Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Cufflinks and Accessories (503)

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.

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 pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks designed by Soren Georg Jensen for the firm founded by his father, Georg Jensen. Designed in 1962, during his first year as the firm's artistic director, these cufflinks are a clear example of the stripped-down, modernist sculptural direction the younger Jensen wanted to pursue. Jensen's gold jewelry is considerably rarer than silver, and was often retailed by Jensen at ten times the price of the same design in silver. The cufflinks are appropriately hallmarked and have the design number "1091".

Origin: Denmark, ca. 1965. Condition: excellent, no monogram. Size: 11/16" diameter. Weight: 17.4 grams.

A handsome pair of sterling silver cufflinks by Georg Jensen. The rectangular faces are severely designed in the Art Deco style, with only a series of parallel raised bands as decoration. The solid connectors are attached to hinged oval backs. The cufflinks are marked with the pattern number 80 and bear post-1945 Jensen hallmarks.

Origin: Denmark, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Size: 15/16" x 3/8". Weight: 15.6 grams.

A very fine pair of Art Deco cufflinks, the front faces comprising carved natural green jadeite discs edged in black enamel. The jade plaques, with bright grass green coloring with moderate mottling and translucency, are carved in a traditional stylized floral motif. The faces are connected to yellow gold backs engraved with concentric rings in a target pattern. The front and back faces are constructed with identical structural elements, so they are entirely original. The faces are joined with clips so a face can be removed when fitting into a cuff hole. The faces and connectors are stamped with French 18K gold marks and with an illegible master goldsmith’s mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1920.
• Condition: excellent; no cracks to jadeite; a couple of minute fleabites to the enamel on one face; gold faces have light surface scratching consistent with age.
• Dimensions: front faces, 11/16” diameter; back faces, 5/8” diameter.
• Weight: 11.1 grams.

An extremely rare pair of 18K yellow gold and citrine cufflinks by the mid-century Brazilian jewelry designers Roberto and Haroldo Burle Marx. The Burle Marx brothers were particularly know for their use of colored gemstones fashioned in the "forma livre" (free-form) style. Haroldo invented the technique of carving and tumbling forma livre stones in 1948, and the style of the swivel mechanism suggests that the cufflinks are relatively early—probably around 1955. The gold sunburst setting of these cufflinks shows the design hand of Haroldo's older brother, Roberto. The citrines have a deep honey color accented beautiful by the shades created from the carving. The backs are fully marked with Burle Marx's hallmark and marks for 18K.

Marx worked in his native Brazil, and his only international boutique was at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. He was chosen by the Brazilian government to create gifts for visiting heads of state and their wives, including Empress Nagako of Japan, Empress Farah Diba of Iran, Queen Margarethe of Denmark and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India. In Hollywood circles, he was a favored jeweler of Merle Oberon and Natalie Wood.

Origin: Brazil, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: faces, 7/8" diameter. Weight: 12.8 gr. Estimated Gemstone Weight: 5.8 cts.

A terrific pair of Art Deco double-sided cufflinks in 14K yellow and white gold by Harvey Avedon. The front faces feature a white gold circle engraved in a pattern of off-center concentric circles surrounded by a yellow gold border. The yellow gold back faces are decorated in a matching pattern of concentric circles. The design is typical of the strong geometric motifs used by Avedon from the late 1940s on. He was a maker of fine cufflinks, lighters and other men's accessories. Avedon was featured by many upscale retailers including Tiffany & Co.The connectors are marked “Avedon” and “14K”.

• Origin: America, ca. 1940
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: faces, 3/4” diameter; back faces, 9/16” diameter
• Weight: 20.5 grams

A classic pair of heavy 14K yellow gold Edwardian cufflinks. The oval faces are simply finished with an engraved border. Cufflinks of this type are usually fairly lightweight, but this pair has noticeable heft. The backs of the faces and the connectors have 14K marks.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 3/4 x 9/16 in. Weight: 17.1 grams.

A heavy pair of vintage 18K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks. Each round face is decorated with a band of opaque royal blue enamel surrounding a collet-set round brilliant cut diamond. The diamonds are about I/J color and are SI1 clarity. The faces are finished with pierced gallery sides. The quality of workmanship is excellent. The bar connectors are marked “750” and have a worn maker’s mark.

