Seaman Schepps Amber
20th Century American Link Bracelets
Amber, Gold
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Amber, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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Vintage 1980s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Link Bracelets
18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Blazers
Vintage 1980s French Dome Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique 1890s Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1990s French Link Necklaces
Diamond, Malachite, Pearl, Quartz, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s French Band Rings
Coral, Onyx, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Dress and Coat Ensembles
20th Century Greek More Rings
22k Gold
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Bangles
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Australian Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Diamond, Jade, Natural Pearl, Platinum, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Contemporary Dome Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century More Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American More Earrings
Amber, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Amber, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Amber, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Link Bracelets
Amber, Gold
Early 2000s American Link Bracelets
Amber, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Link Bracelets
Amber, Gold
20th Century American Retro Clip-on Earrings
Amber, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Brooches
Amber, Citrine, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American More Necklaces
Amber, Citrine, Pearl, Gold
20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
Amber, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Beaded Necklaces
Multi-gemstone, 18k Gold
Seaman Schepps for sale on 1stDibs
A scrappy, self-made artist who transformed turbo shells into decadent earrings and crystal chessmen into bold bracelets, Seaman Schepps (1881–1972) tirelessly worked his way up from the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side to become “America’s Court Jeweler.”
Born to immigrant parents who named him for the Seamen’s Bank for Savings that his mother could see from the hospital — or so the legend goes — Schepps dropped out of school at the age of 14 and never had any formal jewelry training. He later moved to California, where he opened his first jewelry shop in 1904. In 1921, he returned to New York to build on the success he’d begun to enjoy as a jeweler on the West Coast, but it wasn’t long before his Manhattan house, which counted Broadway stars and theater patrons among its clientele, was hit hard by the stock market crash of 1929. Schepps used this disruption to rethink his approach to jewelry, debuting a new store in 1934 on Madison Avenue, where he would make his mark in playful custom adornments.
While many high-end jewelers of his era focused on the purest and most valuable gemstones, Schepps chose his materials for their color and shape, elevating flawed stones others disregarded in collage-like formations involving unconventional materials such as fine wood, coral, seashells and flea-market finds. Passersby of his New York City shop could find a frog-shaped brooch carved from rosewood, a vintage snuff bottle broken into links for a bracelet and loose-drilled pearls plugged with diamonds. Schepps’s whimsical pieces found fans in fashion icons who appreciated his unique statements, including Doris Duke, Andy Warhol and the Duchess of Windsor.
Following Schepps’s death in 1972, his daughter, jewelry designer Patricia S. Vaill, ran the jewelry house for two decades before it was taken over by Jay Bauer and Anthony Hopenhajm of Trianon jewelry. Following the closure of the company’s Park Avenue store in November 2020, sales for Seaman Schepps is now based in its boutique location out of Palm Beach, Florida, where the legendary brand carries forth its founder’s spirited designs.
On 1stDibs, find a distinctive collection of vintage Seaman Schepps jewelry, including brooches, bracelets and other accessories.