Jacob Mehrlust (1877 – 1960) was a prominent manufacturer of fine jewelry, active in the namesake firm from 1900 until his death in 1960. Almost forgotten today, he was a trendsetter in jewelry design of the first half of the 20th century.

The Main Office and Factory of J Mehrlust firm was on 6 West 48th Street, and Downtown Office – 15 Maiden Lane, New York City. Notably, Jacob Mehrlust designed much of the beautiful diamond jewelry presented to Miss Alice Roosevelt, daughter of president Roosevelt, as wedding gifts. He also designed several pieces presented to Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.
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The founder of the Delmas jewelry brand was renowned jeweler and watchmaker Peter Delmas (1903–1991). The first mention of the Delmas jewelry firm dates back to August 1949. In particular, the JCK note mentioned their new office located in the Phelan Building at 700 Market Street in San Francisco, California.

According to National Jeweler magazine (1957), Leonard Delmas (1929–2015), the founder’s son was his partner. He actively helped expand the family business by undertaking large-scale projects at Delmas & Delmas. In November 1960, Delmas & Delmas, designers and merchants of fine jewelry, opened the new store at 182 Geary Street in San Francisco.
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Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Carl D. Lindstrom (1897 – 1971) moved to Pasadena, California, with his wife, Viola, and son, Hollis D Lindstrom, in 1922. Lindstrom began his career in the jewelry business as a diamond broker, importer, and jewelry manufacturer. He began with M. Weinstein, 220 West Fifth Street, and later made his headquarters with Miller & Co., 501 Title Guarantee building, Los Angeles.

Lindstrom founded his company Carl D. Lindstrom in the early 1930s in Los Angeles. In 1936, he renamed the firm to Carl D Lindstrom & Sons, Inc., and was chairman of his firm until his death in January 1971. His sons, Hollis, Carl Jr. and Jack Lindstrom joined their father’s company, where they held management positions.
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Unjustly forgotten today, John Arthur Hull (11 December 1877–3 March 1960) was once a renowned jewelry designer. Remarkably, his private clients included some of the nation’s wealthiest families. Born to James Franklin Hull and Mary Caroline Cooley in Westchester, New York, John Arthur Hull created jewelry for 60 years.

Beginning his career in the jewelry business at a young age at Tiffany & Co., he later became vice president of Dreicer & Co. and Cartier in New York. John Hull opened his jewelry store on Arlington Street in New York City in 1920, and on 565 Fifth Avenue in 1925.
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This jeweler’s name is forgotten today, and at the turn of the 20th century, Hiram Howard was known as the president of the Howard Sterling Co. However, his career in jewelry began long before the founding of this company. The son of Warner and Mary Taft Howard, Hiram Howard was born in West Woodstock, Connecticut, on November 26, 1840.

After completing his schooling in Massachusetts, he began his business career at the age of 18. He moved to Providence, where he began studying jewelry making. Having mastered the craft and after several years of working at a workbench, he moved to the commercial side of the business.
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Thanks to him, elegant American women in the mid-20th century wore authentic regimental awards as jewelry. William R. Agnew, who served in the U.S. Army, was wandering through a Paris flea market one day in 1945, looking for an unusual gift for his fiancée. He found a Napoleonic belt buckle that she might appreciate as jewelry.

She was so delighted that Agnew decided that American women might also appreciate military trinkets. He ended up buying about 80 kilograms of military items, including uniform buttons, buckles, shoulder insignia, and the like, which he sent home and transformed into earrings, pins, bracelets, clips, and belt buckles.
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Well known diamond importer and manufacturer of diamond jewelry, David Sarkin (1905 – 1987) left Russia for the United States at a young age. After settling in Brooklyn, he opened a small store at 589 Sutter Avenue in 1925. Noteworthy, his name first appeared in the press in September 1929, when four gangsters robbed his store.

In 1944, David Sarkin company became a corporation. The firm produced men’s and women’s rings with stones, wedding bands, mountings, men’s and ladies’ stone rings, and diamond jewelry. The corporation became one of the pioneers in popularizing palladium in jewelry.
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