Trabert & Hoeffer
For iconic jeweler Trabert & Hoeffer, dedication to unparalleled customer service has always been top priority. After opening its first location in New York City in 1930, the brand expanded to Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, Atlantic City, and finally Chicago which stands today as the last remaining location. That is, until the store closes its doors on June 15 when owner Donald Levinson retires.
Shortly after their nation-wide expansion, Trabert & Hoeffer purchased inventory from acclaimed Parisian jeweler Mauboussin, giving birth to a historic partnership and solidifying the brand as a global icon. Showcasing breathtaking jewelry worn by stars including Marlene Dietrich, Mary Pickford and Claudette Colbert, Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin’s innovative designs from the 1930’s to 1950’s stand today as some of the most illustrious of the era.
Levinson, who purchased Trabert & Hoeffer in 1968, built his own distinctive jewelry salon identity, broadening the buying focus, maintaining the brand’s original Art Deco look and feel and renewing the jeweler’s commitment to the customer. Initially setting up shop on Michigan Avenue, Levinson, trusting his forward-thinking instincts, moved to its current location on Oak Street in 1995. Recreating the same classic, intimate salon style, Levinson’s new Trabert & Hoeffer location helped usher in Oak Street as a prestigious destination for fine jewelry retailers – a tradition that continues today.
The salon became known for the creativity and style of its signature display windows, situated on either side of the retailer’s entrance. For more than 50 years, Trabert & Hoeffer has featured a curated selection of fine jewelry in elaborately designed window displays, showcasing the pieces in a variety of scenes and backdrops, from stylized floral arrangements to warm holiday hearths.
Through a consignment partnership with Hindman, Levinson will be selling a portion of Trabert & Hoeffer’s inventory, selling more than 250 lots spanning the company’s history. The sale, which will be held on May 15 at Hindman’s Chicago headquarters, will be available to preview in New York City from April 30 to May 1, Atlanta on May 3 and Chicago from May 10 to May 15.
Highlights of the sale will include a Retro platinum, diamond and pink tourmaline brooch by Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin valued at $15,000 to $20,000; a 10.04 carat emerald cut diamond ring valued at $200,000 to $300,000; a 58.50 carat total weight diamond bracelet valued at $90,000 to $120,000; a pair of 10.04 carat total weight diamond stud earrings valued at $125,000 to $175,000; a marquise diamond ring, certified D color, Internally Flawless clarity valued at $280,000 to $380,000 and more.
Trabert & Hoeffer: An Iconic Jeweler