04-17-2018 12:22 PM
These large cuff links were sold as akro agate, but the only things I find in searching that name are marbles and glass. They are in the original box that has nothing written on it. The only markings on them are patent numbers on the attachments. Have any of you heard of akro agate jewelry, or is that a figment of the seller's imagination? Thanks!
04-17-2018 12:27 PM
They look like glass from here. Found the company - apparently it's a brand name from Akron, OH. They started out making marbles and branched out.
http://www.glassencyclopedia.com/AkroAgateglass.html
04-17-2018 01:00 PM
Thanks, ev. Yes, they're glass and I read about the company, but I didn't see where they made any jewelry. Since they made a lot of glass I suppose it's possible they also made jewelry. Just didn't know whether I could describe them using that name. Thanks for the great website, by the way!
04-17-2018 02:54 PM
I hadnt heard of the name but I have a pair of faux agate glass cufflinks myself from the 70s that are very similar.
04-17-2018 04:39 PM
1. you should ask the dealer why she called them "arko agate".
2. "Arko Agate" is one of those terms that floats around the antiques market . It is often associated with depression glass, so a lot of old timers have heard the term. Arko also made vases and ashtrays from slag glass. I would guess that the dealer was being lazy, and said "Arko Agate" like one would say "Kleenex" rather than "Facial Tissue", or thought that the proper terms, like "slag glass" or "glass agate", wouldn't be as appealing as writing "Arko Agate".
It is the quality of a better glass mde from before 1970.
04-17-2018 07:39 PM
Akro agate is very collectible among glass devotees. Jewelry made from it would be a nice "plus". I found some necklace images on Google and they describe the beads as being made in Czechoslovakia.
04-17-2018 07:58 PM
I have such a faint recognition of the name in my mind. I think I've heard of the company a long time ago, but associated it with marbles. Remember aggies? A derivitive of (akro) agate = aggies? I'm in no hurry to list them so I'll keep searching. Appreciate everyone's responses!
04-18-2018 09:12 AM
Akro, not Arko.
04-18-2018 09:22 AM
Yes, dream, aggies. Those were the main claim to fame for Akro. They also made vases and such and called the glass "blended colors" or "multi colors." The usual name for glass with that appearance is "slag glass."
04-18-2018 11:11 AM - edited 04-18-2018 11:13 AM
If you have some spare time here is a site that might help. No guarantee as it is a membership site:
https://www.kovels.com/price-guide/glass-price-guide/akro-agate.html
04-18-2018 03:06 PM
Thanks for confirming my feeble memory, thirry, and thanks for the link, OCN. The box they are in is from about the 30's or 40's, so I suppose they really could be from the Akro Agate company? The seller seemed adamant that they were. I never questioned her further as to why.
04-18-2018 03:53 PM
Interesting. I looked at Pinterest again and my search turned up with a new/old Miriam Haskell brooch with a stated Akro Agate center stone. The question on that one, of course, is whether it was truly A.A. or if it was called that by the person who posted it on Pinterest. In the words of the King of Siam, "Tis a puzzlement."
04-18-2018 04:10 PM
Or in the words of Lewis Carroll's Alice, "Curiouser and curiouser!" If the company did make jewelry it wasn't much. I think the pretty colors and swirls in the glass will sell them more than the name. Thanks for the further research!
04-18-2018 04:11 PM
04-18-2018 04:17 PM
I agree, Sandy. I learned about "Forbidden Fruit" just last week !