The Napier Company

The Napier Company got its start in North Attleboro, Massachusetts 1875, under the name Whitney and Rice, manufacturing silver men's watch chains. In 1882, the company became known as Carpenter and Bliss, and shortly thereafter it had become the E. A. Bliss Company. The company relocated to Meriden, Connecticut in 1890, after the company sustained rapid growth in the previous decade. During World War I (and again in World War II), they ceased production of jewelry, and instead focused on producing war-related items, such as medallions and medals.

Following World War I James H. Napier became the president of the company, and it became the Napier Bliss Company, finally taking the name by which it is now known, the Napier Company, in 1922. James Napier attended the 1925 World's Fair Exposition Internationale des Artes Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, and brought back with him many designs and influences from Parisian and European fashion. James Napier led the company from 1920 to 1960. In the 1950s, the Napier Company presented First Lady Mamie Eisenhower with a bracelet bearing an elephant design, which was reputedly one of her favorite pieces of jewelry, and which she wore often, and the Napier Company gifted the contestants of the 1955 Miss America Pageant with fashion jewelry.

In 1980, the company was bought by Victoria & Company. The plant in Meriden, Connecticut was closed by Victoria & Company on 15 October 1999. However, under the umbrella of Jones Apparel Group, Napier jewelry is still being manufactured and distributed.