Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1632)

An exceptional pair of Art Deco platinum, emerald, diamond and onyx cufflinks by Cartier. Each face is made from a melon-carved emerald bead dating to India's Mughal Empire (17th/18th centuries), topped with a round onyx disk centered with an old European cut diamond. The emeralds, variously weighing approximately 5.94, 5.49, 4.53 and 4.20 carats, totalling just over 20 carats. The emeralds have a strong green color with natural inclusions characteristic of the Chivor mines in Colombia. The diamonds are graded as F color, VVS clarity. The faces are joined with removable dog clip connectors. The fixed mountings are marked with the workshop master's mark used in the 1920s and French platinum marks and are signed “Cartier.” The cufflinks are presented in their original fitted, silk- and velvet-lined, fitted leather case.

Jacques Cartier was one of the first European jewelers to travel to India and to acquire antique emerald, ruby and sapphire beads from the maharajahs. These stones were re-set in Cartier's Paris workrooms. One of the most important commissions using carved Mughal beads was a brooch for Marjorie Merriweather Post. That brooch features emeralds carved in the same shape as those in these cufflinks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1920
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: faces, approximately 7/16" diameter
• Condition: excellent; emeralds have surface wear consistent with 300-400 years of use as jewelry
• Weight: 8.4 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .24 carat; emerald, 20.16 carats

A handsome pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces featuring citrines cut en cabochon. The color is a deep amber instead of the more usual brownish-yellow. The cufflinks are tested and guaranteed 14K gold and are signed by George O. Street & Sons.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1/2" diameter. Weight: 10.7 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 22.72 carats.

A pin featuring three horses, each sporting a red enamel bridle by the New York maker Sloan & Company. The horses are finely detailed. The clasp is stamped with Sloan's 14K mark.

• ORIGIN America, ca. 1920.
• DIMENSIONS 1 3/4" x 9/16".
• WEIGHT 5.4 grams.
• CONDITION excellent; no enamel damage; sharp detail.

A beautiful Art Deco 18K white gold three-stone ring set with peridots. The setting is finely worked in an Art Deco interpretation of a classic acanthus leaf design. The workmanship is ornate enough that the setting appears to be a filigree mounting upon initial inspection. The peridots have fine coloring, clarity and brilliance. The center stone is 1.58 carats and is flanked on either side by a 1.10 carat stone. The shank is stamped “18K.”

• Origin: America, ca 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Finger Size: 7-1/4
• Dimensions: crown, 13-16” x 5/16”
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 3.78 carats
• Weight: 5.0 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. The word “plus” is represented by a plus sign set with a diamond and the word “moins” with a minus sign set with rectangular synthetic rubies. This example is in the original style with a “crêpe de chine” textured background and laurel wreath border. The back is monogrammed “MG.” The front is signed A.A. and the bail is stamped with French 18K marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 11/16” diameter (excluding bail and jump ring)
• Weight: 3.5 grams

A colorful pair of doubled-sided French Art Deco enameled silver cufflinks. The rectangular faces have canted corners and are enhanced with champleve enamel in bright opaque red, green and black. The chain connectors are stamped with French silver marks and the backs of the faces have an unidentified maker's mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1920.
• Condition: excellent; light surface scratches commensurate with age, but no chips.
• Dimensions: 5/8" x 13/32" (16 x 10 mm).
• Weight: 5.7 grams.

A beautiful pair of Art Deco double-faced cufflinks, the faces decorated in checkerboard fashion with diamonds and sapphires. The round brilliant-cut diamonds are estimated at I color, VS1 clarity. The sapphires have medium tone and are vivid slightly violetish-blue in color. The gold surfaces are treated in the matte Russian finish. The faces are connected by chains. The backs of the faces are signed “A E Betteridge”, a luxury jeweler in Connecticut since the late 19th century, and are marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent. Size: 1/2" x 1/2". Weight: 9.9 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .61 ct.; sapphire, 2.48 cts.

A wonderful Art & Crafts sterling silver bracelet by the Kalo Workshop of Chicago. The bracelet is formed of six plaques, each centering an oval buff-cut citrine. The plaques are somewhat diamond-shaped, with beadwork at either end, and are joined by double oval links. The citrines have very dark amber coloring, with superb evenness and clarity. The smooth domed tops reflect the faceted cutting on the bottoms of the stones to very nice effect. The clasp is finished with a simple domed silver cabochon. The back of the clasp is stamped “Hand Wrought Sterling Kalo”. Kalo pieces set with gemstones are particularly rare.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 7-1/2” long; 3/4" wide. Weight: 51.25 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 13.14 carats.

