for them. I've
had cigars and Cavendish of them; such as sea-
men had left behind them; you know, sir, I've
never given money, only jewellery for it. Plenty
of shopkeepers is glad to buy it of me, and not at
a bad price. They asks no questions, and I tells
them no lies. One reason why these gals buys
free is that when the jewellery gets out of order
or out of fashion, they can fling it away and get
fresh, it's so cheap. When I've had no money
on a day until I has sold to these women, I've oft
enough said, `God bless 'em!' Earrings is
hardly any go now, sir; nothing to what they
was; they're going out. The penny jewellery's
little good; it's only children what buys, or gets
it bought for them. I sell most of brooches from
3d. to 6d., very seldom higher, and bracelets —
they calls them armlets now — at the same price.
I buys all my goods at a swag-shop: there's no
other market. Watchguards was middling sale,
both silver and goold, or washed white and washed
yellow, and the swags made money in them; but
instead of 1s., they're not to be sold at a Joey
now, watchguards ain't, if a man patters ever so."
I am informed that there are not less than 1000
individuals who all buy their jewellery at the
London swag-shops, and sell it in the streets, with
or without other articles, but principally without;
and that of this number 500 are generally in Lon-
don and its suburbs, including such places as
Gravesend, Woolwich, and Greenwich. Of these
traders about one-tenth are women; and in town
about three-fifths are itinerant, and the others
stationary. One-half, or thereabouts, of the wo-
men, are the wives of street-sellers; the others
trade on their own account. A few "swop"
jewellery for old clothes, with either the mistress
or the maids. Four or five, when they see a fa-
vourable opportunity, offer to tell any servant-
maid her fortune. " `Buy this beautiful agate
brooch, my dear,' the woman 'll say, `and I'll
only charge you 1s. 6d.' — a German thing, sir,
costing her seven farthings one street-jeweller in-
formed me, — `and I'll tell you your fortune into
the bargain.' "
One "old hand" calculated, that when a street-
jeweller could display 50s. worth of stock, he
could clear, all the year round, 15s. a week.
"People," said this man, "as far as I've known
the streets, like to buy of what they think is a
respectable man, and seemingly well to do; they
feel safe with him." Those, however, who can-
not boast so large a stock of jewellery as 50s.
worth, may only clear 10s. instead of 15s. weekly.
One trader thought that the average earnings of
his fraternity might be taken at 12s. a week;
another — and both judged from their `own ex-
perience — thought 10s. 6d. was high enough.
Calculating, then, at a weekly profit of 10s. 6d.,
and a receipt of 18s. per individual, we find
23,410l. expended in the street-trade, including
the sales at Gravesend, Woolwich, and Green-
wich; where — both places being resorted to by
pleasure-seekers and seamen — the trade is some-
times considerable; watches, which now are al-
most unknown in a regular street-trade, there
forming an occasional part of it.
| OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 | |