The biography of the iconic designer of the first half of the 20th century, Hattie Carnegie (1886 – 1956) is well known. Briefly, Hattie Carnegie (Henrietta Kanengeiser) was born in Vienna in 1886. Her family emigrated to the United States at the turn of the century. She rose from poverty to become the owner of a multimillion-dollar fortune and a fashion icon for half a century.

Hattie was as popular in the United States as Coco Chanel was in France. She released her first collection of costume jewelry in 1939, although she had been producing accessories for her clothing collections since 1918. Some of her jewelry, such as hat pins, even appeared on the pages of Vogue magazine in 1927.
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The history of the company, which produced men’s jewelry—buckles, cufflinks, tie clips, and other accessories—began in 1909. Its founder was Stephen Rae Hickok (1885–1945), who purchased a small jewelry business in Rochester, New York.

In May 1917, the Hickok Mfg. Company was incorporated with a capital stock of $150,000. Its founders were S. Ray Hickok, his wife, Harrye Justine Hickok, and Lowell W Shields, all of Rochester, New York. Stephen Rae Hickok, president of the corporation, led it for many years until his death in 1945.

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The history of exquisite costume jewelry under the Valjean brand began in 1944 and spanned nearly three decades. The founders of the Valjean Pearl Corporation were copartners Louis Rabinowitz and Sam Shemler. Notably, each of them had decades of experience in the jewelry business, including pearls.

Sam Shemler (1906 – 1981) headed the Valjean Pearl Corporation as president until his retirement in 1967. According to the New York Business Directory, in 1953, Valjean employed 63 people, 18 men and 45 women. Originally located at 881 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, in 1952 Valjean moved to 20 West 37th Street, and in 1961 to 389 Fifth Avenue, New York.
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