In October 2024, one of the oldest jewellery companies, Juergens & Andersen, celebrated its 170th anniversary. More than ten generations of jewellers make up the history of the Juergens family. The chain was started by Paul Juergens’ great-great-grandfather, who was born in 1700 and ran a jewellery shop in Norway.

His descendants, gold and silversmiths Paul August Juergens and his son, Paul, 18, came to New York from Oldenburg, Denmark, in 1850. Four years later, Frederick William Juergens, their dad and grandad, with the rest of the Juergens family moved to Chicago.

There, in 1854, in a small space at 77 Lake Street, Chicago, Paul August Juergens opened the first Juergens jewelry business in the United States, under the firm name of Juergens & Son.

Sebastian Andersen

Born in Tondon, Denmark, Sebastian Andersen received his training in Germany. He came to Chicago in 1857, married Paul Juergens’ sister, and joined the firm. In 1857 the co-partnership of Juergens & Andersen was formed. Later, the shop moved to 117 Lake Street.

The great Chicago fire in 1871 almost swept them away and cost the company about $27,000. At the site of the fire, gold, remains of jewelry, watches and silverware, stored in a safe, were found. Sebastian Andersen transported all this to New York, where he sold it for $12,000.

Fortunately, the diamonds, stored in a strong iron box, were practically unharmed, allowing the business to resume operations.

In the same year of 1871, the elder Juergens died, and the company continued its activities under the leadership of Paul August and remained so until his death in 1906.

Incorporated in 1892 Juergens & Andersen

In 1892, Juergens & Andersen became a corporation under the name Juergens & Andersen Co. Sebastian Andersen was elected president, but he died in February 1894. Paul Juergens, who had been treasurer, became president, and remained so until his death in 1906. William G Andersen, Sebastian Andersen’s son, became vice president. William F Juergens, the president’s son, became treasurer, and J. C. Hirth became secretary.

In 1897, the company moved to 192 State Street, where 121 people worked in various departments. A younger son of Paul Juergens, H Paul Juergens, became president of the company in 1947. His son, Richard, represented the seventh generation of the famous Juergens family of jewellers.

William G. Andersen died on September 11, 1919, and William F. Jurgens, H. Paul Jurgens, and William Jurgens, Jr., ran the company since 1921. According to the Jeweler’s Circular, 1933, Walter Rinn was president, Robert Stenson and H. Paul Juergens – vice-presidents, Paul Reitz – treasurer, and Richard Kannaly – secretary.

A seventh-generation jeweler, H. Paul Juergens

Called the “grand old man” of jewelry in the West, Paul Juergens was widely known and respected by the leading figures in the jewelry business. He was the third person to be certified as a gemologist, an honor he received in September 1935.

As president, he chaired the Central Division of the American Gem Society. He served as chairman of the jewelers’ committee that hosted the AGS members at the first Conclave in Chicago in 1937. A member of the Jewelers Board of Trade, Past President of the Chicago Jewelers Association, he was at one time Chairman of the Chicago Manufacturing Jewelers Association. H. Paul Juergens retired as chairman of GIA Board in 1952.

Add-A-Pearl

J & A was one of the largest American importers of genuine Gulf pearls. This was due to their Add-A-Pearl necklace program, for which they were the sole manufacturer and distributor. Under this program, the company had approximately 1,500 authorized dealers, importing more than a quarter of a million natural pearls annually.

Antique Fine Jewelry by Juergens & Andersen, vintage ads:

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