Catalog (2463)

An exquisite mid-century modern 18K gold and diamond necklace by André Vassort for the Parisian jeweler O. J. Perrin. The necklace comprises 47 butterfly-shaped graduated links, each separately hinged so they lie perfectly flat around the neck. The links are worked in the heavily textured style favored by Vassort. The center 21 links are each studded with a diamond so delicately set that it appears to float over its link. The diamonds are graded as E color and VVS1 clarity. The clasp is stamped with Vassort’s master’s mark and with French 18K gold marks. The necklace is presented in its original dark blue suede and moiré silk fitted box marked by the luxury jewelry house O. J. Perrin. Aside from Perrin, Vassort also created jewels for Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin, Cartier, and Boucheron. He also designed privately for Hollywood celebrities. In 1969, Van Cleef asked him to design and create the coronation crown for Empress Farah of Iran.

• Origin: France, ca 1960
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 17-1/2” long; 5/8” wide tapering to 3/8” at back
• Weight: 103.6 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.75 carats

A stunning Art Deco worked in white gold, each link set with a square onyx plaque topped with a cabochon opal in a milgrain white gold collet. Spacers between the links are set with onyx beads flanked at the corners with old European, mine, and single cut diamonds. The opals have very good play of color, predominantly in shades of green and blue with orange flashes. The links are fully articulated so the bracelet sits nicely on the wrist. The clasp is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: length, 6-7/8”, width 3/8” tapering to 1/4" at the back
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: opal, 6.36 carats; diamond, .70 carat
• Weight: 32.1 grams

A lovely Art Nouveau gold watch pin in the form of a maiden appearing within the ruffled form of a pansy blossom. Tendrils of her hair cascade out toward the edges eventually disappearing into the veining of the flower’s petals. The back retains the original clasp and a hook to hang a watch. The pin could easily be converted to a pendant with the addition of a bail at the top. The hook could then be used to suspend a pearl or other gemstone drop. The clasp is indistinctly stamped with a mark for the karat content, and it is tested and guaranteed as 14K gold.

• Origin: America, ca. 1910
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 1” x 1”
• Weight: 4.4 grams

An elegant Belle Epoque bracelet comprising links in the Louis XVI style, set alternately with round emeralds and rose cut diamonds. The gemstones are set in crimped collets that mimic the center of each flower. Each link is hinged in a way that allows the bracelet to drape nicely on the wrist. The clasp is stamped with French 18K hallmarks and a illegible master goldsmith’s mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7-1/2” long: 15/32” wide
• Weight: 17.4 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .10 carat; emerald, .06 carat

A nice Art Nouveau griffin pendant worked in 18K gold and platinum, the wings set with rose cut diamonds and the open jaws grasping another diamond. The pose, in a sort of near-frontal pose with detailed ribbed wings outspread, is somewhat unusual and makes a dramatic statement. The piece was originally a brooch and pendant combination, but the original pinstem was removed. The clasp remains and is stamped with French 18K marks. The pendant loops are original. The griffin also retains its original hook that would have been used to suspend a watch or a pearl or gemstone drop.

• Origin: France, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent; a couple of small dings to the back side near the hook
• Dimensions: 1-7/8” x 1-1/2”
• Weight: 6.1 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .20 carat

An extremely rare and beautifully made French Art Nouveau pin depicting a sirène (mermaid) and sea monsters. The rarity of the design cannot be overstated—for every 50 or so griffins maybe one mermaid piece turns up. The mermaid is depicted within a trefoil border created by the bodies of the writhing sea monsters. A garland of lilypads (interesting that the designer didn’t remember that lilypads grow in freshwater while mermaids live in oceans) preserves her nether region modesty. She is shown blowing a large conch shell horn that was used to calm the seas for favored sailors and to brings storms to doom the unlucky. The pin retains its original pinstem and clasp marked with French 18K gold marks and also with the master goldsmith’s mark for Alfred Rayat who worked in Paris 1885-1907. A folding bail could be added for wear as a pendant.

• Origin: France, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” x 1-5/16”
• Weight: 11.0 grams

A stunning platinum lavaliere and rose cut diamond necklace from the Belle Epoque (Edwardian period). The platinum chain transitions at the middle to rows of rose cut diamonds in millgrained platinum collets separated by knife-edge spackers that meet in a matching inverted pear-shaped plaque set with a large pear-shaped rose cut diamond. A second smaller diamond below exaggerates the pear-shaped motif. The plaque in turn suspends a rose of individually-hinged rose cut diamonds before terminating in another large round diamond enhanced with a halo of smaller diamonds. The diamonds have excellent clarity for rose cuts and have a bright white sparkle in daylight and warmth in dimmer lighting. The necklace is stamped in multiple placed with French platinum marks. The necklace is presented in its original fitted blue leather box lined in blue velvet and cream silk. Delicate necklaces suspending small pendants came into fashion in the 17th century and were named after Louis XIV’s last mistress la Comtesse Louise de la Vallière.

