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Of the many accomplished Arts & Crafts metalworkers, one whose skill and output often put him near the top of the list is Edward Everett Oakes.  Born in Massachusetts in 1891, Oakes was a second-generation Arts & Crafts master who had the good fortune to study with two beacons of the movement -- Frank Gardner Hale and Josephine Shaw. 

 

In 1923, the year he won a Medal at the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, Oakes was pleased to learn that the Metropolitan Museum of Art had acquired a pendant of his for its permanent collection ("the first such purchase made from a living American craftsman" according to Edith Alpers in the British Jewellery Studies, Vol. 3).  This was a source of pride -- in a small catalog of wedding rings that he issued, the last page included a photograph of the object with the caption "A MASTERPIECE BY EDWARD EVERETT OAKES IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART."

 

 

The catalog goes on to say: 

 

"Wedding and Engagement Rings are created from platinum, solid green or yellow gold, or in the modern combination of platinum and green gold.  White gold, which came into being as an imitation of platinum, is not used, principally because it is unsatisfactory as a working medium.  Careful hand tooling finishes each piece with a soft lustrous glow…. These bands are handwrought throughout; each tiny flower leaf, motif, or petal is the painstaking work of a Master Craftsman.  Sometime jewels are added for brilliance or color to enrich the design…"

 

Oakes ring with original tan leather pouch and white box with gold-stamped lettering

 

In an early review of his work (Anne Webb Karnaghan. The American Magazine of Art, December, 1926), the author concluded:

 

"Edward E. Oakes is a young man, just turned thirty-five, a sincere craftsman with mechanical skill and artistic genius. He has a sturdy physique and almost tireless energy. Such qualities augur well for the future. It is probable that his creative mind, ever at work with some new idea, will go on to much finer things than he has yet achieved, and possibly to the realization of his dream: leaving some single magnificent work which will compare favorably with the heritage from the great jewelers of the Renaissance."

 

Even back then, Karnaghan called Oakes "one of the foremost creators of hand-wrought jewelry today" and explained how his upbringing and years of apprenticeship helped lead to his success:

 

"The genius of Edward E. Oakes expressed itself early in boyhood -- not in the medium of gold and precious stones, however, but as a kite-maker. When fifteen years old, he was known as the best kite-maker in Boston and is credited with having made kite-flying one of the popular juvenile sports of the town about 1906. Boys came from all over Boston and from nearby villages to buy kites from his little factory located in the rear yard of his father's home in Dorchester. There was no secret about his methods of making kites -- any boy could secure free instruction from him -- but every boy preferred to buy "Eddy" Oakes' kites rather than make his own, because nobody, not even with full instructions, could make quite so good a kite as this enterprising young man. He had a genius for getting the sticks in just the right proportions and for giving the proper curve to the cross-piece at the head of the kite -- a skill that was instinctive and impossible for him to impart with the most exacting instruction. This aptitude of eye and hand has been developed and translated today into another medium. He discusses his methods of making jewelry with the same simplicity and frankness that he instructed his young associates in making kites, but the instinctive skill which gives individuality and depth to his jewelry again defies cataloging.

 

Cross set with amethyst and baroque pearls. Bracelet set with sapphires,

amethysts, and aquamarines. Other pieces with diamonds, aquamarines

and moonstones, by Edward E. Oakes (Karnaghan, 1926)

 

"During the days of his kite-making career, he was dreaming of going to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, perhaps, of becoming an inventor. His father, from whom he inherited his artistic and creative strain, shared this ambition. An inventor himself, he had carried few things to completion because the laborious task of working out his idea without technical and mechanical knowledge had been too uncongenial and difficult for him -- a handicap from which he wished to save his son. About this time, Frank Gardner Hale, who had returned a year or two previous from England and had established a studio in Boston, needed an assistant. The opportunity was offered to Edward Oakes.

