While best known as a major fine jewelry institution of Philadelphia, over the years since its inception, the firm has also been known for its silver, china, crystal, and even stationery.
Born August 15, 1813, in Poughkeepsie, NY, James Emott Caldwell was raised in "The Queen City of the Hudson".
In his school days, he was a classmate of Theodore Cuyler, Benson J. Lossing, Jackson S. Schultz, the Vassar brothers, who afterwards won distinction, and who remained his personal friends through life.
In 1835 after becoming a master silversmith, he moved to New York City as an apprentice in watch-making with Samuel Ward Benedict [1] in his downtown Wall Street shop.
In 1836 he moved to Philadelphia and landed his first job, to work with Samuel Hildeburn a wholesale jewelry house of Market Street.