In 1898, at the age of 13, Raymond Yard began his jewelry career as a doorboy at Marcus & Co., the New York jewelry house. After years as a salesman for the designer, Yard opened his own firm with the encouragement of John D. Rockefeller, who recommended his designs to friends and family. Yard’s client list grew to include some of the country’s most prominent families, along with Hollywood royalty: the DuPonts, Woolworths, and Vanderbilts, as well as Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks. Upon his retirement in 1958, Yard passed his company to his young protégé Robert Gibson. Today Mr. Gibson’s son Bob Gibson presides over the Yard name, having largely preserved the traditional look of Raymond Yard’s designs.