A lovely 14K gold Art Nouveau pin in the form of a bouquet of violets by Krementz. Three flowers on long golden stems are accented with a pair of leaves decorated with iridescent translucent enamel. Each flower comprises five dark purple enameled petals surrounding a seed pearl. In the Victorian flower language, the violet represented modesty. The back retains the original pinstem and clasp, marked 14K and bearing Krementz's hallmark.

• Origin: America, ca 1920
• ConditionL excellent
• Dimensions: 1-13/16" x 7/8"
• Weight: 4.5 grams

A handsome pair of 14K gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with dark green jasper plaques. The gold has a soft “bloom” sometimes seen on jewels from the late 19th century. The jasper plaques are deeply colored, appearing nearly black except in bright light when the green comes through. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1930
• Dimensions: faces, 19/32” x 9/16”
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Weight: 11.8 grams

A handsome pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces collet-set with jasper chalcedony cabochons. The stones display a nice variety of swirling colors in hues of rust, grayish-green and cream. The figure-eight connectors are marked “14K” and have Larter’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1/2" diameter. Weight: 8.5 grams.

A nice Art Deco 14K white gold bar link chain. The bars alternate with groups of three round links. The bars reflect light, so the chain has a pleasant shimmer. The clasp is marked "14K".

• Origin: America, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Length: 21-3/4"
• Weight: 3.1 grams

A nice pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with faceted disks of bloodstone. The bloodstone has nicely mottled red and blackish-green coloring attractively accented with a gold bars in the center of each face. The connectors are marked for 14K gold and bear the hallmark of Enos Richardson & Co.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 15/32" diameter. Weight: 6.8 grams.

A classic pair of very high quality 14K yellow gold double-faced cufflinks by Carrington. Each pair has one face centered with a round cut sapphire and another face with a old European cut diamond, both surrounded by a lightly engraved border. The quality of the stones is very good. The diamonds are graded at H color, VVS2 clarity and the sapphire are vivid violet-blue with eye clean clarity. The back of each face is marked with Carrrington's hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 9/16 x 11/16". Weight: 14.2 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .30 ct; sapphire, .25 ct.

A classic pair of Art Deco sterling silver stirrup cufflinks, the ends set with black onyx sugarloaf cabochons. This style of cufflink was popularized by Cartier in the 1920s. The cufflinks bear Swiss import hallmarks used until 1934, and are stamped "935" indicating that they have a slightly higher pure silver content than sterling silver.

• Origin: Continental Europe, probably France, ca. 1925.
• Condition: excellent.
• Dimensions: faces, 11/32"(15 mm) diameter.
• Weight: 10.0 grams.

A lovely Chinese carved green jade pendant in the form of a melon with a crane, leaf and integral bail ring. The jade has good translucency, light mottling, and nicely saturated color.

The crane, appearing along the upper left side of the melon's front, frequently represents longevity; the coins prosperity; and the melon itself has a number of meanings including fertility and plenty.

The pendant was originally one of several carvings incorporated into a very good 1920s Chinese necklace. Material of that age pre-dates polymer treatments and gemological testing reveals no indication of color enhancement, thus the jade is Type A.

Origin: China, ca. 1915. Condition: very good, no cracks, a 1/8" loss along the bottom edge of the tendril below the crane (could be repolished). Dimensions: 3/4" x 1-1/2".

NOTE: Other items created from the same antique necklace include Items #1350553, #1350538, and #1350547.

A lovely Art Deco white gold and platinum filigree bracelet featuring three diamond-set frosted and engraved crystal plaques alternating with bezel-set pale blue spinels. The use of pale blue spinels the color of aquamarines is a very unusual treatment in a bracelet of this type, and the overall effect is very pretty. All the platinum surfaces are engraved in a delicate foliate motif. The clasp is stamped for 14K and platinum and has an unidentified maker’s mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: crystal plaques, 9/16” wide; overall length, 8-1/8”. Weight: 10.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: spinel, 1.18 cts; diamond, .08 ct.

An attractive pair of Art Deco enameled sterling silver cufflinks in a very desirable colorway of white and lavender. The translucent enamels are highlighted underneath with guilloche engraving. The connectors are marked "Sterling" and also have an unknown American maker's mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Dimensions: 1/2 x 1/2 inch. Weight: 6.4 grams.