Orivit A.G.
Cologne-Ehrenfeld & Braunfels. Rhine Province or Rhenish Prussia, Prussia (now North Rhine-Westphalia)
Silberschmied / Silversmiths
The company was founded in 1894, as "Rheinische Broncegiesserei für Kleinplastiken " in Köln-Ehrenfeld by Wilhelm Ferdinand Hubert Schmitz (b.1863 - d.1939).
From 1896 they started making luxury items in a new alloy,"Orivit Metal", consisting of 89.85% pewter 7.9 % antimony 1.9 % copper and 0.12 % silver.
In 1900 the factory changed its name to "Orivit A.G. fur Kunsthandwerkliche Metalwarenfabrikation" and in 1901/02 a new factory was built in Cöln- Braunfels,
complete with a revolutionary new Huber Presverfahren hydraulic press, capable of producing 3650 kiloponds per square centimetre.
Finding itself in financial difficulties, Orovit A.G was purchased in 1905 by Württembergische MetallwarenFabrik.
In 1906 Orivit A.G. acquired Orion and 60 of their designs were carried over into the Orivit range. W/MF marks were used from 1907,
although Orivit marks were still visible in the old moulds.The designers were Carl Sigmund Luber Hermann Gradl (1883-1964),
Georg Grasegger, Walter Scherf (1875- 1909), Victor Heinrich Seifert, Johann Cristian Kroner (1838-1911), Georges Charles Couldray and Theo Blum.
The German spelling for Cologne, varied over the years. So in 1900 the Prussian Minister for Interior Affairs, issued an edict that the correct spelling for Cologne was Cöln. However, on the 1st February 1919, the mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, stated the official name was again Köln. Probably most people continued to use the spelling they preferred.
References: Orivit Senses-Artnouveau Zanida Silver Collection Wikipedia
