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Gilbert Collection
9 June - 27 August 2007 (now extended to 6 January 2008)
“He brought a wild American flavour to the jewellery.”
The name of Seaman Schepps (1881-1972) has long
been synonymous with vibrant, highly original design. His bold, colourful
jewellery entranced mid 20th century American society, and commissions
from many White House families led The Washington Post to dub him ‘America’s
Court Jeweller’. Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Doris Duke,
Wanda Toscanini Horowitz, and the Duchess of Windsor as well as members
of the du Pont, Mellon and Roosevelt families were amongst his clients.
His eye-catching jewellery not only appealed to the modern, independent
20th century woman, who found his pieces visually striking and fun to
wear, but also to Pop Art icon Andy Warhol who was an avid collector.
Seaman Schepps (1881-1972): America’s
Court Jeweller, an exhibition organised by the Museum of
Arts & Design, New York, and generously sponsored by the Bauer and
Hopenhajm families, brings together some 150 pieces of jewellery, designs
and related material which trace the development of this innovative jeweller.
Seaman Schepps’ life is a classic American
success story. Born in 1881, he was one of nine children of Hungarian
immigrants who lived on New York’s Lower East Side. His name was
allegedly inspired by the Seamen’s Bank for Savings, visible from
his mother’s room in the hospital in which he was born.
At the turn of the century he went to seek his
fortune in California where he courted and married the beautiful daughter
of a prominent Illinois family. In 1904 he opened his first antiques and
jewellery shop in Los Angeles. After a stay in San Francisco, he returned
to New York where he opened several stores, finally opening his grand
shop at 399 Madison Avenue in 1933. Today, the store is at 485 Park Avenue,
New York, with others in Palm Beach, Florida, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
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| The earliest known
surviving pieces of jewellery by Schepps, a pair of bracelets
in the Art Deco style, 1931, emeralds, rubies, diamonds set
in white gold |
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What makes the jewels of Seaman Schepps so distinctive
and memorable? Although he never shied away from using diamonds, sapphires,
rubies and emeralds, he incorporated an astonishing diversity of natural
materials such as seashells, sandalwood, walnut, Asian carvings and rock
crystals. For Schepps, the commonplace seashell or piece of wood was accorded
the same devotion as the precious stones. His long-standing interest in
Asian art also had a profound influence on his designs.
The exhibition will show the earliest known surviving
pieces of jewellery by Schepps, a pair of bracelets in the Art Deco style
composed of engraved emeralds and engraved ruby leaves with diamonds in
white gold (illustrated right). They still have their original hand-written
receipt dated June 5 1931 when the price was $2,250.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the
ever-resourceful Schepps realised that his potential clients already owned
diamond and precious gemstone jewellery and that during the time of austerity
many felt it inappropriate to flaunt their wealth. He therefore created
unique pieces that featured large translucent coloured gemstones, chosen
for their form and visual appeal rather than monetary value, creating
desirable pieces for the woman who wanted something different from the
traditional jewellery set with precious stones worn by her mother or grandmother.
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| 'Barbaric' cuff bracelets, c. 1935, 1940
and 2000, precious stones set in white and yellow gold |
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The simpler fashions of the 1930s and 1940s,
when the range of available fabrics was limited and a dress or suit had
to be both well designed and wearable for several seasons without looking
out of date, meant that accessories including jewellery became essential
to change 'the look’. Schepps’ colourful and unpredictable
pieces were ideal. Prime examples from this period are the yellow and
white gold bracelets set with cabochon, carved and faceted garnets, emeralds,
sapphires, rubies and diamonds in the ‘barbaric’ style (ilustrated
left). Oversized pieces like these were in vogue at the time and epitomise
Schepps’ bold and vivid style. What was new about these bracelets,
which are markedly different from the work produced by any other American
jeweller, was the use of seemingly randomly placed gemstones creating
a collage of colour and the mixing of cabochon, engraved and faceted stones.
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| One of Schepps' most popular creations:
Classic link bracelets, 1940s, gold, coral, and wood |
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His multi-coloured ‘Rio’ bracelets
introduced in the 1940s also feature large, baroque semi-precious stones
such as tourmalines and aquamarines interspersed with precious stones
and diamonds. They were bought by clients such as the New York contemporary
art dealer Holly Solomon and Phyllis McGuire of the McGuire Sisters. One
of the most popular of Schepps’ creations in the 1940s was the link
bracelet which he made his own by alternating links of gold and a coloured
gemstone such as coral, aventurine, rock crystal, lapis or even rare woods
(illustrated right).
