This monumental six-panel stained glass window, commissioned in 1899 by Hawaiian sugar magnate James Bicknell Castle for his Waikiki estate, stands among the most ambitious achievements of Tiffany's career and is the only privately commissioned Tiffany window ever created in the Hawaiian Islands. Tiffany's pioneering technique of layering multiple sheets of opalescent Favrile glass transforms light itself into a work of art. Only one other mermaid window is known from Tiffany Studios, which the artist kept in his personal collection and refused to sell; it now resides in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
The eldest son of the great Charles Lewis Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) revolutionized the decorative arts at the turn of the 20th century. Invention is a foundational American ideal, and Tiffany embodied it fully, devoting extraordinary effort to pioneering techniques, such as his patented Favrile glass and one-of-a-kind jewelry designs, that would bring him—as well as other American artists and firms—unprecedented international acclaim.
Another defining name in turn-of-the-century jewelry started, unlike Louis Comfort Tiffany and his famous father, as a humble boy with an American dream. In 1898, thirteen-year-old Raymond Yard began his career as a doorman at Marcus & Co. in New York, one of the most respected jewelry houses in the United States. Curious and ambitious, Yard absorbed everything he could from his colleagues, and his talent propelled him steadily upward.
In 1922, John D. Rockefeller Jr., one of Yard’s loyal clients, urged him to establish his own firm, offering personal endorsements to his circle of influential friends and family. Yard thus became the jeweler of choice for America’s most influential elites over the coming decades, including the Vanderbilts, Woolworths and DuPonts.
Nowhere is Yard’s unique American spirit more present than in his iconic bunny brooches, with its origins in Prohibition-era charm. This glittering Rabbit Golf Caddy brooch is a playful twist on this motif, with added personal ties to Yard’s history. While playing at the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in 1937, Raymond Yard met 17-year-old golf caddy Robert Gibson. The two struck up a friendship, and Gibson soon came to work for Yard. He became Yard's protégé, was named president of the firm 21 years later, and his son, Bob Gibson, still runs the business today.
One of the best kept secrets in the world of jewelry is Oscar Heyman. Often called "the jeweler's jeweler," this esteemed American firm has served as the hidden hand behind some of the most celebrated houses since its founding in 1912. Over the years, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels and Marcus & Co. have all entrusted Oscar Heyman to manufacture exceptional pieces sold under their own names—a testament to the firm's extraordinary precision.
Beyond unparalleled craftsmanship, Heyman’s original designs have also elevated Americana to haute joaillerie. Oscar Heyman first designed the American flag brooch in 1917 for Black, Starr & Frost, and the motif has remained a signature of the firm for over a century. President Jimmy Carter notably wore Oscar Heyman flag cufflinks when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. This example captures the flag's undulating form in rubies, sapphires and diamonds—a dazzling work that embodies both Oscar Heyman's timeless craftsmanship and iconic design aesthetic.
Like Yard, another self-made American jeweler would come to define the next era of American jewelry and celebrity culture. The son of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants who opened a small jewelry shop in New York, Harry Winston (1896–1978) demonstrated a preternatural eye for gemstones from childhood—at age 12, he spotted a two-carat emerald in a pawn shop, bought it for 25 cents and sold it two days later for $800. He would go on to earn the title of "King of Diamonds," at one point owning a third of the world's most famous gems, including the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond, which he donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, and the necklace Napoleon gifted to Empress Marie-Louise in 1811.
Brilliance by Design
Another defining name in turn-of-the-century jewelry started, unlike Louis Comfort Tiffany and his famous father, as a humble boy with an American dream. In 1898, thirteen-year-old Raymond Yard began his career as a doorman at Marcus & Co. in New York, one of the most respected jewelry houses in the United States. Curious and ambitious, Yard absorbed everything he could from his colleagues, and his talent propelled him steadily upward.
Nowhere is Yard’s unique American spirit more present than in his iconic bunny brooches, with its origins in Prohibition-era charm. This glittering Rabbit Golf Caddy brooch is a playful twist on this motif, with added personal ties to Yard’s history. While playing at the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in 1937, Raymond Yard met 17-year-old golf caddy Robert Gibson. The two struck up a friendship, and Gibson soon came to work for Yard. He became Yard's protégé, was named president of the firm 21 years later, and his son, Bob Gibson, still runs the business today.
In 1922, John D. Rockefeller Jr., one of Yard’s loyal clients, urged him to establish his own firm, offering personal endorsements to his circle of influential friends and family. Yard thus became the jeweler of choice for America’s most influential elites over the coming decades, including the Vanderbilts, Woolworths and DuPonts.
