Born Baltimore, Maryland, died Summit, New Jersey

Frank Walter Lawrence was active as a jeweler and silversmith working in New Jersey and New York City in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His career began in the 1880s and continued until his death in 1929 although the firm, operated by family members, wouldn’t close until 1975.

Lawrence moved from his home town of Baltimore to New Jersey when he was sixteen where he learned the basics of designing and fabricating jewelry. He apprenticed with Durand and Company (1869-1936), a well-known firm in Newark; the silver firm Howard and Company (c.1866 – c.1922) in New York City; and Jacques and Marcus (c.1882 – 1892), also in New York City. He was interested from the outset in benchwork – learning the fabrication aspect of jewelry – and by 1883 had established his own business in Newark. In 1894, newly married, he moved to New York City where he reestablished the company, eventually opening a jewelry salon at 41 Union Square by 1898 under the name F. Walter Lawrence. The business moved again to 322 Fifth Avenue in 1905 and then to the Harriman Building, 527 Fifth Avenue Room 706 in 1915. His pieces are marked “F.W.L,” “F.W. LAWRENCE,” or “F. WALTER LAWRENCE.” The firm lasted until 1975 under the guidance of family members using the marking, F.W. L Inc. Working with a high-end clientele in NYC, his customers included Mary Harrison (1858-1948), wife of President Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901).

(excerpts from: Janet Zapata, 'The Jewelry and Silver of F. Walter Lawrence,' Magazine Antiques, April 2004)