Kensington House Antiques and Sterling Silver Kensington House
Antiques
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1332286
Kensington House Antiques
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A magnificent French Art Nouveau 18K gold and diamond slide locket, the front cover featuring a a fierce griffin clutching an old European cut diamond in its mouth. The beast is beautifully chased and engraved with a lot of detail in the feathers and fur. The griffin is presented against an ornately pierced Renaissance style background that would allow small peaks to show through of any portrait or photo enclosed in the locket. In Greek mythology, griffins were the guardians of the most treasured and priceless possessions, and its role on the front of a locket mimics that idea. The diamond is of equally high quality, graded as G color, VVS1 clarity. The bail has partially obscured French hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, sharp detail; a few small pinpoint dings on the back cover; no monogram. Dimensions: 1-1/16" diam (excluding bail). Weight: 14.6 gr. Approximate Diamond Weight: .24 ct.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1320408
Kensington House Antiques
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A beautiful Art Nouveau bracelet worked in 18K yellow gold featuring oval blue sapphire cabochons accented with laurel wreath settings and alternating floral plaque links. The gold is very finely worked. The sapphires have medium dark, strong blue color (B6/5) and eye-clean clarity. They show no indications of heat treatment. The bracelet is completed with a concealed box clasp. The clasp is stamped with French gold hallmarks used outside Paris 1847-1919. The maker’s mark is partly obscured, but we have seen the mark before (the goldsmith must have used a damaged punch, because his marks are always partially missing) on expertly-made heavy gold items with intricate piercing, often set with cabochon gemstones, from around 1880-1900.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3/8” wide; 7 -1/4” long. Weight: 11.5 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.6 cts.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1330774
Kensington House Antiques
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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.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1427050
Kensington House Antiques
$5,500.00
A fine early French Art Nouveau orchid brooch, the flower petals carved from banded agate around old mine cut diamond stamens, all set atop an elegant gold stem set with rose cut diamonds. The flower is a single piece of agate, finished with a matte surface to suggest the texture of a real flower petals. The carver left streaks of a darker colored agate on the back to create the delicately-colored veining that shows through the petals. The petal at lower left is turned back on itself to enhance the realistic effect. The reverse is stamped with a "tete de Mercure" hallmark indicating 18K gold that was intended to be sold abroad. There is also an illegible master goldsmith's mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1880
  • Condition: excellent; all original; a few tiny fleabites on one petal visible only with 10X magnification
  • Dimensions: 2-5/8" x 1-1/4"Weight: 10.25 grams
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .85 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1182896
Kensington House Antiques
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A very fine, beautiful Art Nouveau gold brooch featuring a row of three kittens sitting on a diamond-studded platform. The kittens are finely cast with excellent attention to detail. The cat at the far right appears to be licking his neighbor while the one of the opposite end seems completely aloof from the proceedings. The bar supporting the cats is topped with silver in the traditional style of French Art Nouveau jewelry and is set with antique cushion-cut diamonds of very nice quality. Interlaced gold volutes are suspended below the diamond platform. The back retains the original pinstem and c-clasp, both marked with “tete d’aigle” stamps for 18K gold. The clasp also bears an illegible maker’s mark. The back is also stamped with a serial number, “6044”, indicating it was sold by an exclusive jeweler. While dogs are a relatively common theme in 19th century jewelry, domestic cats are much less so.

Origin: France, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-1/2” x 1-1/2”. Weight: 16.7 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .675 carat.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1476641
Kensington House Antiques
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A very good French Art Nouveau 18K gold watch pin in the form of a mythological creature that appears to be a dragon with outspread feathered wings. The details are beautifully worked. The reverse is engraved to match the front. The creature grasps an antique cushion cut diamond in its jaws. The pin retains its original watch hook on the back. This piece could easily and inexpensively be transformed into a pendant with the additional of two pendant hooks at the wingtips. The back is marked with French 18K gold hallmarks, an illegible master goldsmith’s mark, and a design number indicating that the piece was made by a renowned maker of the period.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Dimensions: 1-1/4” x 1-1/8”
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .10 carat
  • Weight: 12.7 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1434557
Kensington House Antiques
$3,950.00
An exquisite Art Nouveau pendant/brooch in 18K gold with diamonds, pearls, and enamel. A lily pad, enameled in translucent shades of green, yellow, and rose centers the brooch, and is surrounded by whiplash curves of 95 round diamonds. A large diamond-set lily blossom appears at the top of the frame. All the diamond areas are set in silver-topped gold, as was the custom in French jewels of the period. The design is accented with pearls, including a pearl drop at the bottom. The piece has a brooch attachment, but also has a pair of small bails so it can be worn as a pendant. The brooch fitting, where the original French hallmarks would have been, has been replaced. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.
  • Origin: France, ca 1900
  • Condition: excellent, brooch fitting replaced, no enamel damage
  • Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 2-3/16” (36 x 55 mm)
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.9 carats
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1131596
Kensington House Antiques
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A lovely Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold floral pendant. The flowers are represented by small rose cut diamonds and a round brilliant ruby. The gold foliage is finely engraved in a naturalistic pattern. The brooch suspends a drop-shaped natural pearl with fine luster. The ruby, though small, has fine red color and excellent clarity. The pendant is suspended from its bale with a double chain. Fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-9/32” wide; 1-3/8” long (not including chain); 2-1/4” long (including chain). Weight: 4.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, .16 ct; diamond, .10 ct.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1910 item #1482506
Kensington House Antiques
$2,950.00
An elegant Art Nouveau bracelet, the fancy links comprising ornately twisted knots and set alternately with old mine cut diamonds and round cut sapphires. The diamonds are set in platinum collets while the sapphires are in yellow gold. The diamonds are H color, I1 and I2 clarity; the sapphires are vivid blue. The clasp is stamped with a maker’s serial number indicating a quality house, and the clasp tongue is stamped with French 18K gold marks.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1900
  • Condition: excellent, normal wear to tops surfaces of gemstones (not visible without 10x magnification)
  • Dimensions: length, 6-1/2”; width, 1/2"
  • Weight: 23.4 grams
  • Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .68 carat; sapphire, .84 carat
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1920 item #562286
Kensington House Antiques
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A wonderfully naughty Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold ring depicting a couple engaged in mutual oral stimulation. Victorian and Edwardian erotic jewelry is extremely rare, having been made only for the daring few who were willing to wear such things in public. Like other pieces of erotica, the designer was charged with making the object look as innocent as possible, only revealing its true nature upon very careful and prolonged inspection. Upon first examination, this ring appears to be a typical sinuous floral Art Nouveau design. Looking closely however, the design reveals a man and woman amorously entwined. Even the back of the shank is decorated with a pair of somewhat cleverly concealed penises. The ring is marked with French hallmarks for 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, very little wear. Size: 1/2" wide. Finger Size: 8-3/4. Weight: 7.5 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1296714
Kensington House Antiques
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An elegant pair of French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold earrings designed in a openwork pattern of irises. The flowers and foliage are highlighted with delicate engraving. The gold surfaces are enhanced with the soft matte texture typical of French jewels of the period. The wires appear to be replacements and are stamped with French 18K marks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3/4" 3/4". Weight: 4.7 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Cufflinks and Accessories : Gold : Pre 1900 item #1006471
Kensington House Antiques
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A fine pair of French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the double faces in the form of snarling mythological griffins. The details are beautifully worked. Mythological beasts such as griffins, dragons and sphinxes were especially popular in Art Nouveau jewels by French makers. Each cufflink has one face that is smaller than the other so that it can more easily be slipped through the cuff hole. Each cufflink is hallmarked with the French “tete d’aigle”stamp for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: full faces, 17/32” diameter; smaller faces, 17/32” x 7/16”. Weight: 8.0 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Cufflinks and Accessories : Gold : Pre 1920 item #439014
Kensington House Antiques
$2250.00
Very fine pair of late Art Noveau 18K gold double-sided cufflinks. The faces show a beautifully designed young woman's face stylized wisps of hair cascading around a porthole-like frame. The design is really superb. The connectors open so the cufflinks are easy to put on. The backs are marked with French 18K import marks. The rather severely stylized design suggests that they are of Belgian or German (possibly Austrian) origin.