Origin: Europe, ca. 1940

Condition: excellent, no enamel damage

Size: 5/8” diameter

Weight: 14.5 grams

Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .20 ct.

A handsome and heavy pair of 18K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with lapis plaques. The exposed gold borders give the cufflinks a modernist feel. The stones have nice, deep coloring with small flecks of pyrite. The faces are joined with removable connectors. Both the connectors and the backs of the faces are marked with Continental 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: Europe, ca. 1970. Condition: very good. Dimensions: 5/8 x 1/2 in. Weight: 14.7 grams.

A fine pair of heavy 18K yellow gold double-sided baton cufflinks. The unusual reeded end-caps echo the center ring on each baton, giving this pair a more sophisticated appearance than most baton cufflinks. The faces are connected by heavy chains. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: faces, 3/4" long. Weight: 9.4 grams.

A classic pair of Hermes 18K yellow gold cufflinks in the "Etrier" design. Each hinged end is in the form of a stirrup. The connectors are signed "Hermes", have serial numbers and are fully marked with appropriate French 18K gold marks. Etrier cufflinks in gold are no longer available at Hermes. The same design in sterling silver currently retails for $970. A similar design in gold, but with no moveable parts currently retails for $4750.

Origin: France, ca. 2000. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: faces, 9/16" x 9/16". Weight: 15.8 grams.

A classic, heavy pair of sterling silver cufflinks by Hermes. Each sphere is enhanced with multiple engraved letters, randomly arranged. The letters—“H”, “E”, “R”, “M”, “E”, and “S”—are those found in “Hermes”. The connectors are slightly arched so the sphere lay tightly against the cuff. Each cufflink is signed “Hermes”, is marked “925” and bears the French “tete d’Athene” mark for sterling silver and the silversmith’s hallmark. This vintage design is no longer available at Hermes.

Origin: France, ca. 1970. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: spheres, 3/8” diameter. Weight: 25.1 grams.

An elegant pair of Imperial Russian 14K yellow gold cufflinks, each of the round faces set with with a pair of cushion-cut blue sapphires and a pair of cabochon rubies. The stones are good quality, with intensely saturated color. Chains connect the fronts to torpedo backs. Each cufflink is stamped with the Russian marks for 14K (56 zolotniks) and for the assay-master Alexander Romanov, (St. Petersburg).

Origin: Russia, 1904-08. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: faces, 1/2" diameter. Weight: 4.0 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, .45 ct; ruby, .56 ct.

A fascinating pair of Irish sterling silver cufflinks, the faces formed from flattened spheres of carved rock crystal set in a silver band. The faces are joined with solid connectors to ball backs. The mountings are indistinctly marked with Irish hallmarks and also have a maker’s mark “RK”.

Origin: Ireland, 1971. Condition: excellent. Size: 15/16” diameter.

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.

A very attractive pair of silver cufflinks inlaid with various hardstones by noted Navajo artist Jim Harrison. The curved faces are inlaid with turquoise, coral, lapis, sugilite, onyx and malachite in a contemporary interpretation of timeless Navajo designs. Harrison is considered a pioneer of contemporary Native America inlaid jewelry and his work is held in several museum collections. Each cufflink is signed "Jim Harrison" and is marked "Sterling".

Origin: America (New Mexico), ca. 1990. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 9/16 x 11/16 in. Weight: 12.2 gr.

A very handsome pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks designed by Kieselstein-Cord to represent ancient Greek coins. The faces are decorated with images of horses, the animal sacred to the goddess Pallas Athena, and images similar to this often appear on the obverse of ancient coins minted in Athens. The surfaces and edges of the face a distressed and patinated to resemble truly ancient coins. Even the closing mechanism is designed in a way to suggest great age. Kiselstein-Cord made a small line of jewelry inspired by ancient Greek coins in the late 1980s, but the designs are very difficult to find now. Each cufflink is fully signed and marked for 18K.

Origin: Germany, 1988. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 25/32" x 21/32". Weight: 14.5 grams.