Platinum and Diamond Bow Brooch, Dreicer & Co., Circa 1910

The stylized openwork bow set with 2 larger old European-cut diamonds weighing approximately 4.75 carats, small old European-cut and single-cut diamonds weighing approximately 9.00 carats, and rose-cut diamonds weighing approximately 4.25 carats, signed Dreicer & Co., one diamond missing.

Diamonds range from approximately F to J color, mostly VS (some possibly VVS), mounting in overall very good condition, pinstem signed Dreicer & Co.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

There were few jewelry concerns at the turn of the century that rivaled Dreicer & Co.  Although, today, the name is not as recognized as Cartier or Tiffany & Co., from the late nineteenth century to the 1920s, they were considered among the finest jewelers in the world.   The founders, Jacob Dreicer and his wife, Gittel, emigrated to New York from Europe in 1866, bringing with them their extensive knowledge of precious gemstones.  Two years later, they opened a business  at 1128 Broadway which grew from a small gem company in the cellar of their home on Lexington Avenue to become one of the foremost gem and jewelry companies. Gittel attended to the cutting and polishing of the gemstones while Jacob took care of sales. 

Gittel Dreicer made a trip abroad every year to buy rough stones.  When their son, Michael, who was born in 1868, was seventeen, he accompanied his mother on these trips, visiting the great gem houses in London, Amsterdam and Paris to learn about gemstones and pearls.

At this time, there was a limited demand for pearls in this country.  Michael made a special study of the subject and became one of the leading experts in the world.  J. Dreicer & Son, an early name for the company, was one of the prominent pearl establishments. In 1915, they exhibited at Grand Central Palace a necklace worth $800,000 with a dozen of the largest pearls purchased at a private sale from the Duchess of Sutherland, including the center pearl for which they paid $100,000.  In 1916, they imported a string that was purported to be one of the most valuable in the world, priced at $1,000,000.  They, also, handled important diamonds including the Duke of York which they sold for $125,000 and a 22.5 carat blue diamond that, at the time, was declared to be the most perfect blue diamond next to the Hope.

Jacob Dreicer was one of the first to perceive the possibilities of Fifth Avenue's development as an exclusive retail shopping street. In 1885, he purchased the home at 292 Fifth Avenue, then in the heart of the fashionable residential section of New York City and converted it into the one of the finest business buildings on the avenue. In 1904, he bought the northwest corner of Thirty-ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, part of which was occupied by Black Starr & Frost.  A few years later, he acquired the Altman residence at Fifth Avenue and Fiftieth Street and the property at the southwest corner of Fifty-third Street and Fifth Avenue.  The company remained at 292 Fifth Avenue until 1906 when they moved to 560 Fifth Avenue.  They maintained a location at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago and a winter branch store in Palm Beach.

On July 26, 1921, at the age of 53, Michael Dreicer passed away at his estate, Deepdale, in Great Neck, Long Island that had formerly been owned by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.  He bequeathed his art collection, valued at more than $1,000,000, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which included paintings by Hans Membling, Roger van de Weyden and El Greco. Jacob Dreicer died on August 14, 1921, nineteen days after the death of his son. The business remained open until March 1, 1926 when it closed its doors. Several months later, an article in The New York Times from November 8, 1926 described the company, "Many of the famous strings and ropes of pearls and collections of jewels owned by persons prominent in the modern social and business world were assembled by Dreicer & Co."

The jewelry that Dreicer & Co. offered had to meet their high standards.  This bow brooch, dating to the first decade of the twentieth century, epitomizes their insistence on using only the finest diamonds. It is designed with subtle detailing of laurel leaves that wind around diamonds providing movement in what could have been a static design.

The monumental size of this bow brooch is rare in American jewelry from this period.  The design of it is on the level of important jewels they were known to sell to an elite clientele. It rivals the bow brooches from Parisian houses such as Cartier and Boucheron.  Since  Dreicer jewelry seldom comes onto the market, this is a rare opportunity to acquire an important historical American jewel.