Catalog (2449)

An exceptional pair of Edwardian 14K yellow gold double-faced cufflinks by Carrington. Each of the cufflinks features one face centered with an old European cut diamond and on face with a round cut blue sapphire. The stones are surrounded by a band of opaque royal blue champlevé enamel enclosed within a laurel wreath border. This design is really one of the most elegantly sophisticated we’ve seen any of the classic Newark makers. The gemstones are of very good color and clarity. The backs are marked 14K and have Carrington’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original, no enamel damage. Size: 19/32” diameter. Weight: 9.3 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .18 carat; sapphire, .23 carat.

A very handsome pair of double-faced late Victorian cufflinks by Newark jeweler Bippart, Griscomb & Osborn. The faces are worked in 14K yellow gold and are decorated with engine-turned engraving in several motifs. The front face on each cufflink is set with a high-domed cabochon blue sapphire. The back faces match the engraved decoration of the fronts. The connectors are hallmarked for Bippart, Griscomb and Osborn, one of the leading Newark jewelers at the turn of the century.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 11.7 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 1.1 carats.

A delightful pair of Victorian 10K yellow gold cufflinks, each in the form of a canoe. The bow of each is set with a 4-pt old mine cut diamond (I1 clarity/K color). The canoes are fully three-dimensional and each has three seats in the interior. Marked "10K".

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: 3/4" x 1/4". Weight: 5.0 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .08 carat.

A superb Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold locket, the front cover decorated with a scene depicting a maiden in flowing drapery amidst a rose garden with Classical ruins in the background. A cherub reaches down to touch her shoulder. The upper edge is set with a fine 5-pt ruby of slightly purplish-red color. Locket designs of this complexity are quite uncommon. The back cover is engraved "Aunt Dora to Dora 1906". The interior is marked "14K".

Origin: America, 1906. Condition: excellent, one pinpoint ding on back cover. Size: 1-3/16" diameter. Weight: 9.4 grams.

A finely detailed cast bronze jewel box, the cover decorated with a scene of Don Quixote astride his horse followed by his loyal Sancho Panza on his donkey. The end panels feature bas relief images of Cervantes flanked by cherubs, and the back panel a bas relief of Don Quixote wearing an armored helmet. Cherubs and dolphins decorate the front. The interior is lined in a bright red velvet. The box retains its original key and the lock is in working order. Bronze boxes of this sort were often purchased as souvenirs of the European "Grand Tour". Often, they represent important architectural or artistic monuments or are related to great cultural figures such as Cervantes. The bottom is marked "Made In Spain" to accommodate British import regulations beginning in 1887.

Origin: Spain, ca. 1890. Size: 6-9/16" x 3-11/16" x 2-5/8". Condition: excellent.

A phenomenal Edwardian platinum and 18K gold brooch/pendant in the form of a caduceus set with 160 old European and old mine cut diamonds weighing approximately 2.90 carats. The principal stone is a square cushion cut, weighs approximately .28 ct, and is F color, VVS2 clarity. The smaller diamonds range F-I color, VS2 to I1 clarity. The diamonds are set in platinum over 18K yellow gold in the traditional French manner. The mounting is of the finest quality, with superb hand-sawn piercing and millegraining. This quality is further reflected in that the tiny portion of the bail that can be seen from the front when worn as a pendant is worked in platinum rather than gold like the remainder of the bail and the pinstem. The staff terminates at the top and bottom with a lustrous, slightly oval natural pearl.

The back of the piece has a pinstem that can be unscrewed and removed for wear as a pendant with the folding bail. The shape of the bail suggests that there was probably an optional comb fitting so that the piece could be worn as a hair ornament. The very finest quality and most expensive jewels of the era sometimes had various fittings so the owner could get as much use from a piece as possible.

The caduceus is the herald's wand carried by the Greek messenger god Hermes (and his Roman counterpart Mercury). It is sometimes topped with spread wings echoing the god's winged sandals. In contemporary usage it is the symbol of the medical profession. This linkage likely stems from the myth of the god Apollo sending Hermes to deliver his half-mortal son Aesculapius from the body of his dead mortal mother as her body was consumed by the fire of her funeral pyre. Aesculapius went on to become a healer and founded the cult of which Hippocrates, the founder of western medicine, was a follower.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-3/8" x 2-3/8". Weight: 12.7 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 2.90 cts.

