Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold: Art Nouveau (166)

A nice Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold signet ring that appears never to have been engraved. The shoulders are enhanced with scrolling foliage leading up to the oval face. It’s very unusual to find a signet ring that was never engraved. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, very light wear to decorative elements at the shoulders
• Dimensions: face, 5/8” x 1/2"
• Finger Size: 8-1/2
• Weight: 9.3 grams

A particularly lovely Art Nouveau enameled 14K gold flower pin in the form of an iris. The flower is enhanced with iridescent enamels in delicate shades of green, cream and purple. A 3-point old mine cut diamond is nestled in the center of the blossom. The flower petals are deeply ruffled and finely engraved for added texture. The back retains the original clasp, stamped with the mark for Whiteside & Blank, but the pinstem has been replaced.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; no enamel damage; replaced pinstem. Dimensions: 1-3/4 x 11/16". Weight: 5.7 gr.

An elegant Art Nouveau cross pendant worked in a foliate design of 18K yellow gold overlaid with a sunburst of milgrained platinum set with rose cut diamonds and centering a larger old mine cut diamond. The gold surfaces are enhanced with chasing to enhance the naturalistic look of the swirling leaves. The center diamond, .20 carat, is I/VS2. The remaining diamonds cannot be accurately measured for size, but face up at about .40 carat. Tested and guaranteed 18K and platinum.

• Circa 1900.
Dimensions: 1-5/8” x 2-1/2” (including jump ring).
• Weight: 8.7 grams.
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: .carat.
• Condition: excellent; all original.

A very nice 14K yellow gold man's wedding band decorated with a laurel wreath motif studded with bezel-set old European cut diamonds and round brilliant blue sapphires. The diamonds are I/SI2 quality and the sapphires have a rich deep blue color. All surfaces of the gold are fully decorated with hand-chased details. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp details, typical wear abrasions to sapphire facets consistent with age. Finger Size: 9-1/4. Dimensions: 1/4" wide. Weight: 6.1 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .2 cts; sapphire, .4 cts.

A stunning French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold necklace comprising three large and four small gold plaques ornately engraved in a pattern of daisies and foliage. The links are set off at either end with a fancy baton-link chain. The plaques are exquisitely detailed and even the backs are lightly engraved with a reverse image of the daisies—a hidden luxury that speaks to the quality of the piece. In Victorian flower symbolism, the daisy was used to communicate innocence, purity and loyal love. The necklace is delicate, yet has surprising weight because the floral plaques are solid. The necklace is stamped with French 18K marks and an illegible maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Dimensions: overall length, 17"; large plaques, 1" x 1/2". Weight: 17.2 gr.

A beautiful Art Nouveau pendant necklace featuring a drop centering an oval opal surrounded by a wreath of translucent green-enameled laurel leaves. Further enameling accents the bottom and top of the drop. The pendant also incorporates pearls that are echoed at intervals along the chain. The natural pearls along the chain alternate in shades of vivid, pale pink and bluish-white. The opal has fine play of color, mostly in the blue and green parts of the spectrum with some flashes of orange and red. The chain is constructed so the necklace can be worn at 15-1/2” or 14-1/2” lengths (it could easily be lengthened). The pendant is marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, clasp replaced, no enamel damage. Dimensions: pendant drop, 1-1/4” x 2-1/8”. Weight: 6.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: opal, 1.56 cts.

A lovely Art Nouveau depiction of the Greek goddess Iris worked in 14K yellow gold. The goddess wears an elaborate floral headdress punctuated with an old mine cut diamond. Her wings, in folded position, can just be seen behind her shoulders. The brooch is finished with a garland of iris blossoms and foliage. Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and, as such, connected the earthly and heavenly worlds. The back of the brooch retains the original c-clasp and watch hook. It can easily be converted to a pendant with the addition of a bail at the top. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail; the pinstem appears to be original, but is not gold.
• Dimensions: 1" diameter.
• Weight: 10.3 grams.
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .02 carat.

An Art Nouveau 14K gold ring featuring an oval carnelian cabochon set in a marquise-shaped surround decorated with a stylized foliage pattern. The 6x8mm carnelian has very nice coloring and good translucency. Originally a stickpin, a 14K gold shank has been added.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: crown 5/8” wide
• Finger Size: 6 1/2
• Weight: 1.6 grams

A lovely Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold pin in the form of a violet, each of the petals worked in soft shades of violet, rose, cream and green. The flower is centered with a 10-pt old European cut diamond. In the Victorian language of flowers, the violet represented faithfulness. The back is marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, all original. Size: 1-1/8” x 7/8”.

