Born in New York City in 1881, Seaman Schepps created an eponymous jewelry house, becoming known as “America’s Court Jeweler” for his unique, bold designs, worn by the country’s most prominent society families. The son of immigrants, his humble beginnings led him to sit outside of the boutique of quintessential New York jeweler David Webb and sketch drawings for his own designs. Schepps left the Lower East Side of Manhattan around the turn of the century, finding work as a traveling salesman in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was in California that he opened his first jewelry store, “The Virginia Studios,” named for his eldest daughter.