Albert Weiss Jewelry Company History
Born in 1907 in Massachusetts, Albert Weiss grew up in New York City. While studying accounting during the day in college, he worked part-time at a bank. He probably would have remained a clerk if not for his innate love of art, fashion, and ambition to earn more.
Aged twenty, Albert Weiss began his career at Cohn & Rosenberger, 47 West 34th Street, New York. The advantage of this company was that it provided free training in jewelry making to beginners. It was there that Weiss realized that jewelry making was his calling.
Work at Coro
Starting as an apprentice, thanks to his responsibility and hard work, he soon became the head of the Coro pearl department. Coro had a representative in Japan, from where they imported pearls. A position for Coro’s representative in Japan soon became vacant, and Albert was hoping to get this place. However, to Albert Weiss’s great disappointment, the company’s managers were unable to entrust this vacancy to a young specialist.
Marvella Pearls and Grad & Schrager
Nevertheless, 12 years of work at the renowned jewelry house gave Weiss invaluable experience in everything from business management to jewelry creation. Albert Weiss left Coro and was immediately hired by Marvella Inc. (a.k.a. Marvella Pearls), where he soon assumed a management position. Albert Weiss’s next company, where he also held a management position, was Grad & Schrager, Inc., New York.
Family of Albert Weiss
Meanwhile, by 1940, Albert Weiss already had a family—his wife, Ruth (1916–1986), and in 1941, their eldest son, Michael, was born, followed by Daniel (1944). Clearly, the time had come for the 36-year-old patriarch and experienced jeweler to start his own business.
Trademarks
According to the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Weiss founded Albert Weiss & Co in 1943. The company’s first trademark was AWCo, an abbreviation of the company name in stylized letters.
Then, in January 1947, they used the Weissco brand, and finally, in 1951, the company created jewelry under the full name Albert Weiss.
The last trademark for belt production was Offzehip, registered in 1971, the year the company closed.
Nationally advertised company
Since 1952, Weiss jewelry ads have been a constant presence in fashion magazines and newspapers. Many fashion designers have used Albert Weiss jewelry in fashion shows and photo shoots. The success was astounding. Today, this advertisement provides information about the jewelry lines, designs, and materials used in the creation of Albert Weiss jewelry.
Weiss himself was a friendly and sociable person who made people feel welcome. Notable, in 1946 Albert Weiss & Co was among the first members of the 52 Club Members of the jewelry industry from the New York area. Since its founding in February 1945 in New York City, the “52 Club” aimed to help veterans and those disabled from World War II. Initially consisting of 52 companies, within a year it had more than 1,500 members.
Albert Weiss’s eldest son, Michael, took over the business in the late 1960s, but was not as successful as his father. For numerous reasons, including a decline in interest in costume jewelry that began in 1970, the company went bankrupt in 1971. After nearly three decades of successful operation, Albert’s firm ceased to exist.
