Oscar Heyman Brothers
20th Century American Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Platinum, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
20th Century American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco More Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary North American Contemporary Brooches
Ruby, Tsavorite, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modern Link Bracelets
White Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Modernist Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Retro Link Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Retro Bangles
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Vintage 1950s American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1920s American Modernist Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1970s American Modern Cluster Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, White Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Romantic Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Mid-20th Century American Contemporary Link Bracelets
Yellow Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Rubelite, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Retro Bracelets
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Necklace Enhancers
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American More Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
White Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Cluster Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s American More Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Engagement Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Cluster Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Antique Early 1900s American Art Nouveau Brooches
White Diamond, 14k Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, White Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Band Rings
Diamond, Ruby, White Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
Mid-20th Century American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s American More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yello...
Vintage 1940s North American Art Deco Band Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s American Cluster Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
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Oscar Heyman Brothers For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Oscar Heyman Brothers?
Oscar Heyman for sale on 1stDibs
Known as “the jewelers’ jeweler,” Oscar Heyman (1888–1970) designed pieces for Cartier, Tiffany Co., Van Cleef Arpels, Harry Winston and Black, Starr Frost. The family-run Oscar Heyman Brothers jewelry company was founded by Heyman with his brothers Nathan and Harry in 1912. Jewelers from Latvia, they had trained at their great-uncle’s workshop, which had clients including Russian imperial jeweler Fabergé, before immigrating to the United States in the early 1900s.
After arriving in New York, Oscar worked with Pierre Cartier and Nathan was a tool maker at Western Electric before they came together to open their jewelry business. Highly skilled craftsmen, the Heyman brothers quickly developed a roster of high-profile clients — primarily big-name jewelers — drawn to their work with dazzling stones and meticulous design. In 1917, Black, Starr Frost commissioned the brothers to design an American flag brooch, which would become a recurring motif in the Oscar Heyman Brothers portfolio. They also designed the Pansy brooch in the 1930s, another long-popular accessory that was produced exclusively for Tiffany Co. toward the end of the 20th century. After Heyman designed for four of the five jewelers on view at the 1939 World’s Fair House of Jewels (Cartier, Udall Ballou, Marcus Co. and Black, Starr Frost), the company was given the moniker “the jewelers’ jeweler.”
Heyman Brothers later designed gem-encrusted medallions that traveled to the moon on Apollo 16, the necklace setting for the 69-carat diamond Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor in 1969 and even a pair of ruby-encrusted Stuart Weitzman stilettos in 2003. Over the years, the company has entranced such clients as Evelyn Lauder, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Billy Porter and Tina Fey with its pieces.
In 2012, the century-old jeweler underwent a rebranding to simplify its name to Oscar Heyman and today is still run by the Heyman family, which manages the whole process from alloying their own metal to cutting and polishing their gemstones to assembling the final product in-house. In 2017, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston published a monograph authored by Yvonne J. Markowitz and Elizabeth Hamilton that details for a broader audience the history of Oscar Heyman, an unsung company that’s long been behind some of the biggest names in jewelry.
Shop authentic Oscar Heyman rings, brooches and bracelets on 1stDibs.
The Legacy of Diamond in Jewelry Design
Antique diamond rings, diamond tiaras and dazzling vintage diamond earrings are on the wish lists of every lover of fine jewelry. And diamonds and diamond jewelry are primarily associated with storybook engagements and red-carpet grand entrances — indeed, this ultra-cherished gemstone has a dramatic history on its hands.
From “A Diamond Is Forever” to “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” pop culture has ingrained in our minds that diamonds are the most desired, the most lasting and the most valuable gemstone. But what makes the diamond so special? Each stone — whether it’s rubies, sapphires or another stone — is unique and important in its own right. April babies might claim diamonds for themselves, but just about everyone wants this kind of sparkle in their lives!
There are several factors that set diamonds apart from other stones, and these points are important to our gem education.
Diamonds are minerals. They are made up of almost entirely of carbon (carbon comprises 99.95 percent; the remainder consists of various trace elements). Diamonds are the hardest gemstones, ranking number 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Even its name, diamond, is rooted in the Greek adamas, or unconquerable. The only object that can scratch a diamond is another diamond. Diamonds are formed deep within the earth at very high temperatures (1,652–2,372 degrees Fahrenheit at depths between 90 and 120 miles beneath the earth’s surface) and are carried up by volcanic activity. Diamonds are quite rare, according to the Gemological Institute of America, and only 30 percent of all the diamonds mined in the world are gem quality.
In the 1950s, the Gemological Institute of America developed the 4Cs grading system to classify diamonds: clarity, color, cut and carat weight. Not all diamonds are created equal (there are diamonds, and then there are diamonds). The value of the diamond depends on the clarity (flawless diamonds are very rare but a diamond's value decreases if there are many blemishes or inclusions), color (the less color the higher the grade), cut (how the diamond’s facets catch the light, certain cuts of diamonds show off the stone better than others) and carat weight (the bigger, the better).
When you start shopping for a diamond engagement ring, always prioritize the cut, which plays the largest role in the diamond's beauty (taking the time to clean your diamond ring at least every six months or so plays a role in maintaining said beauty). And on 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings.
Shop antique and vintage diamond rings, diamond necklaces and other extraordinary diamond jewelry on 1stDibs.