 

"It was a momentous decision for both father and son. After a week's hesitation, the technical career was abandoned. The father, appreciating the genius of his son, saw also the possibilities in the field newly opened for him. The son, in his turn, was even more serious, because he felt vaguely that the choice must be final. In discussing this decision, Mr. Oakes always recounts with considerable pride the dozen or more inventions of the older man, sometimes adding, "but he never carried anything to completion, finding joy in the creative idea alone. That determined me early in life to find one thing and to apply myself to it."  At eighteen, the die was cast! He was to become a jeweler.  [This was in 1909.]

 

"There followed five years of excellent training under Mr. Hale, learning the technique of his craft from this sincere and able worker whose broad knowledge of jewelry and enamels had been acquired through practical work at Chipping-Campden in Gloucestershire and in London with Mr. Frederick Partridge. Mr. Oakes was next associated with Mrs. Josephine Hartwell Shaw, whose vigorous and original designs greatly stimulated him. It is interesting to note that Mrs. Shaw and Mr. Hale were both early medallists of The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, an honor also conferred upon Mr. Oakes, April 6, 1923.  [To see one of the Society's actual medals (for Margaret Rogers) click here.]

 

"After three years with Mrs. Shaw, he opened a shop for himself [in 1917 -- the year the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts named him a Master Craftsman], having mastered the technique of design and execution. He had become absorbed in historic design and the past methods of making jewelry. He read and studied with avidity. Museums were rich storehouses from which he gathered ideas to be adapted as needed. A knowledge that might have been gained earlier through art-school training was eagerly absorbed by a ready mind which sorted and catalogued the information which came to him. Thus Edward E. Oakes mastered his craft."

 

Two pendants, one in form of lantern tipped with baroque pearl suspended

 on simple chain; the other elaborately wrought foliated design on gold base,

suspended on black cord, by Edward E. Oakes (Karnaghan, 1926)

 

While Shaw and Hale were important mentors, Oakes developed a distinctive style of his own.  According to Karnaghan:

 

"After several years on his own resources removed from other influences, he suddenly developed a characteristic style, readily recognized by those who have once come to know it. During these years he experimented freely with new and varied tools; he devised different methods for handling his designs; he worked out a technique which permitted depth of finish and color to his pieces and great delicacy of design. His mechanical skill proved to be scarcely less remarkable than his artistic genius.

 

"The most distinguishing quality of the style which he has evolved is its richness, almost sumptuousness of effect. While his materials are always of the best quality, he frequently secures with semi-precious stones a richness in the finished piece that far exceeds that usually obtained with precious stones. Similar effects are also found in pieces wrought from gold alone. The vigor and rhythm of his designs, which persist even with a wealth of delicately wrought detail, account in some measure for his characteristic effects. But it is an open secret that he stimulates interest by carefully working out, details -- by 'tooling them up from behind' to give them life and vitality."

 

Oakes at work, 1930.  His trademark jeweled casket is in the background.

 

Edith Alpers documented other details of his life in Jewellery Studies:

 

"In 1916 Oakes became a member of the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, an association which continued until his death in 1960.  Much of his production was exhibited and sold in the shops of the society in Boston and in New York, for the brief period the shop was able to survive there, 1923-1928.

 

"His work was shown at many of the Chicago Art Institute Annual Exhibitions of Applied Art starting from 1915…. He worked out of the naturalistic aesthetic, using foliate settings asymmetrically arranged. He assimilated Art Nouveau but with restraint suitable for his conservative nature and that of his clientele….

