In 1949 Bill Stuart founded two jewellery brands: Sarah Coventry and Emmons Home Fashions. The first was named after his granddaughter, the second after his wife, Caroline Emmons. Unlike other major costume-jewellery manufacturers, the company employed no in-house designers and did not produce the jewellery itself. Nor was it sold in shops, only at 'house parties'. Through a shrewd marketing strategy, Sarah Coventry grew into the largest seller of costume jewellery in the world.