Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1615)

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 nice 18K yellow gold fob charm in the Etruscan Revival style. The triangular charm is decorated with applied rosettes along the shoulders, and the faces and bottom are enhanced with wirework. Each side is collet-set with an oval cut almandite garnet, and the bottom features a large oval cabochon aventurine quartz. The garnets have strong red coloring, and the aventurine quartz has nice sparkle (“aventurescence”) from the green mica inclusions. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-3/16” long. Weight: 6.9 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: almandite garnet, 1.82 cts; aventurine quartz, 4.25 cts.

An extraordinary 18K gold and gemstone ring by H Stern in the brutalist style of the 1950s and 60s. The design ethic is evident in the jagged outlines, arching construction and jarring color juxtapositions. As with all H Stern jewelry of the period, the amethysts, peridots and hessonite garnets are of excellent quality. The gold surfaces are stippled for additional interest. This ring surpasses being mere jewelry, becoming architecture for the hand. The interior of the shank is stamped with Stern's hallmark.

• Origin: Brazil, ca. 1965
• Condition: excellent.
• Dimensions: crown, 1-7/16" wide
• Finger Size: 9
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: hessonite garnet, 2.16 carats; peridot, 1.83 carats; amethyst, 1.8 carats
• Weight: 17.8 grams

An outstanding 14K yellow gold and pearl ring in a sophisticated modernist the design. The split shank creates a flat crown enclosing a row of three pearls, graduating from 5.3 to 6.6 mm. The quality of the pearls are easily on a par with Mikimoto. The luster is superb, the color is cream with rosé overtones, and the surfaces are smooth. Overall, the quality is estimated at AA. The quality of the mounting itself, is likewise superb. The interior of the shank is marked "14K".

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: crown, 3/4" x 7/16". Finger Size: 4-3/4 (could easily be enlarged). Weight: 9.5 grams.

An elegant modernist long chain necklace worked in 18K yellow gold and featuring black onyx and green nephrite jade beads. The onyx beads are carved in a melon motif, while the jade beads are left smooth. The jade has even, lightly-mottled color and good translucency. At 33”, the necklace is long enough to be worn at full length or doubled. The combination of strong colors with the yellow gold is very chic. The clasp is marked by an unidentified maker “Ste F”.

Origin: France, ca. 1965-70. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: onyx beads, 11.7mm diameter; nephrite beads, 8.1mm; overall length 33-1/4”. Weight: 43.6 gr.

A very attractive 18K yellow gold fob charm in the Etruscan Revival style. The lantern-shaped charm is set with four oval cabochons of amazonite. The gold surfaces are heavily decorated with applied rosettes and wirework. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-1/8” long (excluding jump ring). Weight: 5.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: amazonite, 12.75 carats.

A large 18K gold, ruby & diamond love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“more than yesterday, less than tomorrow”), a line from the love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand author of “Cyrano,” in 1889. The word plus is represented by a plus sign set with a small rose cut diamond, while “moins” is represented by a minus sign set with small synthetic rubies. The medal is surrounded by a lacy Gothic-style gold border. Alphonse Augis began designing these love medallions in 1907, and the styles have changed over the years.

• Origin: France, ca. 1960.
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” diameter.
• Weight: 5.7 grams.
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .01 carat; ruby, .04 carat.

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 beautiful pair of 18K yellow gold and diamond earrings by Gucci. The earrings are designed in a sort of “knitted” ropetwist pattern, the tops sprinkled with round single cut diamonds. The stones are graded as I color and SI1 clarity. Both earrings are marked “18Ct Italy” and signed “Gucci”. The earrings retain their original posts and omega clips, and are presented in their original fitted Gucci box.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 11/16” long; 1/2” wide. Weight: 10.9 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .30 ct.

Elegant vintage 14K yellow gold brooch set with eight beautiful Mikimoto pearls. The pearls are, of course, of the very finest quality. They have bright white body color with silver overtones. The surfaces are very smooth and the nacre thick. The pearls range in size from 5 to 7.5 mm. The back of the pin is marked with Mikimoto’s hallmark and “K14”.

Origin: Japan, circa 1950s. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-7/8” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 11.0 grams.