 

"Oakes was also a member of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts and exhibited there many times starting in 1921…. His market was in Boston, mostly through the shop of the Society of Arts and Crafts, which advertised in Boston newspapers. Exhibitions included his work, sometimes as an individual case exhibit or in a general display of work by him as well as other members. Customers could also leave special requests to be filled there. Some clients found the direct route to his workshop, to commission particular pieces….  [F]rom an advisory memorandum about Edward Oakes, found in the archives of the society:

 

Mr Oakes himself is cooperative, but we can very seldom get to him, as Mrs Thomson takes care of calls. Very often his prices are reasonable when he himself estimates, but if it comes through Mrs Thomson are often quite high. I think she pushes the prices up. . . .  Always willing to estimate and submit designs but very rarely follows up any designs submitted or any inquiries made.  Has a bad habit of submitting design, then carrying out pieces without following the design and without telling us of the changes he is making, and then expects the client to approve the finished piece. . . .

 

His designs are very lightly drawn and often he just takes them out of his design book and sends them up. Very willing to send pieces up for customer to see and will rush things through when others won't. Doesn't take him long to work if he once gets started but I believe if the order does not interest him, he can't get working on it. Repairs old pieces very well and is painstaking about them. . . .

 

Takes old wide wedding bands and very successfully carves these to be made like his stock wedding rings. I always find him willing to do what we wish and friendly!

 

Elaborately wrought cross finished on both sides: suspended

 on black ribbon; brooch of simple design; ring of baroque

pearls, by Edward E. Oakes (Karnaghan, 1926)

 

"….There were nine men and women at the bench. Elsie Parsons, who is living in her 90's but does not remember, helped Oakes, who had $75 of his own, go into business for himself in 1917. She worked at the bench and paid the rent in those early days on Bromfield Street. Hilda [Mrs. Thomson] recalls that Elsie worked on fine details very carefully and very slowly. Eddie Nelson was the most talented artist of the group, a Museum of Fine Arts graduate who won a fellowship to study with Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Foundation on Long Island, New York, which existed from 1919-1942….

 

"He did complain that working in platinum was too expensive because you had to 'redo it many times to get it right'. He wrote: 'The merit of a real craftsman in a piece of jewelry is always revalued on the wrong side of an object. A customer will most always turn a piece of jewelry over.' (His pendant crosses were made so that both sides could be presented.)

 

"Oakes studied historic design and techniques from museum collections and literature as well. He had mastered his craft in the shops of acknowledged masters, and after a few years he developed a personal style recognized by those who have come to know it. He used new and various tools and techniques to permit depth of color and finish to pieces of delicate design. Most often with semi-precious stones, the sumptuousness of his pieces exceeds that of ordinary jewelry of precious stones….

 

 

"When stricken with tuberculosis in 1954 and confined to a sanitorium for recuperation he started to compile notes for a book on craftsmanship. Some pages of manuscript exist but not in a structured form.  His organic designs were based on natural forms which never appear exactly the same in nature.   Forms could be similar and of cohesive elements but not used repetitively. His son Gilbert, recently deceased, who worked for his father and continued the shop after his death, said that in the Oakes' vocabulary 'casting was used only when fishing with a rod', not in making jewelry. All elements were built by hand with wire, sawed parts, carved and chased. With very few exceptions each piece he made was unique....Typically he used nicks or indentations in the plain edges. The bezels are often cut away to reveal more of the shape and quality of the stones.  He wrote:

 

It is much better to have the design all different when several motifs are used in a bracelet, but have them of the same value so one motif does not stand out more than the other. This is not a new idea but Chinese, as they believe that the first is an exciting experience, the second is labor. They also believe that the more you think, the better you can think.

 

The whole duty of a jeweler is to satisfy himself. A true jeweler always plays to an audience of one. Let him start sniffing the air or glancing at the trend machine and he is as good as dead, although he may make a good living.  Choose a suitable design and hold to it.

 

"Oakes worked constantly. He was successful even during the Great Depression, sustained mostly by wedding and engagement rings ordered from stock designs.  Much of his work after the second world war was designing new settings for customer-owned gemstones. He always made three drawings for a customer to select from. Most of the archival drawings were never executed. 

