The jewelry firm Wedderien was formed in 1921, upon the closing of Dreicer & Co. The latter, founded in 1910, was a worldclass jeweler, rivalling great houses such as Cartier. With the sudden death of the founder, shortly after his son’s death, the business, unfortunately, was forced to close. However, four of the employees, A. Wedderien, Edie Chase, R. Hellstern and Minnie Cosgrow decided to re-organize and establish Wedderien. As those four included an experienced watchmaker, gem buyer, jeweler and pearl stringer, they covered all the necessary bases to continue manufacturing fine jewels.


From the Collection of Gloria Manney:

Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her 'one of a kind' or said, 'they don’t make ‘em like her anymore.' She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.

Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Art Institute of Chicago.

But above all the objects in their lives, jewelry was Gloria’s first and foremost passion from childhood, especially collecting opals. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find great jewels but especially opals. And the opals found her.