Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Known as “the jewelers’ jeweler,” Oscar Heyman (1888–1970) designed pieces for Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston and Black, Starr & Frost. The family-run Oscar Heyman & Brothers jewelry company was founded by Heyman with his brothers Nathan and Harry in 1912. Jewelers from Latvia, they had trained at their great-uncle’s workshop, which had clients including Russian imperial jeweler Fabergé, before immigrating to the United States in the early 1900s.
After arriving in New York, Oscar worked with Pierre Cartier and Nathan was a tool maker at Western Electric before they came together to open their jewelry business. Highly skilled craftsmen, the Heyman brothers quickly developed a roster of high-profile clients — primarily big-name jewelers — drawn to their work with dazzling stones and meticulous design. In 1917, Black, Starr & Frost commissioned the brothers to design an American flag brooch, which would become a recurring motif in the Oscar Heyman & Brothers portfolio. They also designed the Pansy brooch in the 1930s, another long-popular accessory that was produced exclusively for Tiffany & Co. toward the end of the 20th century. After Heyman designed for four of the five jewelers on view at the 1939 World’s Fair House of Jewels (Cartier, Udall & Ballou, Marcus & Co. and Black, Starr & Frost), the company was given the moniker “the jewelers’ jeweler.”
Heyman & Brothers later designed gem-encrusted medallions that traveled to the moon on Apollo 16, the necklace setting for the 69-carat diamond Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor in 1969 and even a pair of ruby-encrusted Stuart Weitzman stilettos in 2003. Over the years, the company has entranced such clients as Evelyn Lauder, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Billy Porter and Tina Fey with its pieces.
In 2012, the century-old jeweler underwent a rebranding to simplify its name to Oscar Heyman and today is still run by the Heyman family, which manages the whole process from alloying their own metal to cutting and polishing their gemstones to assembling the final product in-house. In 2017, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston published a monograph authored by Yvonne J. Markowitz and Elizabeth Hamilton that details for a broader audience the history of Oscar Heyman, an unsung company that’s long been behind some of the biggest names in jewelry.
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Late 20th Century Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Contemporary Vintage Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, Sapphire, Diamond, White Diamond, Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold,...
1980s Unknown Vintage Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Blue Topaz, Topaz, Peridot, Iolite, Garnet, Diamond, Citrine, Amethyst, ...
Late 20th Century American Artist Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Yellow Sapphire, Turquoise, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Ster...
2010s Turkish Modern Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
1960s American Vintage Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Sterling...
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Ruby...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Art Nouveau Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Sterling...
2010s Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Tsavorite, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Oscar Heyman Lever-Back Earrings
White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold