Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Cufflinks and Accessories: Gold (429)

A beautiful pair of French 18K yellow gold double-faced cufflinks, the round faces decorated with deep green guilloche enamel bordered in opaque white champleve enamel. The gold surfaces under the translucent enamel are decorated with engine-turned engraving in a pattern of concentric circles studded with small dots in a starburst or snowflake arrangement. The faces are joined with the original chain connectors. The backs are stamped with French “tete d’aigle” hallmarks for 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, very slight surface wear to enamel visible under 10x magnification. Size: 5/8” diameter. Weight: 11.0 grams.

A nice pair of French Art Deco cufflinks, the faces made from lapidary-cut lapis lazuli simply set in 18K yellow gold. The lapis has nice coloring with small flecks of gold. The faces are connected with chains to torpedo backs. The cufflinks are fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1920. Condition: good; all original; both torpedoes have some small dings that are not particularly distracting. Size: faces, 1/2" diameter. Weight: 6.2 grams.

A classic pair of French 18K yellow gold cufflinks in a variation of the "mors de filet" or "snaffle" design originally created for Hermès by Gaetan de Percin. Each of the flip-up ends is pierced in a diamond-cut design. De Percin's design was very popular and served as the basis for a number of closely related designs. These cufflinks are stamped with French 18K marks, an unidentified goldsmith’s mark and the notation for "breveté", indicating that the design was patented.

Origin: France, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: faces, 5/8 x 11/32". Weight: 12.7 gr.

A handsome pair of French Art Deco cufflinks, the faces worked in platinum centering sugarloaf cabochons of moonstone surrounded by rose cut diamonds. The moonstones have matte finish more often used with rock crystal, and the underlying, bright, billowy adularescence creates a very attractive effect. At some point, 18K white gold backs and connecting chains were added. Though there are no maker's marks to substantiate it, the overall quality of design and execution suggests an important maker such as Cartier.

Origin: France, ca. 1915. Condition: faces, excellent; replaced connecting chains and backs. Dimensions: faces, 1/2" x 1/2". Weight: 7.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: moonstone, 5.8 cts; diamond, .60 cts.

Superb and very rare pair of French Art Deco platinum double-sided cufflinks, the faces fashioned from rock crystal and set with diamonds. The rock crystal is carved into a faceted open-centered square design with canted corners, the opposite sides bisected by platinum bands set with baguette diamonds. The diamonds are of exceptionally good quality with E color and VVS2 to IF clarity. The faces are joined by chain connectors with a spring ring to ease in putting them through a cuff. The cufflinks are fully marked with French hallmarks for platinum and have an illegible maker's mark and an illegible signature (only "France" is visible).

Origin: France, ca. 1920. Condition: very good. Size: faces, 1/2" x 1/2". Weight: 7.4 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .80 ct.

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.

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.

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

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.

A fine pair of French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold cufflinks in the form of sinuously curved griffins. Mythological creatures such as griffins and dragons were a particularly popular subject matter for French jewelers of the era. The creatures are finely worked with excellent detail to the scales and other features. The chain connectors are fully hallmarked with French 18K hallmarks and with an unidentified maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: 9/16" x 7/16". Weight: 9.5 grams.

An extraordinary pair of French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold enameled cufflinks, the faces featuring flowers bearing a secret message. In Victorian symbology, the daisy represented "innocence" or "purity", whereas the red poppy meant "pleasure". Taken together, the choice of flowers in these cufflinks was certainly intended to convey an erotic sentiment. The faces are beautifully hand-pierced and highlighted with translucent enamels in delicate shades of green, rosy red and whitish-yellow. The exposed areas of gold are worked in the semi-matte Russian finish popular in better quality Art Nouveau jewels. Each face is marked with the "tete d'aigle" for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent; a couple of extremely minor enamel flakes under magnification. Dimensions: 9/16" diameter. Weight: 10.8 grams.

