[3] Its first New York location opened on, and closed soon after, October 24, 1929, the day of the Wall Street crash.
Nonetheless, it reopened with much success after participating in the 1939 World's fair in New York, and the store moved from a small showroom in Rockefeller Center to its present location at 744 Fifth Avenue in the 1940s.
[5][6] With the outbreak of World War II, Julien and his family were forced to leave Europe because of their Jewish lineage.
[7] Julien also sent his son, Claude, to Harvard University so that he would be better prepared to deal with the American clientele.
[1][2] Claude headed the jeweler's American operations, while Jacques Arpels became the chief executive.