• Origin: France, ca 1915
• Condition: excellent; the spring ring clasp is silver; binding tape repair to box hinge
• Dimensions: 15-7/8” long; 1-15-32” drop length
• Weight: 7.5 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.53 carats (the face-up appearance of the stones is close to 3 carats)

A rare French Art Deco cocktail pick set (“porte-piques”) depicting Aesop’s fable about the raven and the fox. The fox praised the raven so much that the bird opened its mouth to sing and dropped its lunch right into the fox’s waiting mouth. The moral: beware of flattery. This set was likely designed by the French children’s illustrator Banjamin Rabier who enjoyed a sideline designing barware. Pick sets such as this were once a fixture on every Parisian bar counter and today, they can be used at home for cocktails or to serve small hors d’oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 5-7/8” x 2-7/16” x 5-3/16”

A classic late Victorian gold padlock clasp. These were used mostly for bracelets but could also be used with necklaces. Today, they are often worn as charms or in their original function. In Victorian jewelry symbolism, padlocks represented the unbreakable bonds of love. The padlock with stamped with the English 9ct mark, but the jump tests as 14K gold.

• Origin: England, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 9/16” x 13/16” (1-1/16” with jump ring)
• Weight: 2.0 grams

A very heavy late Victorian 14K rose gold watch chain completed with a matching t-bar. The curb link chain is completed with a t-bar, a dog clip, and a 1-1/2” length of chain to suspend a fob. The chain is stamped repeatedly with the Imperial Russian mark for 56 zolotnik gold (a tad purer than 14K) used 1898-1908.

• Origin: Russia, 1898-1908
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 12-3/8” long (dog clip to t-bar); 1-1/2” long (suspension bail to fob bail)
• Weight: 50.2 grams

A very rare pair of Victorian 14K gold bean-back cufflinks, the round faces depicting a young man and woman in Renaissance dress. The face with the man is marked “Romeo” near the border and the lady is marked “Juliette.” Note the French spelling of her name. These same medals occasionally appear in French jewels of the period. Lacking very many good Art Nouveau designers here, American designers sometimes commissioned Parisian jewelers to make certain elements such as the faces of these cufflinks that were later assembled in the U.S. as completed piece of jewelry. At others times, they simply copied the French version. The sharpness in the design, including the lightly stippled background texture, confirms that the faces were made by the original artist in Paris. The connectors are marked with Bippart, Griscom & Osborne’s 14K hallmark.

• Origin: faces, France, ca 1903; remainder, America, ca 1905
• Condition: very good, sharp detail, a small seam separation on one connector bar that doesn't detract from the appearance or utility
• Dimensions:
• Weight:

A 14K gold folding portrait locket in the shape of a lucky four-leaf clover. The leaves are decorated with engraved and brushed finishes to create the details and center an amethyst sphere set in prongs. The back cover is simply decorated in a brushed texture. The locket opens to reveal compartments with oval openings for four photos, making it ideal for a mother of four, or a mother of three who likes her husband as much as her kids! The interior is stamped 14K. The clover can be worn as a pendant or as a charm on a chunky bracelet.

• Origin: America, ca 1950
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1” x 1” (excluding bail”
• Weight: 12.1 grams

Art Nouveau 14K Gold, Mississippi River Pearl & Diamond Pendant/ Pin An elegant Art Nouveau daisy pendant/pin, the petals formed from elongated Mississippi River pearls arranged around a textured gold disc studded with an old European cut diamond. The pearls have attractive luster and the diamond is I color and VS2 clarity. The back retains the original folding pendant bail and pinstem/clasp. The back is marked 14K and is stamped with the maker’s mark for Crossman & Co.

• Origin: America, ca 1910
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1” diameter
• Weight: 5.7 grams
• Approximate Diamond Weight: .06 carat

A handsome 18K yellow gold ring featuring a row of three vivid green emeralds. The stones are simply bead-set with a bit of engraving to add a little sparkle to the setting. The crown and shank have a plain polished finish. The emeralds have very fine color graded as “very slightly bluish-green, medium dark tone, vivid saturation (vsbG6/6). Inclusions are typical of emeralds originating in Columbia. The interior of the shank is stamped with English 18K gold hallmarks for London, 2003. The maker’s mark is “GD&S” for G. Davison & Sons.

• Origin: England, 2003
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: crown 13/16” x 3/8”; shank tapering to 7/32” at the back
• Finger Size: 11-1/2
• Weight: 14.2 grams
• Approximate Total Emerald Weight: 1.43 carats

A superb 14K gold hinged bangle featuring a graduated row of oval brilliant cut amethysts with a pair of round brilliant diamonds separating each stone. The amethysts are of exceptional quality rivalling the finest Siberian stones mined in the 19th century. They have a deeply saturated violet color and show no color zoning. The diamonds are estimated at G color, VVS2 clarity and are set in white gold to further enhance their sparkle. The clasp is stamped 14K. The safety chain has a clasp so the bracelet can be opened fully for ease of putting on and taking off.

• Origin: America, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7/16” wide tapering to 7/32” at the back; 6-1/2” circumference
• Weight: 28.7 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: amethyst, 14.99 carats; diamond, .60 carats