In the early 20th century four of New York’s top jewelry firms included Cartier, Tiffany’s, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston. Parisian jeweler in the Rue de la Paix, Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904) founded his jewelry firm in 1847. He handed over the management of the company to his son Alfred Cartier in 1874.

In 1898, Alfred’s three sons Louis, Pierre and Jacques joined the family firm, and it became known as Alfred Cartier & filsby. Thanks to his sons, Louis Joseph Cartier (1875 – 1942), Pierre Camille Cartier (1878 – 1964), and Jacques Théodule Cartier (1884 – 1941) the jewelry brand gained worldwide fame.
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Born on March 11, 1949, Sarah Coventry inspired her grandfather Lyman Knight Stuart (1898 – 1964) to name a brand of costume jewelry after her. Lyman Knight Stuart and his first wife Harriet Burt Sanford had three children, the eldest of whom was Margaret Coventry Stuart (1924 – 2012), mother of Sarah Coventry.

By this time, Lyman Knight Stuart was managing C. H. Stuart & Co founded by his father Charles Henry Stuart (1868 – 1950). C. H. Stuart & Co was a door-to-door sales company in Newark, N.Y. The company sold a variety of products, from cosmetics and cologne to China. In 1948 they established a subsidiary company Emmons Jewelers, that operated on the same principle, door-to-door sales.
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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.
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Traditionally, all renowned fashion houses, along with clothing collections, create their own perfumes, accessories, and jewelry, albeit in limited quantities. Adele Simpson (1903-1995), the founder and designer of the fashion house on Fifth Avenue in New York City, was no exception. While creating her clothing collections, Adele also designed accessories and jewelry to complement them.

Many-awarded fashion designer, Adele Simpson collaborated with renowned jewelry firms to produce her jewelry. Among them, for example, were “Schreiner of New York” and Schlumberger. They made costume jewelry on Adele Simpson’s designs using sterling silver, gold finish, faceted crystals, multi-color rhinestones and faux pearls.
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The history of the Emmons costume jewelry chain firm began in 1948 in Newark of the New York metropolitan area. The founders and incorporators of Emmons Jewelers, division of C.H. Stuart & Co., were Charles Henry Stuart (1868 – 1950) and his son Lyman Knight Stuart (1898 – 1964).

It’s worth noting that Charles Stuart had a business he ran for many years—C. H. Stuart, a door-to-door sales company in Newark, N.Y. The company sold a variety of products, from cosmetics and cologne to household items and other small items. Thus, the Stuarts, father and son, already had extensive practical business experience, and applied door-to-door sales experience to their jewelry business.
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The history of the renowned New York costume jewelry brand Réja began in May 1929. The company was originally known as Déja. Its founders were Solomon Finkelstein (1909 – 1989) and his brother Arthur Finkelstein, both natives of Brooklyn, New York City. In January 1941, the firm announced it was changing its name from Déja to Réja Inc.

Noteworthy, before rebranding their company, Réja Inc., 377 Fifth Avenue, New York, launched several costume jewelry brands. Among them were “D’or”, “Pinch Pin”, “Rose Opal”, “Artistry by Réja”, and “Réja”.
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Established in 1942, Fashioncraft Jewelry Co., Inc., 20 W 36th Street, New York City, was a manufacturer of costume jewelry and novelties. The company was the result of a partnership between Robert Levy, David Jaffe, and Irving Landsman. True to its name, Fashioncraft created fashionable trends in jewelry design under the brand name Robert Originals, Originals by Robert, or simply Robért.

Robert Levy, the main designer, was primarily an artist who painted in oils and watercolors. That is why the logo of the firm, Original by Robert, was shaped like an artist’s palette. This allowed him to infuse his knowledge of color into jewelry combinations.
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