An elegant Art Nouveau 14K gold enameled flower pin with a full-blown blossom centering a seed pearl and a half-opened blossom. The petals are decorated in soft shades of ivory, green and rose iridescent translucent enamels. Delicate floral pins of this kind were popular gifts for new brides in the Victorian and Edwardian eras due to the sentimental meanings of various flowers in the Victorian flower language. The back is hallmarked by Whiteside & Blank.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent; all original; no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1-5/16" x 11/16"
• Weight: 3.4 grams.

A beautiful Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold locket, the front cover decorated with a maiden and songbirds. The woman has long, flowing hair in the typical Art Nouveau style, and wears a band of flowers at the top of her head. Groups of songbirds cluster on branches along the outer edges. The background is finely worked in a textured pattern. The interior retains both of its original frames. The back has a period three-letter monogram "GSB". Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail.
• Size: 15/16" diameter (excluding bail).
• Weight: 8.0 grams.

A very fine 14K multicolored gold pendant/pin in the form of a ruffled pansy. Each of the petals is subtly sahded from rose gold at the edges through shades of yellow and finally, to a grayish gold (possibly platinum) where the petals join. The surface is finished with a lightly stippled texture. The center of the flower is set with a round blue sapphire and three of the petals are set with old mine cut diamond "dew drops". The diamonds are small, but are very good quality (F/VVS1) and sapphire has rich violetish-blue coloring. The reverse retains the original folding bail and pinstem/clasp, and is marked "Pat." Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 1" x 1-1/8". Weight: 6.2 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: sapphire .39 carat; diamond, .08 carat.

Wonderful Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold stick pin in the form of a flying dragon. The coiled body is covered with finely detailed scales and the wings are detailed with webbing. The dragon clasps a small prong-set single-cut diamond in its jaws. The surfaces have the soft matte bloom or “Russian finish” that was often used in the Art Nouveau period. The pinstem is illegibly hallmarked. Tested and guaranteed 10K gold.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: head, 11/16” x 11/16”; overall length, 2-1/2” long. Weight: 1.5 grams.

An elegant Art Nouveau 14K gold enameled honeymoon pin featuring a diamond-set blossom enameled in delicate shades of iridescent translucent rose, yellow and white enamel set against a gold crescent moon. Delicate floral pins of this sort were popular gifts for new brides. In Victorian symbology, flowers could represent honey and crescents, the moon. Thus, honey + moon = honeymoon. The back is marked "14K" and has an unidentified maker's mark.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent; no enamel damage; all original
• Dimensions: 1-1/16" x 5/8"
• Weight: 3.0 grams

A very fine 14K yellow gold bracelet of interlocking floral plaques in the Art Nouveau style. Five plaques are set with round brilliant cut green tourmalines of particularly fine quality. The bracelet is finished with a concealed box clasp marked "RMU 585".

Ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; all original. Dimensions: 9/16" wide; 7-3/4" long. Weight: 21.8 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 5.28 cts.

A pretty 14K yellow gold created from an Art Nouveau stickpin. The front of the ring depicts a young maiden with a large flower tucked into her flowing hair. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: crown, 1/2" diameter
• Finger Size: 6 1/2
• Weight: 1.7 grams

An elegant Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold locket, the cover decorated with repousse decoration of a young woman wearing a diamond-set diadem and flowers in her hair encircled in a laurel wreath. The quality of workmanship is excellent. The old European cut diamond add a perfect touch of sparkle. The interior retains both of its original frames and glass covers. The front side of the interior also contains a fragment of alabaster with carving. It might be Egyptian or something equally ancient, but whatever it is, someone took the trouble to create a mounting so that it fits perfectly into the repousse recesses of the cover. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; sharp detail; two minor pinpoints on back cover; no monogram. Dimensions: 1-1/16” diameter (excluding bail). Weight: 11.6 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .05 ct.

A tiny enameled violet and a free-hanging baroque freshwater pearl enhance the dainty 10K gold pendant, complete with a curb link chain. Violets were used to represent the sentiments of love and faithfulness in the Victorian era. The pearl has nice luster that contrasts prettily with the colors of the enamel. The chain is marked 10K, and the pendant is tested 10K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: excellent; all original.
• Dimensions: pendant, 1-1/4" x 9/16"; overall necklace length, 16".
• Weight: 3.3 grams.