Golden Opportunities: Jewelry Making in Birmingham between Mass Production and Specialty

Narratives of flexible specialization as an alternative to mass production are largely absent from the industrial history of twentieth-century Britain. In this article, I challenge the notion that we should relegate small firms and industrial districts to a marginal place in the historiography of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Enterprise & society 2003-06, Vol.4 (2), p.272-298
Main Author:	Carnevali, Francesca
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	18th century 19th century 20th century Artisans Birmingham Business studies Consumption Design Economic history England Gold Historiography History Industrial history Jewellery Jewelry Jewelry making Jewelry stores Jewels Local economy Manufacturers Manufacturing Mass consumption Mass production Narratives Retail stores Silver Small and medium sized enterprises Strategic planning Trade United Kingdom Waxes
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Summary:	Narratives of flexible specialization as an alternative to mass production are largely absent from the industrial history of twentieth-century Britain. In this article, I challenge the notion that we should relegate small firms and industrial districts to a marginal place in the historiography of this period. Drawing from a range of sources, I explore the history of Birmingham's jewelry makers to show how they adapted the traditional productive system of the district to respond in a dynamic way to the challenges of rapid product market differentiation. As jewelry increasingly became a commodity for mass consumption, the firms in the Birmingham district used a combination of specialty and mass production as a strategy to both satisfy and create demand.
ISSN:	1467-2227 1467-2235