Oscar Heyman truly lives up to its bequeathed sobriquet, “The Jewelers’ Jeweler®”, to perfection! Their century-old journey has been marked by an unrivalled brilliance, and the foundation of their success story rests on incomparable artistry, crafted with exceptional gemstones, and a steadfast pursuit of excellence.
Founded in 1912 by the visionary Heyman brothers, Oscar Heyman has blossomed into a revered, family-owned jewellery design and manufacturing powerhouse, synonymous with spectacularly breathtaking jewels.
From hand-painted gouache sketches to in-house lapidaries and engravers in their New York atelier, their vertical integration allows for bespoke flexibility and rare precision in realising custom creations, each one a masterwork.
Specialising in handpicking the finest coloured gemstones, Oscar Heyman is renowned for its refined sourcing and singular standards. Each jewel bears a unique six-digit serial number and a certificate of authenticity, elevating it into heirloom territory for connoisseurs the world over.
In an exclusive interview, Tom Heyman, President of Oscar Heyman, traced the brand’s storied legacy and shared the reasons why it remains a cut above the rest – from designing for global icons like Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Tiffany & Co., to creating collections that bear an unmistakable stamp of individuality.
Your family-run business has thrived for three generations. How do you ensure the original vision of brothers Oscar, Nathan, and Harry Heyman remains alive in today’s competitive luxury market?
From the beginning, Oscar Heyman’s ethos was to craft the finest quality jewellery and that is as relevant today as it was in 1912 when the company was founded. What started as a behind-the-scenes manufacturer evolved into providing pieces for some of the most well-known international jewellery houses (Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Cartier) and today, we are a standalone brand desired by jewellery connoisseurs and collectors around the world. We continue to honour the Heyman brothers’ legacy by pairing the most exquisite gems with exceptional craftsmanship to make one-of-a-kind pieces.
Oscar Heyman is called “Jewelers’ Jeweler®”. What defining moments in the company’s history have solidified its reputation as a leader in fine jewellery craftsmanship?
The “Jewelers’ Jeweler®” was a name given to us by the Press covering the 1939 World’s Fair in New York when they discovered we made jewellery for all five of the exhibiting jewellers. Its relevance continues today as our expertise in stone sourcing, design, and manufacturing speaks for itself. We are known for quality, and our ability to consistently deliver on that is what sustains our reputation. We see estate pieces in impeccable condition, which is proof that the weeks or months spent creating a piece of jewellery will turn it into a timeless heirloom to be treasured by generations.
From 1916 to 1942, Oscar Heyman received seven patents related to jewellery making. While this information was not publicly advertised, it exemplifies our dedication to refining the craft of jewellery making. One of the patents issued was for block bracelet connections.
Another defining moment was being asked by Cartier to design and then craft a necklace in one week’s time for Elizabeth Taylor, featuring the 69.42-carat “Taylor-Burton Diamond.” To this day, which remains the largest single diamond we have worked with, though a couple have come close.
How do you source exceptional stones, such as Paraiba tourmalines and cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, and what inspires your choice to highlight such unique materials?
Part of our enduring legacy is in finding ways to separate ourselves. Today, our offering of traditional (emeralds, rubies, sapphires), esoteric (Paraiba, spinel, aquamarine) and phenomenal (opal, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, star sapphire) gemstones allows us to appeal to a variety of collectors. As the first American firm to travel to Asia following WWII, we began relationships with families of miners, cutters and dealers with whom we are still in contact. Our gemstone acquisition team travels abroad nearly eight weeks a year on buying trips, and we take meetings in our Madison Avenue atelier. Our team reviews thousands of gemstones to select a small handful for our inventory – the assignment being to find the best, and only the best.
Our love of phenomenal gemstones, which exhibit optical transformations due to the presence of light, began in the 1920s when we began using star sapphires. Finding unparalleled phenomenal gemstones or suites of stones is the ultimate thrill, and one we can rarely resist adding to our collection. To be able to judge their strength is a fine art, honed over generations.
From creating pieces for Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels to designing the setting for the Taylor-Burton diamond, how has your role as a manufacturer for elite houses influenced Oscar Heyman’s own design philosophy?
Some of the popular styles we created for those houses are ones we continue to produce today; however, we can now design with no boundaries and let the beauty of the gems themselves guide us. Our pansies and American flags made for Tiffany & Co. and a variety of invisibly set pieces for Van Cleef & Arpels have a new life and get modern updates.
The pansy motif has become iconic for Oscar Heyman since the 1939 World’s Fair. What is it about this design that continues to resonate with clients across generations?
Floral designs transcend time and season. The Oscar Heyman pansy is a colourful piece of jewellery made in an array of silhouettes and sizes, where the art of stone cutting and craftsmanship are fully on display. In the design, any stone that is not round has been cut by our in-house lapidary to fit the space perfectly. Each pansy is made in three distinctive parts and assembled with a pin, attaching through the centre stone. It is a perennial piece of jewellery with no green thumb required!
With over 200,000 archived designs, how does Oscar Heyman balance preserving its rich heritage with pushing the boundaries of modern jewellery innovation?
Our innovations today take the form of craft, figuring out the very best and most precise way to make jewellery. Our designs are and always have been eternal.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, honoured the Oscar Heyman brand with a book celebrating its legacy. What is the secret recipe that makes your brand stand out in the world of fine jewellery?
To be recognised by such an important American institution in a scholarly fashion was an immense honour. Our goal is to create timeless jewellery using the finest gemstones. To deliver the value of integrity in craftsmanship to our collectors is an unwavering principle.
Old-world craftsmanship is at the core of your workshop. How do you balance the pressure to innovate while preserving techniques that date back over a century? What is the most challenging aspect of maintaining such exacting standards in every creation?
The jewellers, setters, and polishers in our workshop are among the most skilled in the world. They are trained in Oscar Heyman’s methods of craftsmanship. The most challenging aspect we face is simply time — we cannot rush any part of the process. Each piece of Oscar Heyman jewellery is a work of art.