 

"In sales records of the shop many entries are marked 'destroyed', indicating recycling of materials from unsold works into new ones.  A gold cross and chain, black onyx and pearls was sent to the Paris Exposition in 1937.  He received a commission from Beatrice Fox Griffin, of Philadelphia, for a gold cross set with star rubies and corners for the cover for an illuminated manuscript of The Sermon on the Mount she had painted to donate to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  There are a few examples of his work in silver hollowware. A chalice and candlesticks were exhibited in the 1940s."

 

Oakes' work is fairly easy to spot, which is a good thing since only a small amount of it was signed with his mark -- OAKES inside an oak leaf.  His use of notched frames, serrated leaves, an array of small semiprecious cabochon bezel-set stones in soft tones looking somewhat like an arrangement of flower blossoms, foliate geometric patterns, and fine spiraling wirework (inspired perhaps by Hale), are all distinctive Oakes trademarks.  Oakes often finished the backs of his pieces as well as the fronts.  The bracelet below is as lovely on the reverse as it is right side up.

 

Edward Oakes bracelet -- front view -- 14K gold with golden topaz shown full length (see close-up)

 

Edward Oakes bracelet -- back view -- 14K gold with golden topaz shown full length (see close-up)

 

Edward's son Gilbert trained with his father and formed a company with him called "Edward Everett Oakes & Son" that produced lovely hand wrought jewelry.  Gilbert's mark is the same OAKES inside an oak leaf followed by a single acorn.  Edward's granddaughter, Susan Oakes Peabody continues the family tradition of fine jewelry-making.  Her mark is the OAKES inside a leaf followed by two acorns.

 

Gilbert Oakes bracelet -- 14K gold with onyx, pearls and Montana sapphires shown full length (see close-up)

 

Some Wakefield, Massachusetts neighbors of Edward Oakes were able to acquire pieces of his.  One lovely collection of these is pictured here.

 

 

