Few know this, but the oldest jeweler in the United States is not Tiffany, but Black, Starr & Frost. It was founded over 200 years ago (in 1810), and in the meantime it has provided splendid jewels to the American nabobs: Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Canegis, Guggenheim, but also to the Prince of Windsor. The Maison was founded in New York by the silversmith Isaac Marquand, who immigrated from France. In 1839, the jewelry was bought by Henry Ball, Erasmus Tompkins and William Black, and renamed Ball, Tompkins & Black. But only until 1851 when it became Ball, Black & Company. Finally, in 1876 it acquired its current name, Black, Starr & Frost.
In short, the brand boasts the title of “America’s first jeweler” not by chance. The brand, however, is now owned by Alfredo J. Molina, also known as one of the top three gemologists in the world. And it’s based in Phoenix, Arizona. The most prestigious line of jewelry is called the President’s collection. They are jewels made with the most precious materials: platinum, 18 carat gold, and diamonds weighing between 0.33 and 53.58 carats.
