Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Cufflinks and Accessories (503)

An elegant pair of Art Nouveau floral double-sided floral cufflinks worked in 20K yellow gold. The faces are very finely hand-chased with an ornate pattern of daisies. The high gold content gives the cufflinks are very bright yellow color and heavy weight. The connecting chains are marked with an illegible maker's mark and a continental European mark for 20K.

Origin: Europe, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 13/16" x 11/32". Weight: 7.8 grams.

A handsome pair of Victorian 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the oval faces set with navette-shaped cabochons of lapis lazuli within surrounding gold borders enhanced with foliate engraving. The lapis is of the finest quality—known as Afghan lapis—with a rich dark violet-blue color. There are very few of the gold-colored flecks of pyrite which actually denote a lower quality of lapis. The faces are attached with arched connectors to bean backs. The connectors are marked for 14K and have the maker's mark for Wordley, Alsopp & Bliss.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; one bean back has a very slightly flattened area that would be positioned on the inside of the wrist when the cufflinks are being worn. Dimensions: 3/4" x 7/16". Weight: 5.0 grams.

A very attractive pair of Victorian 10K yellow gold bean-back cufflinks, the oval faces featuring oval cabochon amethysts in a foliate-engraved borders. The backs are marked 10K.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: 5/8" x 3/8". Weight: 3.3 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.8 carats.

n superb pair of Aesthetic period 18K yellow gold and ruby double-sided cufflinks. The faces are decorated in a swirling pattern pinwheel-type pattern faintly suggestive of the curling limbs of an octopus. Each face is centered with an intensely colored natural ruby. The faces are joined with figure-eight connectors. The back of each face is stamped “18K” and with the unidentified maker’s mark “O.W.S’S.S”.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 5/8” x 1/2"
• Weight: 13.2 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.

A fine pair of late Victorian 14K yellow gold bean-back cufflinks, the front faces decorated with ornately fashioned coiled snakes. The gold surface is treated to the soft, semi-matte bloomed finish sometimes seen in Victorian and Art Nouveau jewels. Kirby seemed particularly partial to snakes and produced several different serpent designs for cufflinks. In Victorian symbology, snakes conveyed sentiments of eternal love. Each cufflink is stamped “14K” and bears the maker’s mark for H. A. Kirby & Co.

• Origin: America, ca. 1890.
• Dimensions: faces, 3/4" x 1/2".
• Weight: 4.9 grams.
• Condition: excellent; all original.

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.

A very attractive pair of Napoleon III 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the canted square faces studded with round mixed-cut rubies and old mine cut diamonds. The rubies are in the finest color-range, with strongly saturated, very slightly purplish-red hue. The nature of the inclusions in the stones suggests they are Burmese in origin. The diamonds are of similarly fine quality. The gold surface has a very subtle texturizing treatment that suggests moiré silk. The connectors are marked with a variety of French 18K hallmarks, including that of the guarantee office in Nancy and the “tete de Mercure” mark used 1840-1879.

Origin: France, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent. Size: 1/2” x 1/2”. Weight: 10.4 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, .128 ct; diamond, .112 ct.

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.

A very good and unusually heavy pair of Victorian yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the oval faces studded with rose cut diamonds and antique cushion cut blue sapphires in star settings. The gemstones are set in alternating rows for visual interest. The sapphires have vivid medium-dark violetish-blue color with excellent clarity and show no indications of heat treatment. The diamonds are lively with nice color and clarity. The gold is treated to the slightly matte Russian finish that was popular in better jewelry at the end of the 19th century. The cufflinks are unmarked, but are guaranteed to be at least 18K. Testing suggests they are more likely 19-20K, but definitely lower than 22K.

Ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 3/4” x 1/2". Weight: 12.5 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .24 carat; sapphire, .72 carat.

A pair of Victorian cufflinks in 14K rose gold, each face set with a faceted amethyst cabochon. Cufflinks of this type almost always use plain cabochons and the use of foil-backed faceted amethysts here is particularly attractive. The faces are joined by solid oval links. The backs are marked for 14K.

• America, ca 1890
• Excellent condition
• Faces, 5/8" x 5/16" (16 x 8 mm)
• 6.2 grams
• Approximate Total Amethyst Weight: 11.96 carats

An exceptionally fine, heavy pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces hand-pierced with an ornate depiction of a mythological griffin. The workmanship is superbly done with heavy chased detail throughout. The surfaces show a mix of polished and semi-matte finishes. The backs have an ingenious folding mechanism that clasps the cuff without being too obvious. The clasps are marked with 19th century French patents, as well as hallmarks for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1870. Weight: 14.9 gr.

An outstanding pair of antique 18K yellow gold cufflinks set with diamonds and rubies in the "Japanesque" style produced by Tiffany & Co. for a very brief period following the opening of Japan to western trade in the 1850s. Pieces in this style were wildly popular and always drew from traditional Japanese natural motifs, in this case chrysanthemum blossoms. Each slightly-domed face is ornately worked in a series of overlapping petals, centering old European cut diamonds and cushion cut rubies. The prongs holding the gemstones are fashioned as tiny flower petals--an element not visible except under magnification. The diamonds are estimated at H color and VS1 clarity, while the rubies are strongly-saturated medium-dark, slightly purplish-red in color. The rubies show no signs of heat treatment and are likely Burmese in origin. The faces are joined by chain links, and the backs are marked "Tiffany & Co." in the old style. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

The chrysanthemum was a symbol reserved exclusively for the use of the Japanese emperor and his immediate family. As a further nod to the Japanesque style, Tiffany chose to use gemstones in shades of red and white--the official colors of the Meiji Imperial dynasty.

Origin: America, 1877-1883. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 5/8" diameter. Weight: 11.4 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .172 ct; ruby, .367 ct.

Attractive pair of Victorian cufflinks, the lozenge-shaped faces enhanced with black taille d’epargne enamel applied in a diagonal checkerboard fashion. The space between each crossing of enamel is filled with a seed pearl. The overall effect is very sophisticated, with a strong graphic element. The faces are connected by chains to football backs. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, no dings, all original. Size: faces, 13/16” x 5/8”. Weight: 7.5 grams.

A stunning pair of Victorian 18K yellow gold double-faced cufflinks, each face comprising a large oval mixed-cut rhodolite garnet set in a foliate-engraved border. The garnets have the lovely reddish-purple hue so prized in rhodolites. The faces are connected by chains and are fully hallmarked with French “tete d’aigle” hallmarks for 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent. Size: 19/32” x 7/16”. Weight: 6.6 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 9.36 carats.

An extremely rare pair of 18th century silver double-faced cufflinks set with old European cut colorless paste gemstones. The crystals are held in place in traditional cut-down settings typical of the period and the faces are joined with the quatrefoil connector almost always seen on this type of cufflink. The backs of the crystals are foiled in silver to provider a brighter appearance. Cufflinks such as these are usually broken up into two pairs of earrings, so it is quite uncommon to find a pair in original condition.

Origin: England, ca. 1780. Condition: excellent, original patina. Size: 17/32” diameter.

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.