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Oscar Heyman’s Flag Brooch Celebrates America
The American jewelry house, founded by Latvian immigrants, has been creating American flag brooches since 1917.
The Fourth of July is an extra special one this year as America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In honor of this milestone, we’re celebrating with a Piece of the Week from Oscar Heyman’s Americana jewels, an American flag brooch.
The brooch depicts a flag cascading on a flagpole in platinum with 36 square-cut rubies and 27 round-cut diamonds as the stripes and eight square-cut sapphires as the blue background for the stars.
“As an American jewelry house, we are proud to produce patriotic jewelry,” said Tom Heyman, president of Oscar Heyman, which has been creating its American flag brooches since 1917.
The family-owned jeweler has been around for more than a century, and its story is similar to many who call the United States home.
It began with brothers Oscar and Nathan Heyman in Latvia. In 1901, the brothers, ages 13 and 16, went to apprentice at a Fabergé workshop in Kharkov, Ukraine.
Tom said the brothers excelled in the trade but, in 1905, Nathan, the eldest son, was drafted into the Russian army. This led to Nathan and Oscar, who was the second-eldest boy, immigrating to the U.S. to avoid conscription.
By 1906, the brothers were in the U.S., where they immediately got back to work using their jewelry-making skills, including working in platinum, which was growing in popularity by the late 19th century.
Oscar began working as a jeweler for Cartier as the first non-French jeweler employed by the brand and Nathan worked in a tool-and-die shop for Western Electric, said the company.
By 1912, the Heyman family had all immigrated to the U.S.
This is when Harry, Tom’s grandfather, partnered with Oscar and Nathan to found the company that was known as Oscar Heyman & Brothers at the time.
Eight of the nine siblings began working together, excluding the eldest daughter who was already married.
The first Oscar Heyman brooch was crafted in 1917, around the time the U.S. entered World War I, for the retailer Black, Starr & Forest to auction in support of the war effort.
Today, the jeweler continues to create its American flag brooches and that first version is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Our Piece of the Week American flag brooch retails for $24,000.
Oscar Heyman’s jewels can be seen on its website.
Related stories will be right here …
In honor of this milestone, we’re celebrating with a Piece of the Week from Oscar Heyman’s Americana jewels, an American flag brooch.
The brooch depicts a flag cascading on a flagpole in platinum with 36 square-cut rubies and 27 round-cut diamonds as the stripes and eight square-cut sapphires as the blue background for the stars.
“As an American jewelry house, we are proud to produce patriotic jewelry,” said Tom Heyman, president of Oscar Heyman, which has been creating its American flag brooches since 1917.
The family-owned jeweler has been around for more than a century, and its story is similar to many who call the United States home.
It began with brothers Oscar and Nathan Heyman in Latvia. In 1901, the brothers, ages 13 and 16, went to apprentice at a Fabergé workshop in Kharkov, Ukraine.
Tom said the brothers excelled in the trade but, in 1905, Nathan, the eldest son, was drafted into the Russian army. This led to Nathan and Oscar, who was the second-eldest boy, immigrating to the U.S. to avoid conscription.
By 1906, the brothers were in the U.S., where they immediately got back to work using their jewelry-making skills, including working in platinum, which was growing in popularity by the late 19th century.
Oscar began working as a jeweler for Cartier as the first non-French jeweler employed by the brand and Nathan worked in a tool-and-die shop for Western Electric, said the company.
By 1912, the Heyman family had all immigrated to the U.S.
This is when Harry, Tom’s grandfather, partnered with Oscar and Nathan to found the company that was known as Oscar Heyman & Brothers at the time.
Eight of the nine siblings began working together, excluding the eldest daughter who was already married.
The first Oscar Heyman brooch was crafted in 1917, around the time the U.S. entered World War I, for the retailer Black, Starr & Forest to auction in support of the war effort.
Today, the jeweler continues to create its American flag brooches and that first version is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Our Piece of the Week American flag brooch retails for $24,000.
Oscar Heyman’s jewels can be seen on its website.
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