Item	Description	Size	Marks
	Bracelet by Edward Oakes (detail from above) -- front view -- handwrought 14K gold, with alternating links, bezel-set, faceted, rectangular golden topaz with rectangular gold links in stylized leaf form finished identically on the reverse.  Beautifully crafted, highly detailed and delicate.	6-3/4” L	[unsigned]
	Bracelet by Edward Oakes (detail from above) -- back view -- handwrought 14K gold, with alternating links, bezel-set, faceted, rectangular golden topaz with rectangular gold links in stylized leaf form finished identically on the reverse.  Beautifully crafted, highly detailed and delicate.	6-3/4” L	[unsigned]
	Bracelet by Gilbert Oakes (detail from above) -- handwrought 14K gold, onyx links alternating with openwork links each containing two bezel-set pearls of graduated size and two small bezel-set faceted Montana sapphires, with serrated veined leaves and bead and spiraling wirework ornament.  Wonderfully crafted.	7-5/8" L and 9/16" W	14K
	Brooch, by Edward Oakes, handwrought 14K gold, oval 14K gold frame with large, faceted orange-red hessonite garnet, flanked by two pearls set among delicate hand made leaves, tendrils and beads.  Raised gallery.  Beautifully crafted with great detail.	1” H and 1-3/4” W	[unsigned]
	Brooch, silver, with large chased and cutout oak leaf at bottom, beads and spiraling wirework above on the sides, a large bezel-set green oval malachite cabochon stone with bulls-eye pattern at the top surrounded on both sides by beaded details, and a round bezel-set pearl at the top left.	1-3/8" W and 1-3/8" H	[unsigned]
	Brooch, by Edward Oakes, hand wrought in 14K green gold with four blue moonstones with six Montana sapphires and five seed pearls.  Fine, delicate and highly detailed foliate and scroll work between the gem stones.  Excellent work.	1-3/16" H and 1-1/4" W	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, handwrought in 14K green gold with central black onyx plaque, flanked by bezel-set pearls with fine, highly detailed gold work depicting flowers, scrolls and small beads.  Beautifully crafted, very delicate.  In tan leather pouch inside original white box with gold stamped lettering on removable cover (see above).	Size 4-3/4 Box:  2-9/16" L and 1-7/8" W and 7/8" H	OAKES within an oak leaf Box:  The Oakes Studio / Box 69 / Franconia, N. H. 03580 / Hand Wrought Jewelry
	Ring, handwrought in 14K yellow gold with green tourmaline and four small diamonds.  14K gold shank and setting with central square green tourmaline flanked on all sides with elaborate and finely detailed 14K white gold leaves, beads and scrolls with four small faceted diamonds, one on each side.	Size 4-3/4	[unsigned]
	Ring, silver, with bezel-set rectangular cinnabar stone deeply carved with floral motif inside frame.  Sides have similar flower and leaf design.  Owned by a Wakefield, Massachusetts neighbor of Oakes who had it custom made by Oakes.	11/16" H and 5/8" W and 7/8" D	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, yellow gold, large and heavy, with a faceted rectangular Minas Gerais Brazilian topaz.   Stone is bezel-set in yellow gold with extensions at the corners, a wirework structure at the back to accommodate the deep stone, and applied curved leaves, beads, and spiraling wire on the sides.   Owned by a Wakefield, Massachusetts neighbor of Oakes who had it custom made by Oakes.	7/8" H and 13/16" W and 1-1/16" D	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, 18K yellow gold with blue faceted zircons and pearls on large and lovely gold leaf background, with scrolls and beads	13/16" W and 15/16" D and 1/2" H	OAKES within an oak leaf
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, pink gold, rose petal motif, centering 1.45 carat faceted ruby inside nest of petals, and accented with a small diamond and leaves and beads on each side.	3/4" W and 15/16" D and 5/8" H	OAKES within an oak leaf
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, hand wrought in 14K green gold with central oval faceted citrine, flanked by a square green tourmaline on either side with delicate gold work depicting flowers and leaves.  Beautifully crafted, very delicate.	Size 5-1/4	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Edward Oakes, yellow gold with scrolling foliate designs and spiraling curved wire on top and sides, centering large rectangular faceted garnet.	13/16" H and 13/16" W and 1" D	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Gilbert Oakes, handwrought in 14K gold with central faceted deep green tourmaline, flanked by 3 pearls.  The central tourmaline has been rotated so that when worn, the rectangular stone sits on the finger at an angle instead of the typical symmetric orientation.  Interesting, modern setting.	Size 8	OAKES within an oak leaf followed by an acorn
	Ring, by Gilbert Oakes, handwrought in 14K gold with central faceted amethyst with deep color, flanked by bezel-set diamonds with fine, highly detailed gold work depicting leaves, scrolls and small beads.  Beautifully crafted.	Size 8-1/4	OAKES within an oak leaf followed by an acorn
	Ring, by Gilbert Oakes, hand wrought in 14K gold with central faceted diamond, flanked by two small rubies and two simple applied leaves with bead work.  Textured background.	Size 7	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Gilbert Oakes, handwrought in sterling silver with central, oval, light blue turquoise cabochon.  The shank has applied silver foliate and leaf ornament with beads and scrolls.  Shank is worn.	Size 5-1/2	[unsigned]
	Brooch, by Gilbert Oakes, hand wrought in sterling silver with large central leaf with applied vein and chased details with round, black onyx disk.  Bead and wire work.	2-1/2" H and 1-3/4" W	[unsigned]
	Brooch, by Gilbert Oakes, hand wrought in sterling silver with large central leaf with applied vein and chased details.  Bead and wire work.	1-1/8" H and 1-5/8" W	[unsigned]
	Ring, by Susan Oakes Peabody, hand wrought in 14K gold with three faceted garnets with deep red color and two small diamonds.  The stones are set among fine, highly detailed gold work depicting leaves, scrolls and small beads.  The diamonds are set inside gold flower blossoms.  Beautifully crafted, heavy.	Size 8	OAKES within an oak leaf followed by two acorns
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