Month: April 2026

New York Retail Jeweler Henry Lewkowitz

New York Retail Jeweler Henry Lewkowitz
Love birds, 18 K gold, diamonds, rubies, turquoise, sapphire, 1963, New York Retail Jeweler Henry Lewkowitz

Russian-born Henry Lewkowitz (1872 – 1919) arrived in New York in 1888, when he was 16 years old. He later listed 1888 as the year of the establishment of his jewelry business. In fact, he began working as an apprentice in watch and jewelry repair shops in 1888.

In 1892, he opened his own watch repair shop at 106 Eldridge Street, in New York’s Lower East Side. After nearly twenty years of running the shop, he accumulated the necessary capital to open a jewelry boutique at 294 Grand Street in 1911.
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Brown & Mills Jewelry Company History

Brown & Mills Jewelry Company History
Heavy sterling silver jewelry set with genuine stones, February 1910. Brown & Mills Jewelry Company History

In July 1902, W. Hunter Brown (1849 – 1917) and Frederick James Mills (1861 – 1937) entered into a co-partnership for the purpose of manufacturing jewelry. Initially, their firm Brown & Mills was established at 409 Pine Street, Providence, Rhode Island.

Both partners had many years of experience in the jewelry business in Providence. Providence native, W. Hunter Brown, for example, had worked for several different firms in various positions since graduating from public schools. Thus, before founding Brown & Mills, he worked for J. A. Deknatel & Son, of New York.
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Miriam Haskell Vintage Jewelry Ads

Miriam Haskell Vintage Jewelry Ads
Treasured Fashion Jewelry collection, November 1961 Miriam Haskell Vintage Jewelry Ads

Miriam Haskell (1899–1981) was an iconic American jewelry stylist, interior decorator, and art collector. It is also a world-renowned brand of high-end costume jewelry. There’s probably not a single reference book on costume jewelry or encyclopedia of 20th-century fashion that doesn’t include information about Miriam Haskell.

For many years, she collaborated with jewelry designer Frank Hess (1889–1973). He created the Miriam Haskell brand’s signature style, in which each piece reflects the designer’s skill. Each piece is intricately composed, and every detail is meticulously crafted. Although Haskell jewelry’s history began in 1926, it achieved immense popularity in the 1940s, thanks to widespread advertising.
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Prominent Chicago Jeweler Paul Lackritz

Prominent Chicago Jeweler Paul Lackritz
Intriguing Catseyes necklace and ring, Vogue October 1943 ad. Prominent Chicago Jeweler Paul Lackritz

Paul Nettler Lackritz (1872 – 1941), a prominent and successful jeweler of Chicago, left Russia for the United States in 1892. He settled in Chicago, and for six years he worked at the bench. In 1898 he opened Lackritz Jewelers firm on Milwaukee Avenue, and quickly established himself as a skilled jeweller.

Paul Lackritz impressed with his well-timed and witty remarks. At one of the 24 Karat Club meetings, where he was president, he declared that his destiny was to make humanity happy. “The jeweler creates an engagement ring that inextricably binds hearts, and a baby ring that elevates a symbol of love to the brink of marital bliss”.
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Waite-Evans Jewelry Company History

Manufacturers of fine gold filled sterling and gold jewelry,established 1860, June 1948. Waite-Evans Jewelry Company History
Manufacturers of fine gold filled sterling and gold jewelry, Established 1860, June 1948 ad. Waite-Evans Jewelry Company History

Located at 95 Chestnut Street, Waite-Evans jewelry company, was one of the oldest firms in the industry in Providence. Its history dates back to 1865, when Daniel B. Waite (1828-1886) and Peter C. Smith founded Waite, Smith Co.

The firm consisted of Daniel B Waite, his son William H Waite, Mathewson, and Peter C Smith and was located at 61 Peck Street. Daniel Waite’s son, Charles Daniel Waite (1853-1922), joined his father’s firm after graduating from high school to learn the trade. Peter C Smith died on March 22, 1880. Daniel B Waite succeeded to the business with Mathewson, and the firm became Waite Mathewson & Co.
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Jewelry Designer Johanna Van Ryn

Jewelry Designer Johanna Van Ryn
Modernist sterling silver set of necklace and screw back earrings. Jewelry Designer Johanna Van Ryn

Born in North Holland, Netherlands, to B F Van Rijn and Hermina Petersen, Johanna van Ryn (1915-1984) was a renowned New York designer in the mid-1940s. She worked for A. J. Van Dugteren & Sons Inc., New York, whose boutique had a full collection of jewelry bearing the Johanna van Ryn label. The firm registered the rights to the Johanna van Ryn brand in March 1945.

However, by 1946, her original modernist and avant-garde jewelry, primarily sets of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, had appeared in other top New York boutiques. Among them was Wexford Antiques Gifts, 846 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y.
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Bal-Ron Jewelry Company History

Bal-Ron Jewelry Company History
Heart and arrow faux pearl 12 K gold filled pin. Bal-Ron Jewelry Company History

The history of the Bal-Ron jewelry manufacturing company began in 1944 in Providence, Rhode Island. Its name consists of the first three letters of the last names of its two founders. They were Harry Ballon (1888 – 1968) and Frank C Ronci (1921 – 1981). While Frank Ronci was a budding jeweler, Harry Ballon had ran his own jewelry company, The Harry Ballon Co, for over 25 years.

Established by Harry Ballon before 1920, The Harry Ballon Co, were engravers firm located at 246 Eddy Street, Providence. In 1922, when Max Bolotin acquired an interest, the firm changed its name to Harry Ballon & Co, and moved to 26 Custom House Street.
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