Seaman Schepps Chessman Gold Brooch
View Similar Items
Seaman Schepps Chessman Gold Brooch
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:Gold,18k Gold,Yellow Gold
- Stone:Emerald,Rock Crystal,Blue Sapphire,Yellow Sapphire
- Stone Cut:Cabochon
- Weight:45.4 g
- Dimensions:Height: 2.63 in (66.81 mm)Width: 1.63 in (41.41 mm)
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1960-1969
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Litchfield, CT
- Reference Number:Seller: 201471stDibs: LU2303941413
Seaman Schepps
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.
- Charming Cherries and Gold BroochLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1920s, 18k, Swiss. This charming brooch features agate cherries with handmade 18K gold leaves, stems and branch. The look is vintage chic at i...Category
Vintage 1920s Swiss Brooches
MaterialsAgate, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tessier London Enamel on Gold Rooster BroochBy TessierLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1969, 18k, by Tessier, London. This charming Chanticleer pin is beautifully figured, well-sized, and finely fabricated. Set with a ruby eye and accented with bright red enamel...Category
Vintage 1960s British Brooches
MaterialsGold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
- Swiss Modern Sixties Turquoise and Gold BroochLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1960s, 18k, Swiss. This brooch is Swiss Modern chic at its sixties brutalist best! The organic, dimensional landscape is set with turquoise for a Gala meets the Met look. Perfe...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Modernist Brooches
MaterialsTurquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Magnificent Pearl and Diamond Set Gold Flower BroochLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1960s, 18k, French. This stunning jeweled flower is exquisite! Its compelling look is the result of sublime design work underscored by meticulous fabrication. The nuanced yello...Category
Vintage 1960s French Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Mikimoto Sixties Mod Pearl-Set Gold BroochBy MikimotoLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1960s, 14k, by Mikimoto, Japan. A sublime example of Mikimoto jewelry, this elegant Sixties pop art brooch is set with perfectly matched Akoya pe...Category
Vintage 1960s Japanese Brooches
MaterialsPearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Hermes 18k Gold Buckle Brooch and Matching Leather ClutchBy HermèsLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1975, 18k, by Hermes, France. This spectacular Hermes handbag is decorated with a removable 18k yellow gold buckle brooch. Clutch and pin together or buckle pin worn separate...Category
Vintage 1970s French Brooches
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Seaman Schepps Clematis Rock Crystal Flower BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in New York, NYSeaman Schepps Clematis flower brooch in 18kt yellow gold with hand-carved rock crystal with mother of pearl underneath, sapphires, cultured pearls, diamonds and emeralds.Category
Late 20th Century Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Emerald, Cultured Pearl, Rock Crystal, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold,...
- Seaman Schepps Emerald Ruby Diamond BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in New York, NYA Seaman Schepps floral brooch in 18kt yellow gold with cabochon emerald, sapphires and rubies, highlighted with diamonds. Made in the United States, circa 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s American Brooches
MaterialsWhite Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
- Seaman Schepps Diamond, Crystal BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in New York, NYAn exquisite brooch by Seam Schepps, crafted as a carved crystal with brilliant diamond accents mounted in 18k white gold, signed Seaman Schepps. Appr...Category
Vintage 1980s American Brooches
MaterialsCrystal, Diamond, 18k Gold
- c.1950s SEAMAN SCHEPPS Yellow Gold Pin BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in Beverly Hills, CARare and special brooch created by Seaman Schepps in the 1950s. Inspired by Asian motifs. It is 2.25" high and 2" wide.Category
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
MaterialsYellow Gold, 14k Gold
- Seaman Schepps Pearl Diamond BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in New York, NYSeaman Schepps brooch; marked Seaman Schepps Three baroque south sea pearls, round-cut diamonds of approximately 6 carats, platinum Dimensions:...Category
20th Century Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, Platinum
- Seaman Schepps Aquamarine, Diamond BroochBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in New York, NYSeaman Schepps aquamarine, diamond and" synthetic ruby" brooch in platinum and base metal. Circa 1945. The brooch features rectangluar step cut aqua...Category
Mid-20th Century American Retro Brooches
MaterialsAquamarine, Diamond, Platinum