Origin: Continental Europe, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Size: 9/16" diameter. Weight: 9.0 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Cufflinks and Accessories : Gold : Pre 1900 item #1476637
Kensington House Antiques
$1,250.00
A fine pair of French Art Nouveau 18K gold cufflinks, the faces depicting a mythological dragon with a scaly body and feathered wings. The cufflinks are very finely detailed. The back are stamped with French 18K gold marks.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: faces, 9/19” diameter
  • Weight: 9.8 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1476640
Kensington House Antiques
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An elegant Art Nouveau bracelet worked in 18K gold, each link is the form of a pansy enclosed in a scrolling border. The Victorian floriography (the “language of flowers”), the pansy represented the sentiment “think of me.” Jewels with pansies were often given as a romantic gesture or by the parents of a young woman upon her marriage. The bracelet is stamped with 18K fineness marks and an unidentified goldsmith’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1900
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: 7-7/8” long; 1/2" wide
  • Weight: 16.4 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1393875
Kensington House Antiques
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A striking Art Nouveau 18K gold and pearl necklace in the form of a pendant of chestnut leaves suspended from a cluster of chestnuts. The gold surfaces are entirely hand engraved with very fine detail. The pendant is set with a natural button pearl and suspends a second pearl at the bottom. The chain is enhanced with a series of tiny pearls, as well. Chestnut trees have traditionally represented fertility, but in Victorian flower language, came more to represent “luxury and abundance.” This style of necklace, called a “draperie” was a popular form among Parisian jewelers around 1900-10. The necklace is stamped with French 18K gold marks, as well as an illegible maker’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1905.
  • Condition: excellent; sharp detail; all original.
  • Dimensions: pendant, 1-1/8” wide x 3” long from the cluster of fruit to the suspended pearl; chain length, 15-7/8”.
  • Weight: 10.9 grams.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Cufflinks and Accessories : Gold : Pre 1910 item #1385576
Kensington House Antiques
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French Art Nouveau 18K gold and sapphire cufflinks, the triangular faces pierced in a decoration of stylized flowers and set at the centers with cabochon blue sapphires. The gold surface has a very handsome matte finish that allows the sapphires to shine. The connectors are stamped with French 18K marks and an unidentified maker's mark (SAS).
  • France, ca 1895.
  • Excellent condition; sharp detail.
  • 5/8" x 5/8".
  • 7.3 grams.
  • Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 1.04 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1466670
Kensington House Antiques
Sale Pending
A very fine French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold festoon necklace comprising three gold plaques exquisitely engraved in a pattern of roses and their foliage. The plaques are curved to create a "festoon" look, and are suspended from a gold chain set with natural seed pearls. The backs of the plaques are lightly engraved with a reverse image of the roses—a hidden luxury that speaks to the quality of the piece. Each plaque also includes stems with pronounced thorns, perhaps as a reminder of the selflessness of love. Victorian floriography adoped red roses to represent love from the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis. As she raced to the side of her fallen mortal lover, Aphrodite pricked her toe on the thorn of a white rose and her blood forever stained the flower red. The necklace is stamped with French 18K gold marks, and with an illegible maker's mark.
  • Origin: France, ca 1895
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: necklace length, 16-3/4"; central plaque, 1-7/8" wide, 1-1/4" high
  • Weight: 21.9 grams