CollectionsJun 26, 2026
Strength Is Sharpened Into Beauty in Kris Averi’s ‘Prism Thorn’ RingTrendsJul 02, 2026
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.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Trends
The Latest
MajorsOct 13, 2026
David Webb Owner Purchases Lugano JewelryThe high-end jewelry retailer was sold to private investment firm Middle West Partners and a group of longtime clients.
Lab-GrownOct 13, 2026
Stephanie Gottlieb Takes Lab-Grown Diamond Collection WholesaleThe jewelry designer has partnered with Sofer Jewelry to distribute her 85-piece lab-grown diamond collection.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Retailer Hall of Fame 2026: Sean DunnDunn, this year’s Single-Store Independent inductee, is passionate about innovation and telling the story of natural diamonds.
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional EditionExperience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.
AuctionsOct 13, 2026
Christie's Geneva To Auction 'Bulgari Pink' DiamondThe 24-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring could fetch up to $18 million at the November sale.
Weekly QuizOct 08, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Greenwich St. Jewelers’ New Candle Smells Like HomeThe “Island Jewel” candle honors New York City and Puerto Rico and raises money for the island’s water relief efforts.
TechnologyOct 13, 2026
GemFind Is a New JA Member Benefit Partner The partnership will give JA members access to preferred pricing, exclusive benefits, technology solutions, education, and resources.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
SurveysOct 09, 2026
These Will Be the 10 Busiest Days for In-Store Shopping This Holiday SeasonStores should expect to see the most customers on Nov. 27, and Christmas week is expected to be hectic too, as Dec. 25 falls on a Friday.
CollectionsOct 09, 2026
Elisa Solomon Collabs With Serendipity 3 on ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’ CharmThe charm, our Piece of the Week, features brown diamond frozen hot chocolate topped with white diamond whipped cream and a ruby straw.
AuctionsOct 09, 2026
8-Carat Blue Diamond Goes Unsold at UK Jewelry Auction The top lot of Elmwood’s recent fine jewelry sale in London was a 1.84-carat, D color Tiffany & Co. solitaire diamond ring.
WatchesOct 09, 2026
Movado to Sell Majority Stake in Ebel for $66.5MThe watch company agreed to sell a 95 percent interest to a group comprised of F.P. Journe, Chanel, and Swiss watch exec Pierre Jacques.
Policies & IssuesOct 08, 2026
Third Wave of IEEPA Tariff Refunds Begins This round of tariff refunds is for importers that have sued over IEEPA tariffs in the Court of International Trade and won.
CollectionsOct 08, 2026
Brent Neale’s New Collection Goes ‘Back to Basics’It revisits the brand’s most requested silhouettes, from "Pillow"-set necklaces and bracelets to "Signature"-set rings and earrings.
SourcingOct 08, 2026
Ethical Gem Fair Heads Back to BrooklynThe trade-only event includes buying opportunities as well as educational sessions on artisanal mining, the new Paraíba source, and more.
Events & AwardsOct 08, 2026
Pattons Fine Jewelry Sweeps Local Design ContestAra Chanakian, a jeweler at Pattons, took home top honors in every category at Jewelers of Louisiana’s annual jewelry design competition.
AuctionsOct 08, 2026
Reba McEntire’s Jewelry, Watches Head to Julien’s AuctionsThe live charity benefit sale in Nashville will also feature gowns, boots, and other memorabilia from the country music legend.
Supplier BulletinOct 08, 2026
Overnight Mountings’ Bridal Builder Helps Jewelers Turn Custom Design into a Hands-On Selling ExperienceSponsored by Overnight Mountings
Policies & IssuesOct 07, 2026
The Plumb Club Amplifies Its Voice as Geopolitical Pressures MountThe supplier organization recently joined JA and JVC to have more input on political issues affecting the jewelry industry.
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
Blue Nile, Royal Asscher Collection Highlights Natural Diamond BeautyBlue Nile, a Signet Jewelers-owned brand, is now Royal Asscher’s exclusive licensed retailer in North America.
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
4 Standout Pieces in Audemars Piguet’s First High Jewelry Collection “Royal Oak” pays homage to the brand’s most popular watch model using 18-karat gold as well as diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.
MajorsOct 07, 2026
Empire Safe & Vault Promotes Juan Morales to CEOAs part of the transition, Joseph Nicosia has stepped into the role of COO.
SourcingOct 07, 2026
AGTA Extends Deadline for 2026 Spectrum Awards EntriesParticipants now have until Oct. 14 to complete their submissions.
CrimeOct 06, 2026
6 Charged in Connection to String of New Jersey Smash-and-GrabsThe alleged thieves used crow bars and sledgehammers to smash into jewelry stores across the state.
ColumnistsOct 06, 2026
Sherry Smith: Is the Consumer Really Trading Up?Ahead of the holidays, Smith urges jewelers to take a hard look at who’s buying jewelry, what they’re purchasing, and who’s stopped buying.
SourcingOct 06, 2026
DDG Taps Influencers for ‘My Diamond Does Good’ CampaignIn the new consumer-facing campaign, four fashion and lifestyle creators share the stories behind their natural diamond pieces.
MajorsOct 06, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names COO, CMOFGI President John Orrico is also leaving the company after more than 13 years.
