Karel Waldes, father of Jindřich, had an inn and a small haberdashery shop in the village of Nemyšl near the town of Tábor in southern Bohemia.

As Waldes had a good knowledge of languages he became Lokesch's business agent and travelled the world on behalf of the firm.

[1] A year later Puc invented a special machine that inserted a small spring into concealed dress fasteners, the main product of the new firm.

Soon the company grew to a large concern with branch factories in Warsaw, Dresden, Vienna, Paris, Barcelona and New York City.

However, Waldes did not survive the journey to the USA and died under suspicious circumstances on the ship which stopped at Havana, Cuba in May 1941.

Part of Jindřich Waldes' collection held by the National Gallery in Prague had been returned to his descendants living in the United States.

[10] In 2007 the Prague City Court rendered the decision to return fifty percent of the Czech Koh-i-Noor holdings to the Waldes family heirs.