An Art Deco "Escalator" style bracelet comprised of stepped pavé diamond links with square-cut sapphire terminals, in platinum. Atw diamonds 9.24 cts, sapphires 13.94 cts. Marcus & Co. #054314

Marcus & Co. was founded in New York in 1892 by William Elder Marcus, joined by his brother George and their father, Herman Marcus, a German-born jeweler who had worked for the Dresden court jeweler Ellemeyer before immigrating to New York in 1850. Herman Marcus became an important figure in the city’s jewelry trade, working for Ball, Black & Co. and Tiffany & Co. before joining his sons’ business, first known as Jacques & Marcus and later renamed Marcus & Co. after George B. Jaques retired. The firm opened at 857 Broadway and later moved to Fifth Avenue.

Marcus & Co. became one of the preeminent American jewelers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly admired for Art Nouveau jewelry, silver, and later Art Deco diamond pieces. The house was one of the few American firms to master plique-à-jour enamel, creating luminous floral jewels that reflected French Art Nouveau influence while developing a distinct New York identity. Its designs often featured orchids, morning glories, leaves, scrolls, and other naturalistic motifs, set with diamonds, pearls, enamel, and unusual colored stones.

By the early twentieth century, Marcus & Co. had expanded beyond New York, with offices or branches associated with Palm Beach, London, Paris, and Bombay. The firm was sold to Gimbels in 1941 and merged with Black, Starr & Frost in 1962. Today, Marcus & Co. jewels remain highly collectible as some of the finest examples of American Art Nouveau and early twentieth-century jewelry design.