Marsh & Co
G.T. Marsh & Co. also known as Marsh & Co., was founded in San Francisco in 1876 by George Turner Marsh. George Marsh was born in Richmond Australia and when he was 15 his family decided to move to the United States. The family stopped in Japan and the young Marsh persuaded his parents to let him stay. They found him work with a tea import/export firm in Yokohama and several years later he joined his family in San Francisco. When he arrived he opened probably one of the first Asian art galleries in the United States. G.T. Marsh & Company: Japanese Art Repository at 625 Market Street at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. He was successful and opened branches in Coronado, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Monterey. In the 1930s the firm started to produce their own jewelry. These pieces were distinctive for their use of oxidized steel (which blackened the color) with precious gems such as jade, pearls, and coral. At the turn of the century the company was being run by the third generation when the business was closed in 2001. Sadly the jewelry from the past is rarely signed however the pieces are identifiable due to their distinctive appearance and use of materials.
