Dreicer & Co.

The firm of Dreicer & Co.( 1904-1923) was one of the top luxury jewelry retailers in America during the first quarter of the 20th century. The firm is believed to have originated as J. Dreicer & Son representing the Parisian firm A. Eknayan and displaying an extensive array of diamond jewelry during the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The emphasis on diamonds at the St. Louis exposition would characterize the firm’s production and resulting strong reputation from about 1910 through the 1920s.

Though it is not clear in what year the firm opened its boutique in New York City at 560 Fifth Avenue, the jewels within rivaled Cartier with luxurious designs in platinum and diamonds as well as pearls. The firm catered to the elite, and maintained a branch at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. Dreicer & Co. is credited as the first company to introduce in New York many of the latest diamond cuts from Paris. The shop was liquidated in 1923 following the death of Michael Dreicer, the founder’s son, in 1921. Cartier bought Dreicer’s stock of jewels for $2.5 million.