Seaman Schepps, a renowned 20th century jewellery designer referred to as "America's Court Jeweler," created fantastic works that bewitched women who shopped for their own diamond. His creativity gave birth to unique pieces that went way beyond the usual diamond tennis bracelets and more classic brooches which men tended to choose for women. When women found their own buying power, they fell in love with the extraordinary work of this gifted designer.
His pieces have a definite personality to them. Not content to sit in his shop and create traditional jewellery, he looked at diamonds, pearls, and gold and dreamed of turtles, chicks, and flowers. Nature inspired much of his work, such as a pair of lovely jade green agate clematis blossom earrings. He fashioned brooches in the shape of swans, chicks, and birds of all sorts. One piece that is guaranteeds to bring a smile is a miniature pin of an inquiring birds stretching its beak forward, as if waiting for breakfast to pop up out of the ground. The little bird's sapphire tale stands up quirkily behind him.
One of the trademarks of Seaman Schepps is his juxtaposition of non-traditional materials in pieces. He especially enjoyed pairing pair natural woods, such as ebony and walnut, with gold. One unusual example is a lovely chain link bracelet alternating a variety of wooden links with gleaming gold ones. Another eclectic selection is a pair of large walnut earrings crisscrossed with gold braid and studded with citrines. His brash innovation earned him a place in the Museum of Modern Arts and Design in New York City. His pieces were featured in a late 2004 exhibit entitled "Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design 1904-2004."
Women have long been attracted to Seaman Schepps's beautiful work. The unique designs give women an opportunity to express themselves in their choice of jewelry. The craftsmanship of his work and the boldness of his choices in materials and subjects make his pieces highly sought.