A stunning Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold pansy pin enameled in rich shades of dark plum, violet, cream and saffron. The jeweler used a matte enamel to suggest the velvety texture of pansy petals. The flower is centered with a prong-set round cut diamond that adds a nice sparkle against the matte enamel. The back of the pin is marked for 14K and also has a maker's mark that we've not seen before. The pansy is most definitely a Newark or New York piece and is very similar to pansies by Hedges and Larter. Unlike most other pansies, the pin has rather substantial weight. The pansy was a popular flower for jewelry and in the Victorian language of flowers, it signified remembrance.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original, no enamel damage. Size: 1-1/4" x 1-1/4". Weight: 12.3 grams. Approximate Diamond Weight: .09 ct.

A very handsome pair of Victorian 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces fashioned as greyhounds' heads shown in profile. Each dog's head is nicely detailed with fur and a leather collar. The faces are connected to torpedo backs with chains. One cufflink is signed "A. Pospisil". Tested and guaranteed at least 18K, and more likely in the 19-20K range.

Origin: Europe, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Size: 9/16" x 3/8". Weight: 5.7 gr.

A lovely silver, plique-a-jour enamel, mother-of-pearl, and paste pendant in the German Art Jugendstil or Nouveau taste. The pendant is worked with very attractive enameled cells in shades of teal, cream and rose. German Art Nouveau pieces from the Pforzheim school tend to be more linear and symmetrical than those from France, and this piece is a classic example. The use of a collet-set mother-of-pearl oval is the center position is very typical of the work of Otto Prutscher, the leading German Art Nouveau jewelry designer. The back is marked "Depose 900" and is signed "HS" or "SH".

Origin: Germany, ca. 1900. Condition: appears to be converted from a brooch; no enamel damage. Size: 1-1/8" x 1"; chain 16-1/2" long. Weight: 6.3 gr.

A beautiful 18K yellow gold locket in the Art Nouveau taste, the front cover depicting a water nymph, her streaming hair entwined with seaweed studded with small rose-cut diamonds. Her ear is adorned with an earring in the form of a coral branch. Her head appears just above delicately rippling waves that high the word “Eau” for water. This design was part of a four-part series designed by Bargas representing the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. They are sometimes seen as buttons, but very rarely worked in gold and used as a locket. Like many French lockets of the period, this example opens by swiveling sideways rather than being hinged. The interior retains its original fittings and glass cover. The back cover has the slightly matte finish typical of Art Nouveau jewels and has a period “ES” monogram. The bail is fully hallmarked with 18K gold marks and with the maker’s mark (partially obscured).

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 1-1/8” x 1-3/8” excluding jumpring). Weight: 9.9 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .05 ct.

A very good Victorian 14K yellow gold stickpin in the Art Nouveau taste. The top of the pin is in the shape of a horse’s head completed with beautiful enameling. The eye is set with a small round cut ruby. The head is superimposed over a gold horseshoe studded with small old European cut diamonds. The gemstones, though small, are very good quality and provide a nice amount of sparkle. The back is marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: overall length, 2-13/32”; head, 5/8” x 5/8”. Weight: 2.5 grams.

A lovely set of six sterling silver demitasse spoons in the "Floral" pattern by Tiffany & Co. This lovely Victorian spoons feature a different old-fashioned flower on each handle. The tip of each handle is the flower blossom, while the neck is fashioned as the plant stem and foliage. The flowers represented are marigold, clover, daisy, iris, violet, and wild rose. The unusual elongated bowls are similar to those on egg spoons, and retain their original matte gilding. The backs are marked "Tiffany & Co. Stg."

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 4-1/16" long. Weight: 52.4 gr.

A very rare pair of Victorian 14K yellow gold cufflinks set with boulder opal cabochons. The opals have much finer play of color than is typical of boulder opal, with a preponderance of blue and green that almost seems to glow from within. The contrast with the matte brown of the host matrix is very attractive. The opals are set collet-set in simple frames finished with ropetwist borders. The outer dimensions of the faces vary in size by 1/32", suggesting that the mountings were custom-made for stones already in the original owner's collection. One opal is a little narrower and higher, while the other is broader and flatter. When being worn, of course, the size difference is unnoticeable. The quality of the opals suggests Lightning Ridge, Australia as the most likely source.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 17/32" and 16/32". Weight: 6.4 gr.

A wonderful late 19th or very early 20th century sheet iron weathervane in the form of a sperm whale silhouette. The vane is hand sawn and retains its old coat of oxidized green paint (may be original, but appears to be a second coat). One side still has its black painted eye. The silhouette is attached to its original copper mounting pole. Found in Maine.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: very good, old paint, light rust spotting around edges, welding of mounting pole showing some separating. Size: 15” x 8-1/2” (including pole).

A truly exceptional example of American Art Nouveau enameled gold jewelry, this pendant features a deeply three-dimensional waterlily enameled in translucent lavender. The blossom is surrounded by bright green leaves and another bud about to open. A pair of baroque freshwater pearls flank the blossom, and the whole is presented against a gold frame incorporating whiplash curves and suspending a freshwater dogtooth pearl. The pearls are of exceptional quality, with bright orient in rainbow colors. The pendant is suspended from a leaf-shape plaque. The depth of the design is amazing. The pendant can be removed from the chain and originally had a removable pinstem mechanism so it could be worn as a brooch. The mechanism is now missing, but could easily be recreated by a competent goldsmith. All in all, this is one of the very best Art Nouveau enameled pendants we’ve owned. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America (probably Newark), ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: length of pendant from the top of the leaf element to the bottom of the dogtooth pearl, 2”; width of pendant element, 1-3/16”; chain length, 18”. Weight: 8.2 gr.

A very nice Arts & Crafts bronze round tray with verdigris patina by Carl Sorensen. The surface is decorated in uneven concentric rings of darker and lighter green mottled patination, separated by thin bands of polished bronze. The outer edge is finished with a pair of cast handles in a pattern similar to Georg Jensen's "Blossom" design. Little is known about Sorensen other than that he worked in the Philadelphia area around 1900 and his pieces may have been retailed at Tiffany & Co. The bottom of the tray is marked "Bronze CS" and "Carl Sorensen". The handles are marked "1196".

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, fine original patina. Size: 13" diameter (15" at handles).

A delightful Victorian 10K yellow gold figural ring in the form of a genie. The genie's hands are folded across his chest and grasp a old European cut yellow sapphire. The use of a fancy color sapphire in a piece such as this is quite original. The stone is graded as very light, very slightly grayish Yellow-Green (YG 2/3). The ring's shank is in the form of sinuous snake whose head peers over the genie's shoulder and gazes at the glimmering sapphire. The design is just beautifully thought out and the detailing is excellent. The interior of the shank is marked "10K".

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail; wear consistent with age to the facet junctions on the crown of the sapphire. Finger Size: 8-1/2. Size: 13/16" wide at widest. Weight: 9.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 1.53 ct.

A handsome pair of Victorian 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with cabochon agates. The variety of agate is called “landscape agate” because the colors and markings resemble painted landscapes. These particular stones suggest colorful sunsets behind wooded landscapes. The bezel settings are finished with fine millegraining. The connectors are marked 14K and have an unknown American maker’s mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: 5/8” x 9/16”. Weight: 10.4 grams.

A very good pair of doubled-sided 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces made from carved mother-of-pearl punctuated with gold “stitches” and finely-worked laurel wreath borders. The backs of the faces are beautifully decorated in an engraved foliate pattern. The faces are connected by chains. Fully marked with French “tete d’aigle” hallmarks for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 6.3 grams.

An attractive pair of Art Nouveau 10K yellow gold bean-back cufflinks, the faces decorated with a repousse design featuring a lion’s head. The great cat’s mouth is open in mid-roar and the edges of the cufflinks are decorated with sinuous grasses that mimic the lion’s flowing mane. The backs are marked “10K H.”

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 1/2" x 3/4". Weight: 4.1 grams.

An extraordinarily fine pair of late Victorian or early Edwardian 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces in the form of navette-shaped buttons carved from crystal opal. The faces are accented with silver “stitches”, each accented with a five small rose cut diamonds. The opals have clear body color and the play-of-color is predominantly shades of green and blue with occasional flecks of orangy-red. The faces are connected by gold chains to gold torpedo backs. The use of carved opal as a button motif is most unusual, as is the use of crystal open rather than the more common white opal. The overall effect is subtle and very sophisticated. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: Continental Europe, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 13/16” x 5/16”. Weight: 4.8 gr.

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”.