An elegant pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks in a style blending elements of Aesthetic and Art Nouveau design. The round faces are decorated with a finely-pierced design of grapevines complete with clusters of fruit. The faces are joined by chains to torpedo backs. These would be a wonderful gift for the true wine lover and connoisseur. Fully marked with French hallmarks for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent; sharp detail. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 5.8 grams.

A pair of handsome 18K yellow gold cufflinks designed in an Art Nouveau interpretation of Gothic Revival. The heavy pierced front faces are reminiscent of the ornate carved stone bosses at the interesections of the ceiling ribs in a Gothic vaulted ceiling, while the back faces are pure Art Nouveau with whiplash curves. The pairing makes for a very attractive combination. The backs of the faces and the chains are stamped with French 18K marks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: front faces, 5/8" x 5/8"; back faces, 1/4" x 7/8". Weight: 9.3 gr.

A handsome pair of Retro 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces bordered with an interesting detail that resembles coil springs. The plain gold bar in the middle of each face could be monogrammed, but fortunately, they never were. Each cufflink is fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks and an unidentified master goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1935. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: faces, 7/16” 3/8”. Weight: 6.9 grams.

A fine pair of modernist 18K yellow gold cufflinks designed by Georges Lenfant for Mauboussin. The faces are designed as four interlocking squares decorated with three types of surface treatment--high polish, florentine engraving, and wood-textured engraving. The hinged backs are finished with florentine engraving. The connectors are signed "Mauboussin Paris" and have serial numbers, French 18K marks and the master goldsmith's mark for Georges Lenfant.

Georges Lenfant was one of the most important Parisian jewelers of the 20th century, supplying pieces to Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Hermès, Mellerio and Maubousssin. The French national prize for young jewelers is named for him and his son Jacques.

Origin: France, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: front faces, 1/2" x 1/2". Weight: 15.6 gr.

A fine pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the octagonal faces decorated in black and white opaque champlevé enamel. The cufflinks have a very graphic appeal. The backs are stamped with the 14K hallmark for George O. Street & Sons, one of New York’s leading manufacturing jewelers and a supplier of cufflinks and other jewelry to Tiffany & Co. The backs are marked with Street’s 14K hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent; all original; no enamel chips or cracks. Dimensions: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 10.5 gr.

A striking pair of double-sided cufflinks made from Georgian cut steel and garnet buttons joined with 15K yellow gold chains. The garnets have very attractive medium-bright purplish-red coloring that contrasts nicely with bright sparkle of the cut steel “gems.” The garnet cabochons are held in place with fleur-de-lis shaped prongs. The faceting style of the steel indicates they were made in an earlier period, likely no later than 1790. The connecting chains have spring rings, so one face of each link can be removed for ease in placing the cuff hole. One of the spring rings is 9K and the other is gold-filled. They can easily be replaced with 14K by any jeweler. The back of one face has a worn engraving and the date 1871—probably they year the chains were added to the then 100 year-old buttons.

Origin: England, ca. 1770/1871. Condition: very good. Dimensions: 9/16” diameter. Approximate Total Garnet Weight: 30.7 cts.

A very rare early pair of double-sided cufflinks, the navette-shaped faces centered with Persian turquoise cabochons surrounded by borders of rose cut diamonds set in silver. The faces are joined with 15K yellow gold chains. Diamonds in Georgian jewelry are nearly always set in silver, as they are in this case. The silver’s light color brings out the glitter of the rose cut diamonds and also nicely accents the rich color of the turquoise. The diamonds are set in an open back “a jour” setting that was developed toward the end of the 18th century, but was not commonly used until the early Victorian era. The extra-long chains suggest that the cufflinks were probably intended for use on the cuffs of a coat, rather than a shirt, to accommodate the thick folds of velvet or brocade fabric. Tested and guaranteed 15K gold.

Origin: England, ca. 1800. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: faces, 1/2" x 5/16”. Weight: 5.5 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .80 carat; turquoise, 3.96 cts.