Shreve & Co.
| Private | |
| Industry | Jewellers |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States |
| Products | Jewelry |
| Website | www.shreve.com |
Shreve & Company is an established retailer of jewelry, from timepieces to diamonds, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Incorporated in 1894 by George Rodman and Albert J. Lewis,[1] it is considered the oldest commercial establishment in San Francisco.[2]
History
The company's precursor, The Shreve Jewelry Company, was established by Rodman's father and uncle, George and Samuel Shreve, who had moved to San Francisco from New York. George learned goldsmithing from his older half-brother, Benjamin. The latter had established Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston.[3]
By the 1880s, The Shreve Jewelry Company was considered among the finest silversmiths in the United States, selling high quality timepieces, gold, and silver jewelry, aside from diamonds and precious stones.[4] The store, which had opened at Montgomery and Clay, soon moved to Market Street.[3]
Just a month before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Shreve & Co. opened its new eleven-story building at Post and Grant. Built with the latest engineering technologies of its time, the Shreve & Co. building was one of a few San Francisco buildings that survived the April 18 earthquake.[1] With its building rendered unusable, the company opened shop in Oakland, where it stayed for two years. The company's first flatware products and illustrated catalogs were created at this time.[1]
In 2011, after more than a century of operating within California, the company launched its first store in Portland, Oregon, offering timepieces from A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Officine Panerai, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Wellendorff and Vacheron Constantin.
Notable Collections
- The de Young Museum has on exhibit Shreve & Co. silver, featuring a complete set of the Iris pattern, including flatware, candlesticks, serving bowls and centerpieces. Its archives houses over 1,600 of the Shreve & Co. factory drawings and photographs taken at the Shreve & Co. factory.
- The California Historical Society has the silver spade used by President William Howard Taft, and other objects from Shreve & Co., including the Mellon Tea Set, Silver Punch Bowl presentation piece, The Huntington Prize, 1899, a matching silver tray, a Horse Show prize dated 1899; silver medals, 1902, Mechanics Institute with presentation case.
- The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society has the silver spade used by San Francisco Mayor James Rolphe at the groundbreaking for city hall and the civic center, and other objects made by Shreve & Co.
- The Oakland Museum of California has a large collection of Shreve & Co. silver from the collection of the late Dr. Elliot Evans, curator of the Society of Pioneers, 1956–1971.
- The San Francisco Public Library main branch has on exhibit the silver trowel used for the Library groundbreaking by Mayor Rolphe, an original miniature spade and the original enclosure card, and the tower of jewels souvenir made by Shreve & Co.
Gallery
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The Shreve Building stands amid the ruins of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
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The facade of the Shreve Building during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
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The interior of the Shreve & Company jewelry store in 1909.
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The current interior of the Shreve & Company retail store in San Francisco.
References
- 1 2 3 "About Us". Shreve.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ↑ "San Francisco Shopping". Fodors.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- 1 2 "Shreve & Company". Langantiques.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ↑ "Shreve & Co. Jewelers branching out to Oregon". PRlog.org. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
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