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| Both made for Mrs Axel Wenner-Gren, above:
bamboo section bracelet, c.1945, aquamarines, sapphires, tourmalines,
emeralds, diamonds and gold; below: Nécessaire, c.1945,
set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pink tourmalines and
diamonds |
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Jewellery was often designed for individual clients.
One of his most loyal customers was Marguerite Wenner-Gren, the opera
diva and wife of the Swedish steel magnate and industrialist Axel Wenner-Gren
who later started the Electrolux Corporation and became one of the wealthiest
men in the world in the 1930s. Among the pieces made for her in the exhibition
is a bamboo section bracelet composed of pink tourmalines, aquamarines,
emeralds and amethysts which bears a remarkable resemblance to candy (illustrated
left). The elaborate central section of tumbled and carved stones is set
with diamonds with a carved amethyst Asian figure at the centre. Using
an innovative technique for securing the stones, many of them are wrapped
in gold wires giving the effect of a beautifully wrapped present. The
original drawing for this bracelet will also be shown.
Another item made for Mrs Wenner-Gren is a vanity
case, an accessory no well-dressed lady would be without. The lid of this
sumptuous example, made around 1945, is set with a precious gemstone parrot
and another bird perched on branches amid diamond-set flowers (illustrated
left). In typical Schepps style, diamonds are sprinkled among faceted
and cabochon emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pink tourmalines, all linked
together with gold branches. Inside there are compartments for powder
and lipstick. The lid of another wonderful powder compact from the same
period, which will be shown with its original drawing, is set with an
emerald, ruby, sapphire, amethyst and diamond butterfly.
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| Perhaps the item from nature most associated
with Seaman Schepps: Shell ear clips, grey-white night and
day turbos with pearls |
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As with so many jewellers, nature played an important
role in Schepps’ designs: flowers, animals, birds, butterflies,
insects, grapes, fish, shellfish, seahorses, turtles and shells appear
time and again in his own inimitable style. Perhaps the item from nature
most associated with Seaman Schepps is the turbo-shell.
According to legend, in the late 1940s a client
brought into his store a pair of shells from a necklace bought on a trip.
These so enchanted Schepps that he began creating earrings of natural
turbo-shells wrapped with gold wire and set with pearls, coral or turquoise.
He also used grey and brown tinted shells and, appropriately for evening
wear, he set them with diamond bands and precious stones. These shell
earrings became an immediate sensation and are still enormously popular
today (illustrated right).
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| Oriental knight, gold, sapphire, emerald
and ruby |
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Schepps designed some jewels incorporating miniature
sculptures and a charming example in the exhibition is a coral carving
of a running deer which was mounted in yellow gold with diamonds and turquoise
around 1955. He often created witty brooches from chessmen. A splendid
oriental gold knight with a sapphire bird and a sapphire, emerald and
ruby base from around 1950 is in the show (illustrated left).
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| Swan brooch, c. 1940, baroque pearl,
emerald and diamonds
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| Coral-branch bracelet, 1969, with yellow
gold, emeralds and diamonds |
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Schepps’ innovative use of baroque pearls
in jewellery rivalled the pieces made by Renaissance masters. The Duchess
of Windsor was so taken with a diamond-feathered baby chicken with a baroque
pearl body that she ordered one for herself. The exhibition includes an
exuberant swan brooch, made around 1940, the body formed by one of the
largest known baroque natural pearls, the regal arched neck and wings
of the bird studded with diamonds and with an emerald eye (illustrated
right).
At the age of 88, Schepps was still creating
stunning jewellery and among the later pieces in the exhibition is a large
natural coral-branch bracelet with yellow gold, emeralds and diamonds
that he presented to one of his employees, Joyce Keigharn, on her 25th
anniversary with the company in 1969 (illustrated right).
After Seaman Schepps died in 1972, his daughter
Patricia Vaill continued making jewellery. The exhibition includes a few
pieces made under her direction to show how the tradition he had established
continued and was developed to appeal to a new generation. She said of
her father’s work: “He brought a wild American
flavour to the jewellery. Daddy’s jewellery was something outrageous.”
On her retirement in 1992 she passed the baton on to Jay
Bauer and Anthony Hopenhajm who continue to produce jewellery in the distinctive
Schepps style.
Seaman Schepps loved life and this is reflected
in his bold, imaginative and whimsical pieces. He flouted convention and
his customers loved it. Visitors to Seaman Schepps (1881-1972):
America’s Court Jeweller will see why.
Tickets for Seaman Schepps (1881-1972):
America’s Court Jeweller may be booked in advance,
online at keithprowse.com
(booking fees apply) or by telephoning 0870 842 2240.
previous exhibitions
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