Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
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.
19th Century American Retro Antique Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Emerald, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Enamel
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Belle Époque Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Garnet, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, Topaz, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
20th Century Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Pearl, Spinel, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Greek Revival Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
2010s American Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Carnelian, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Cultured Pearl,...
Late 20th Century American Modernist Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Crystal, Silver Plate
Early 2000s Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Retro Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Sapphire, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Seaman Schepps Drop Necklaces
Gold Plate