A classic pair of Edwardian cufflinks by Krementz worked primarily in 14K yellow gold. Each face is formed from a carved mother-of-pearl disc set in an engraved platinum border and centering a cabochon blue sapphire. The sapphires, though small, have good blue color that nicely accents the irisdescent surfaces of the surrounding mother-of-pearl. The connectors are marked “14K” and have Krementz’ hallmark. The platinum portions are tested and guaranteed platinum.

Origin: America, ca. 1905. Condition: excellent. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 7.1 grams. Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: .68 ct.

A rare pair of Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold bean-back cufflinks, the oval faces with repousse decoration representing Poseidon (“Neptune”), god of the sea. The god is identifiable by the trident that forms his crown. The background at first appears to be a simple stippled pattern, but careful examination shows that the background is actually worked in a very fine pattern of fish scales. Mythollogical subjects were very popular in men’s jewelry at the end of the 19th century, but this is the first time we’ve seen cufflinks with the image of Poseidon. The bean backs are marked by an unidentified American maker and are stamped “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no dings. Size: 11/16” x 1/2". Weight: 5.3 grams.

Extraordinary pair of early Cartier cufflinks, the round faces featuring brilliant green guilloche enamel in a starburst pattern, bordered with rose-cut diamonds set in delicate double-milgrained platinum borders. The enamel plaques are engraved in a manner that gives the enamel a distinct two-toned appearance and are set into 18K yellow gold backs that are attached to one another with gold chain links. The chains have a spring ring clasp, so one face can be removed for ease in attaching the cufflinks to a shirt. The backs are signed "Cartier Paris" and have serial numbers. The cufflinks are appropriately marked with "tete d'aigle" hallmarks for 18K gold (the cufflinks predate the law requiring marks for platinum). Enameled Cartier cufflinks of this quality simply do not appear on the market.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, light surface wear to enamel visible under 10x magnification. Weight: 9.9 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.52 cts.

Exquisitely rare Art Nouvean plaque pendant by master jeweler and enamelist Eugene Feuillatre. The overall bell-shaped outline mimics the shape of the flowers surrounded the golden maiden at the center of the pendant. The flowers are worked with en plein enamels in subtle shades of pale green and gold translucent enamels, and are surrounded by openwork filled with plique-a-jour enamels in milky opalescent shades of pale rose and blue. Every detail is perfectly worked. The best of the French Art Nouveau jewelers believed that a jewel should look as good from the back as from the front. The back of this piece features fine hand-engraved details showing the maiden's flowing hair and the delicate veining of the flowers' leaves and petals. the back is signed with Feutillatre's cartouche and is marked with a bigorne (a 19th century French guard against forgeries) and the "tete d'aigle" guarantee for 18K gold.

Eugene Feuillatre was born in Dukerque in 1870 and began exploring enameling techniques at the age of 18. He was hired by Lalique to execute his enamel designs and continued that association until around 1898 when he exhibited to great acclaim at the Paris Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francaises, where the Musee des Art Decoratifs (the decorative arts wing of the Louvre) acquired one of his works for its permanent collection. By the following year, he was exhibiting regularly at the New Gallery (London) and the Libre Esthetique (Brussels) alongside jewelry luminaries such as Lalique and Fouquet. Feuillatre exhibited successfully at the international expositions in Paris (1900) and Milan (1902). Today, he is considered among the greatest French fathers of Art Nouveau jewels.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, absolutely no enamel damage. Size: 1-1/4" x 2-9/16" (excluding bail). Weight: 13.7 gr.

A particularly elegant pair of double-sided cufflinks by Larter. The round mother-of-pearl faces are centered with small natural pearls and surrounded with platinum borders decorated with laurel leaf engraving. The backs are in 14K yellow gold. The mother-of-pearl has very nice luster with pinkish and greenish overtones. These cufflinks would be especially appropriate to be worn with white-tie. The connectors are stamped with Larter's hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 17/32" diameter. Weight: 5.0 gr.

An elegant pair of sterling silver cufflinks, the faces depicting a long-haired maiden gazing at a star. The faces are hallmarked for London, 1902 and also have an unidentified maker’s mark “RF”. The faces were originally buttons and are now connected with silver chains to torpedo backs.

Origin: England, 1902. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 11/16” diameter. Weight: 9.5 gr.

An elegant Art Nouveau glass vase decorated with enameled poppies. The blossoms are worked in shades of cream, yellow, rose and violet, while the foliage is stained a reddish-purple and highlighted with complex lacy gilding. The upper rim is decorated with a band of stained and gilt flowers, as well. The vase is blown in pillar form with an optic paneled design. The workmanship is very fine. Unsigned, but definitely made by Mont Joye (also know as Verreries Saint-Denis and Legras).

