Seymour Moss jewelry designs, 1946-1990s
Scope and Contents
This collection contains photographs of finished works, sketches, detailed renderings in gouache, promotional materials, magazine tear sheets and clippings, notes, and documents. Artwork was created by unnamed artist under the direction of Moss whose design notes are interspersed throughout the collection.
Dates
- Creation: 1946 - circa 1990
Creator
- Moss, Seymour (1919-2011) (Person)
- MOBA jewelry (Organization)
Language of Materials
English Italian German Latin
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to researchers by appointment at the Fashion Institute of Technology Library, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive. If you have any questions, or wish to schedule an appointment contact us at [email protected] or call (212) 217-4385.
Conditions Governing Use
The Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive does not own copyright for all material held in its physical custody. It is the researcher's obligation to abide by and satisfy copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#108) when copying or using materials (including digital materials) found in or made available from the department. When possible, the department will inform a researcher about the copyright status of material, the researcher's obligations with regard to such material, and, wherever possible, the owner or owners of the copyrights. Any and all reproduction of originals is at the archivist's discretion.
Biographical / Historical
Seymour Moss was born in Brooklyn on January 7, 1919. He was introduced to the jewelry industry by working for his father’s business, American Charm Corporation. After serving in the army in WWII, Seymour opened MOBA Jewelry Company in New York City, where he manufactured gold and “high fashion” jewelry. By the mid-1950s, Moss had added precious gemstones and diamonds to his line, and his jewelry sold in retail jewelry stores and companies across America. He traveled extensively as a salesman for MOBA.
Between the 1960s and the 1980s, Moss traveled internationally expanding his company. In Italy, he manufactured Italian enamel to sell in the United States. He is acknowledged in Italy for his role in establishing this export. His Italian enamel jewelry was featured and sold in stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Van Cleef and Arpels where his watches were also represented.
Moss’s creative effort to establish a line of objets d’art was successful in the Middle East. At major jewelry shows like Baselworld and the RJA New York, he won awards for MOBA International displays. These displays were so grand that they caught the eye of the royal families of the United Arab Emirates and Brunei who were so impressed with the work that Moss’s objets d’art toured palaces throughout these countries.
As owner, designer, and salesman, Moss supervised every part of the manufacturing process, from stone selection, to casting and setting. Though he did not render his own designs, his vision was maintained through care and attention to detail. His high standards, quality, and workmanship were famous and respected in the jewelry world. Though Moss considered himself an “anti-creative” invested in the business of the jewelry industry, he was in fact the visionary force behind MOBA and MOBA International. He was inspired by nature, architecture, sculpture, and paintings.
Moss left the profession in the early 1990’s but did not withdraw from the field altogether. He kept a small studio in his home in Florida where he could continue to create at the jeweler’s bench. Moss worked until his death at the age of 92 on February 25, 2011.
Biographical / Historical
Founded by American jeweler Seymour Moss in 1946, MOBA produced gold and gemstone “high-fashion” jewelry that retailed in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neimen Marcus and Van Cleef and Arpels.
Full Extent
1 placeholder : 2 linear feet of documents, photographs, tear sheets/clippings, and sketches. Bulk of sketches are fully rendered paintings in gouache on vellum or trace paper.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged as one series.
Custodial History
* * 2013 - Finding aid and rehousing completed by Kayla Rimmon
* * 2024 Plastic sheets used in the 2013 rehousing are not sturdy so the collections have slumped over time. Plastic sheeting was folded to discourage this slumping and all folders were moved into half boxes.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was a gift of the family of the late Seymour L. Moss, donated to the FIT Library's unit of Special Collections and FIT Archive in November, 2011.
Existence and Location of Originals
The Library of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive, 27th St. at 7th Ave., NY, NY , USA, 10001
Bibliography
General
* Calahan, April. "Seymour Moss jewelry designs" in Material Mode. Fashion Institute of Technology. September 30, 2013. https://blog.fitnyc.edu/materialmode/2013/09/30/seymour-moss-jewelry-designs/.
General
Seymour Moss was born in Brooklyn on January 7, 1919. He was introduced to the jewelry industry by working for his father’s business, American Charm Corporation. After serving in the army in WWII, Seymour opened MOBA Jewelry Company in New York City, where he manufactured gold and “high fashion” jewelry. By the mid-1950s, Moss had added precious gemstones and diamonds to his line, and his jewelry sold in retail jewelry stores and companies across America. He traveled extensively as a salesman for MOBA.
Between the 1960s and the 1980s, Moss traveled internationally expanding his company. In Italy, he manufactured Italian enamel to sell in the United States. He is acknowledged in Italy for his role in establishing this export. His Italian enamel jewelry was featured and sold in stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Van Cleef and Arpels where his watches were also represented.
Moss’s creative effort to establish a line of objets d’art was successful in the Middle East. At major jewelry shows like Baselworld and the RJA New York, he won awards for MOBA International displays. These displays were so grand that they caught the eye of the royal families of the United Arab Emirates and Brunei who were so impressed with the work that Moss’s objets d’art toured palaces throughout these countries.
As owner, designer, and salesman, Moss supervised every part of the manufacturing process, from stone selection, to casting and setting. Though he did not render his own designs, his vision was maintained through care and attention to detail. His high standards, quality, and workmanship were famous and respected in the jewelry world. Though Moss considered himself an “anti-creative” invested in the business of the jewelry industry, he was in fact the visionary force behind MOBA and MOBA International. He was inspired by nature, architecture, sculpture, and paintings.
Moss left the profession in the early 1990’s but did not withdraw from the field altogether. He kept a small studio in his home in Florida where he could continue to create at the jeweler’s bench. Moss worked until his death at the age of 92 on February 25, 2011.
General
Founded by American jeweler Seymour Moss in 1946, MOBA produced gold and gemstone “high-fashion” jewelry that retailed in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neimen Marcus and Van Cleef and Arpels.
General
Published
- Title
- Seymour Moss jewelry designs, 1946-1990s
- Date
- 2024-07-03
- Description rules
- Aat; Ansi; Dacs; Dcmi; Isad(g); Iso; Lo C; Niso; Etc
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and FIT Archive Repository