History

Heinrich Leon Weiss was a Jewish man born on March 29, 1887 in Tarnov, Poland. He met his wife, Salome, and they married on July 2, 1916. The two lived in Vienna, Austria in 1917 and stayed until 1918, making jewelry. The couple moved to Bucharest, Romania where Heinrich continued to make jewelry. In the 1920s, the Royal family of Romania appointed Weiss as the official crown jeweler. Weiss produced medals for World War I under King Carol II.

In the 1930s, antisemitism grew in Romania, threatening Weiss, his family and his business. In 1940, Romania joined the Axis powers. Heinrich lost his business, but remained resilient. He also possessed visas for the United States and quickly prepared to leave Romania. The Romanian government confiscated the valuable possessions of Jewish citizens, but Heinrich melted down gold and replaced Salome's purse handles and clasps with the new gold handles to transport past officials to the United States. His son, Erich, was a diabetic and carried a case filled with his medical supplies. Heinrich copied the case and its contents in solid platinum and the family began their journey throughout Europe to the United States.

The family ended up in New York City, where Salome had previously sent samples of Heinrich's work before the outbreak of the war. The family later moved to Los Angeles, California and Heinrich opened a new shop on Rodeo Drive.