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no cracks, no enamel or gilding wear. Size: 9-1/4”.

A handsome pair of Edwardian yellow gold cufflinks, the faces formed from barbell-shaped batons of green serpentine. The stone has an attractive semi-opaque pale green color flecked with black specks. Serpentine was often used as a substitute for jade. The gold backs are marked “9Ct”.

Origin: England, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: faces, 7/8" long. Weight: 4.8 grams.

A fine pair of late Victorian or early Edwardian cufflinks worked in 18K yellow gold. Each face comprises a large baroque pearl beautifully mounted in a variation of a buttercup setting. The pearls have fine, lustrous surfaces with pronounced orient in shades of green and rose over a light bluish-gray body color. The navette-shaped back faces are fashioned from plaques of mother-of-pearl set in milligrained gold borders. The mother-of-pearl is particularly nice, with luster and overtones equal to those of the baroque pearls. Because the mother-of-pearl faces are sufficiently large, this pair of cufflinks can be worn with either face on the outside, providing two completely different looks. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: probably American, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: front faces, 19/32” x 7/16”; back faces, 15/16” x 7/16”. Weight: 11.3 grams.

This unusual glass paperweight is filled with a devil’s fire motif worked in vibrant opaque shades of red, white and green. The glass of the design has a chalky texture similar to sulphides, but is randomly swirled and peaked in the typical devil’s fire style. The glass of the dome is particularly clear and bright for South Jersey paperweight. There is an incised ring around the periphery, just above the base, that is often found in Jersey weights. The base is concave and has a nice basal ring. The overall visual is very successful.

Origin: America, ca. 1880-1910. Condition: very good; there are three moons on the periphery, not visible from the top, and one shalllow fleabite that is visible from the top. Size: 2-5/8” diameter; 1-3/4” high.

A stunning cranberry-cut-clear cut glass claret jug with a hammered sterling silver collar and hinged lid with a palmate finial. The Aesthetic-style hammered silver makes are particularly nice counterpoint to the Gothic-inspired design of the cutting which combines tall arches of small diamond cutting divided at the top with elongated triangles of larger diamond cutting. The bottom of the jug is cut with a 36-point star. The applied handle is worked in clear crystal. The silver mounting is fully hallmarked by Martin Hall & Co., with a Birmingham city mark and the date letter for 1904.

Origin: England, 1904. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks to glass; no dings or monograms to silver. Size: 10-3/4” tall.

A superb pair of late Victorian or Edwardian 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with reverse-carved and painted Essex crystals depicting a cockfight. Cufflinks depicting a cockfight are quite rare. The workmanship in this pair is outstanding. The carving is deep and the painting is expertly done. The mother-of-pearl backing is particularly lustrous with fine iridescence. The crystals are simply set in gold frames attached with bar connectors marked "14K".

At the turn of the century, cockfighting was considered a gentleman's sport and images from fights appeared on a variety of gentlemen's accessories and barware. The images tell the story of the whole match. One crystal shows the roosters meeting for the first time; the second shows one rooster attacking; the third shows the counter-attack; and the final crystal shows the winning rooster crowing over his vanquished enemy.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; one face has very faint moisture marks on the mother-of-pearl, but no paint loss. Size: faces, 11/16" x 9/16". Weight: 13.3 grams.

A very nice pair of double-sided 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces featuring discs of mother-of-pearl surrounded by opaque white enameled borders and centered with small pearls set in platinum. The mother-of-pearl is very lustrous with nice overtones of green and rose. The white enamel borders are punctuated with small gold dots to relieve the all-white surfaces. These cufflinks would look especially good on a dark shirt. The cufflinks are unmarked, but are in a style typical of the better Newark jewelers at the beginning of the 20th century. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, all original. Size: faces, 5/8” diameter. Weight: 8.5 grams.

A delightful Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold slide locket, the cover ornately decorated with a rooster crowing at a rose cut diamond sun. The scene is completed with farm implements in the foreground and a view of wheat field in the distance. The rooster is, of course, a national symbol of France. Though most slide lockets were made in France, this example does not have French hallmarks. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; sharp detail. Size: 1-1/8” x 1-1/4” (excluding bale and jump ring). Weight: 13.3 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .15 carat.