Renowned for its impeccable craftsmanship, fine gemstones and technically innovative design, Oscar Heyman is one of the most prestigious American jewelry firms. Oscar Heyman, one of nine children, was born in Latvia in 1888. Eventually, he and his older brother Nathan, were sent to apprentice in his great uncle’s jewelry workshop in Kharkov (Ukraine). The shop did work for Fabergé, which led to the brothers being trained in the most skilled jewelry making techniques.
Oscar and Nathan made the trip to New York City in 1906, with their brother, Harry, following a year later. While apprenticing for his uncle, Oscar had learned to work with platinum, a challenging metal that few knew how to use in the early 20th century. Oscar was well trained in using the new high-tech oxyhydrogen torch that made it possible to coax the metal, which has a very high melting point, into jewelry. He quickly found a job working as a bench jeweler with Cartier, the company’s first non-French bench jeweler. Meanwhile, Nathan was working for Western Electric in the tool and die shop. He continued to make tools after leaving Western Electric and Oscar Heyman holds a dozen or so patents for jewelry making.
The Siblings Come to New York
Soon the three brothers decided to open their own shop in 1912 in downtown Manhattan at 47 Maiden Lane as Oscar Heyman & Brothers. That same year the other six Heyman siblings arrived in New York City, with all but one spending their entire careers working in the business.
The company was producing jewelry for all the big-name jewelers of the day including Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Black, Starr & Frost, J.E. Caldwell and Van Cleef & Arpels among others. Today, Oscar Heyman continues to create jewelry for high-end jewelers, but also brands its own collection. The firm was known for its exceptional manufacturing and design skills. Color is at the heart of the company’s aesthetic, which is known for its extraordinary gemstones.
The company has a very extensive archives of about 200,000 sketches which they regularly reference for inspiration and ideas. One core aesthetic is to let gemstones be the star of the piece, with designs showcasing the gem, not competing with it.
Making Its Mark
During the New York 1939 World’s Fair, Oscar Heyman & Brothers skills were notably exhibited in the House of Jewels, where five luxury jewelers displayed their creations. Of those five, Oscar Heyman & Brothers had made jewelry for four of them – Cartier, Marcus & Co, Udall & Ballou and Black, Starr & Frost-Gorham, which led to the company being dubbed “the jewelers jeweler”.
After Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941 leading to the U.S. entering World War II, Oscar Heyman & Brothers contacted General Electric, Eastman Kodak and Bausch & Lomb, offering to modify its factory for wartime use. The firm set aside a section of the factory to make jewelry, which mostly had patriotic themes including American flags and military motifs. The rest of the factory made products needed for the war, such as jeweled bearings for airplane instruments, compasses and watches.
An ability to adapt to the times has helped the firm thrive over the years, marking its one hundredth year in business in 2012. When the jeweler turned 100, it rebranded as Oscar Heyman. It’s commitment to making classic pieces hasn’t wavered in all those years and continues today, with some modifications to original designs, such as the Boolean bracelet, comprised of baguette and round diamonds that was introduced in the 1950s. It was always about the diamonds until about 20 years or so ago, when the bracelet appeared with baguette diamonds paired with round sapphires, rubies or emeralds. The style evolved again as a piece with a variety of colored gemstones for an updated playful variation.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond
One of the more high-profile jewels made by Oscar Heyman was the Taylor-Burton Diamond necklace. It was 1969 when Cartier contacted Oscar Heyman to design and make a necklace for actress Elizabeth Taylor featuring the 68-carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond. As if that wasn’t enough pressure, the necklace needed to be completed in one week, so that Ms. Taylor could wear it to Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40th birthday party. Several sketches were rendered and a design was chosen, that showcased the Taylor-Burton Diamond dangling from a necklace of glittering pear-shaped diamonds. For that week, production on other pieces stopped and all hands in the Oscar Heyman workshop were frantically working on the necklace to get it done on time. The deadline was met and the necklace was delivered to Cartier on time and was then flown directly to Monaco.
With over 100 years in business, Oscar Heyman continues to maintain its standards of excellence by upholding its three core values: Use the best quality gemstones, create the best quality designs that showcase the gems and work with the best artisans to manufacture the pieces in its workshops so that the jewelry is simply the best.
Top of Page: Blue sapphire, yellow sapphire, diamond and 18-karat yellow gold bracelet, signed Oscar Heyman, circa 1940s, accompanied by certificate of authenticity from Oscar Heyman.
Diamond, ruby, platinum and 18-karat gold feather brooch, signed Oscar Heyman, circa 1970s; Diamond, sapphire and platinum ring, signed Oscar Heyman, circa 1960s; Art Deco diamond and platinum bracelet, signed Oscar Heyman, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity; Diamond, sapphire and platinum brooch, signed Oscar Heyman, circa 1950s.
Authored by Amber Michelle