January 2026 - Page 2 of 3

Harry C Schick Jewelry Company History

18.01.202620.06.2026

New Jersey resident, Harry Clifford Schick (1894-1937) began his career in the jewelry business as secretary and treasurer of C Lemaitre & Co. Located at 105 Chestnut Street in Newark, New Jersey, Lemaitre was a well-known manufacturer of chains and jewelry fittings.

Harry Schick sold his interest in Lemaitre in 1919, and in partnership with James Wordley, also New Jersey resident, founded the Schick Company. Initially, they hired one employee, doing most of the work themselves, and the entire business was located in a small attic space, just large enough for an office desk and a few small machines.
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Barnett Robinson Jewelry Company History

17.01.202608.09.2026

Born in New York City in 1897, Barnett Robinson entered the jewelry business in 1918. He partnered with William L. Meissel to found Robinson & Meissel, importing and cutting precious stones at 65 Nassau Street. However, in 1922, Barnett Robinson dissolved the partnership and took over the company under his own name at 15 Maiden Lane.

In May 1923, his company moved from 15 Maiden Lane to larger premises at 542 Fifth Ave. Significant changes occurred in April 1927, when Barnett Robinson and Aaron Sverdlik, who also had a firm on Fifth Avenue, formed a new partnership called Robinson & Sverdlik, Inc.
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Royal Craftsmen Jewelry Company History

16.01.202620.04.2026

The history of the jewelry company with the prestigious name Royal Craftsmen, better known by the Laguna brand, began in the 1920s. Its founder was Louis Detkin (1900 – 1987), a Brooklyn resident who began his career in the jewelry business as a partner in the Standard Bead Co, 104 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia.

After dissolving the partnership with Harry Zigelbaum in 1926, Louis Detkin soon founded the Royal Bead and Novelty Company of New York. Louis and his wife, Lillian, raised two sons, Paul Gerald Detkin (1925 – 2020) and Gilbert Guy Detkin (1927 – 1978).
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Felco Cultured Pearls by Jack Felsenfeld

15.01.2026

At the beginning of the last century, the name Jack J. Felsenfeld (1890 – 1982), a leading expert in cultured pearls, was known not only in New York but throughout the country. Famous pearl authority, Jack Felsenfeld was an importer and manufacturer of cultured pearl jewelry, operating under the Felco brand.

“Felco” consists of the first three letters of the founder’s last name plus an abbreviation of the word “company.” Opening his business at 15 Maiden Lane, New York City, in 1917, Felsenfeld partnered with renowned engraver Herbert M. Kohn. The company’s operations began during World War I, when wounded soldiers were returning from the front.
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American Jewelry Designer Guglielmo Cini

13.01.2026

The life of young Italian jeweler Guglielmo Cini (1903 – 1979) who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1920, moved quickly. By 1922, he had married and opened a jewelry firm under his own name.

When Guglielmo Cini and Suzette Giles Callahan married in 1922, he was 19 and she was 17. They had four daughters and a son. However, after twenty years of marriage, in 1942, Boston newspapers reported on the couple’s scandalous divorce. They accused Guglielmo of extreme cruelty and failing to provide suitable support for his wife.
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Ralph De Rosa Jewelry Company

10.01.202610.01.2026

Italian-born American jewelry designer Ralph DeRosa (1885–1942) made a significant contribution to the development of jewelry art in the US. After graduating from the Naples School of Design and Art, 20-year-old Ralph moved to New York City. There he began working in the jewelry industry, honing his skills as an artist, designer, and jeweler.

When DeRosa founded Ralph De Rosa Co at 404 Fourth Avenue in New York City in 1934, his name already had a strong reputation in the industry. Indeed, over nearly 30 years as an independent jeweler, DeRosa created exquisite pieces for many jewelry houses.
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Gerlou Fifth Avenue Costume Jewelry

08.01.202624.02.2026

The history of the Gerlou company began in 1933, when Brooklyn based brothers George W Cowen and Laurence L Cowen opened their store. Initially, it was a high-end hat and accessories store called Gerlou Hats, located at 2159 Broadway in Manhattan, New York. The name Gerlou is fictitious and echoes the beginning of the names of its founders, George and Laurence.

Gerlou began regularly placing recruiting ads in the New York Times, offering favorable conditions and high salaries. Preference was given primarily to experienced salespeople of hats, accessories, and jewelry. The following year, Gerlou’s retail store expanded its selection, focusing on purchasing and selling original jewelry.
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Jewelry ID

Month: January 2026