Our Heritage

T.W. Kessler is rooted in five generations of independent women with a zeal for life and passion for fine jewelry. It all began with Lily Kessler, who with her husband, Harry, assembled an exquisite collection of Art Deco jewelry in the 1920’s. Many of the pieces came from the famed Marcus & Co. in New York City.

Lily’s wealth and style belied the upheaval of her teenage years, when her mother had died unexpectedly. Lily’s father quickly married a much younger woman, who wanted to consign her new stepdaughter to domestic service.

Saved by the benevolence of a neighbor and friend of her late mother, Lily was instead adopted into a new family. Augusta Ehrenfels took her in, giving Lily two sisters, Helen and Fernanda; the three soon becoming inseparable.

Years later, Lily, who had no children, would also lose her husband prematurely. In the wake of the devastation of the 1929 stock market crash, she sought the advice of financial advisors, who recommended an annuity to provide for her remaining years. But Lily opted instead to divide her full estate among Helen, Fernanda, and Fernanda’s daughter Patricia. This decision, her generosity, and her heirlooms impacted all the following generations of Ehrenfels women.

Eventually Patricia, as the only child to any of the three sisters, consolidated Lily’s jewelry collection once more, which seventy years later inspired the passion for fine jewelry in her granddaughter, Taylor Woś. The iconic pieces serve as the pivotal inspiration for the aesthetic and feel of T.W. Kessler Jewelry Atelier.

The modern brand bears Lily’s last name as an homage to her love of fine things and her outsize influence on her adoptive family. Taylor seeks to continue this legacy through the creation of iconic, timeless pieces.