An exceptional Boucheron cocktail ring set with nine round brilliant diamonds and thirteen round emeralds. The diamonds are graded as E/VVS1 and the emeralds have intensely saturated medium-dark green color and very good clarity. The emeralds are characteristic of stones from Colombia. The glamorous marquise shape is generously sized, covering the entire first portion of the finger. The stones are clustered tightly together so almost no gold shows from the top, and layered so the crown rises more than a half-inch from the surface of the finger. The interior of the shank is signed "Boucheron Paris", "Or 750", "51469". The exterior is stamped with the French guarantee mark and the master goldsmith's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: crown, 1-3/16" x 3/4". Finger Size: 6-1/2. Weight: 9.0 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 2.75 cts; emerald, 3.75 cts. Boucheron's exceptional diamond and emerald cocktail ring set in 18K yellow gold packs a punch of color and glitter. The glamorous marquise shape covers the entire first joint of the finger with shimmering gemstones. The stones are layered tightly together so almost no gold shows through and layered so that the crown of the ring stands more than a half-inch off the finger. The nine round brilliant cut diamonds have E color and VVS1 clarity, and the twelve emeralds have intensely saturated color xcellent cut and clarity. The ring

A very rare pair of heavy 18K yellow gold cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. designed as coiled dolphin-like sea monsters. The scales are highlighted with translucent blue champleve enamel and the eyes are set with cabochon rubies. The cufflinks are hinged and clasp together by inserting the creature's tail into its own jaws. The interior of each cufflink is marked "Tiffany 18K". There is no designer mark, but the work is very similar in style, quality and aesthetic to the designs created by Jean Schlumberger and Donald Claflin in the 1960s.

Origin: America, ca. 1968. Condition: excellent, a 1/32" nick to the enamel on one cufflink. Size: 1" x 1-18". Weight: 21.6 grams.

A nice pair of modernist 14K yellow gold and pearl earrings. 5.2-millimeter pearl studs suspend faceted gold bars that, in turn, suspend open-work gold spheres studded with pearls. Each sphere comprises a dozen 4.9 millimeter cultured pearls of very good quality. The body color is cream with rose overtones. The luster is bright and the surfaces are smooth. Each of the spheres is completed with the addition of prong-set seed pearls. The spheres dangle freely and exhibit lots of movement. During the late 1950s and 1960s, scientific knowledge became an inspiration for jewelry designers who began turning pieces like “Sputnik” rings. The arrangement of the pearls and the underlying gold structure of these earrings is clearly based on atomic-level molecule models. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-3/8” long; 5/8” diameter. Weight: 8.5 grams.

A wonderfully heavy vintage silver bracelet by Hermès. The bracelet has a triangular profile that stands well out from the surface of the wrist and a masterfully constructed so that it is flexible, but appears rigid when being worn. The inside edges of each link are parcel gilt, so the bracelet sometimes shows the slightest gold hue. This is probably the heaviest Hermès bracelet we have seen. The bracelet is presented in its original vintage fitted Hermès gray box. The bracelet is fully hallmarked with French first standard (950/1000 pure) silver marks and Hermès maker’s mark indicating it was made in the company’s own ateliers instead of being farmed out to other makers as was sometimes the case. The clasp is also signed “Hermès.”

• Origin: France, ca. 1960
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 11/16” wide; 3/8” high; 8-1/4” long
• Weight: 148.0 grams.

A lovely 18K yellow gold, diamond, and ruby love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow”), a line from the love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889. In 1907, the Lyonnais jewelry Alphonse Augis created a love token based on the poem. His designs changed over time and this piece is a classic example from the 1960s. The heart-shaped medallion is surrounded by a border of smaller hearts alternating with prong-set synthetic rubies. The front is signed A.A. and the pendant is stamped with French 18K marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1965
• Condition: very good
• Dimensions: 7/8” x 7/8” (excluding bail and jump ring)
• Weight: 4.7 grams

A heavy pair of mid-century double-sided cufflinks, the faces woven from gold rope. The overall look is similar to the Parisian work of Georges Lenfant. The back faces are smaller for ease in putting them through the cuff. The faces are joined by figure-8 connectors stamped “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1965
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: larger faces, 1/2” x 1/2" x 1/2”; smaller faces 3/8” x 3/8” x 3/8”
• Weight: 23.4 grams

Very stylish vintage 14K yellow gold brooch by Tiffany & Co. The simple flowing design will nicely accent a business suit or a little black dress. The back is marked "Tiffany & Co. 14K Germany". Ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-5/16" x 5/8". Weight: 4.0 grams.

A particularly attractive large Italian 18K yellow gold fob charm in the Venetian Etruscan style. The lantern-shaped charm is set with four large blue chalcedony oval cabochons. The use chalcedony is rather unusual in these pendant/charms and the rich blue color is especially nice against the gold. NOTE: The blue in the photos are more intense than the actual subtle violet-blue color of the stones. The gold surfaces are enhanced with applied rosettes, beading and twisted wire decoration. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 15/16" x 1-1/2". Weight: 11.7 gr.