Seaman Schepps Jewelry
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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Seaman Schepps Jewelry
18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Retro Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Artist Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
1960s American Native American Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Greek Revival Seaman Schepps Jewelry
1830s English Georgian Antique Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
2010s Italian Retro Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Garnet, Pearl, Ruby, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
20th Century American Modern Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
1950s Modern Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Opal, Onyx, Multi-gemstone, Jade, White Diamond...
2010s American Contemporary Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Silver, Sterling Si...
Mid-20th Century American Retro Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold
1920s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Turquoise, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
1930s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Multi-gemstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Artist Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
1990s American Artist Seaman Schepps Jewelry
18k Gold
1980s American Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Coral, 18k Gold
1980s American Vintage Seaman Schepps Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Topaz, 18k Gold