Catalog (2433)

Very rare Staffordshire figural inkwell in the form of two birds nesting amongst flowers. A beautifully modeled and painted tulip stands upright between the birds. It is possible that the tulip was intended as a candlestick, because the quill holders are in the base near the birds' tails. Origin: England, ca. 1870. Size: 2-3/4" diameter; 3" tall. Condition: excellent, no damage or repairs.

Very rare Imperial Russian silver child's fork with vermeil and engraved floral decoration. In fact, I've never before seen a piece of Russian children's flatware. The maker's hallmark on the back is slightly obscured by the design, but the assayer's mark (AA/1895), the standard mark (84), and the city mark (Moscow) are very clear.

Origin: Moscow, 1895. Condition: mint. Size: 4-3/4" long.

A classic mid-20th century French silver tastevin of traditional form. The bowl is decorated with angled godrons for evaluating white wines and small convex perles and larger concave cupules for use with red wines. The handle, also, is in the traditional snake form. Up until the mid-20th century, a few silversmiths in France were able to raise an entire tastevin from a single Napoleon III 5-franc coin. The work was accomplished solely with the aid of variously-sized hammers which were used to thin and spread out the original coin and a series of other tools used to form the decorations. They can often be identified by the the exact weight (always 32.5 grams before the addition of the handle). Only a handful of master silversmiths were able to create a tastevin in which the phrase “DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE” (“God protect France”), which originally appeared on the rim of the 5-franc coin, was still legible at the rim of the tastevin. The last silversmith with this documented ability stopped working in 1968. The tastevin is stamped with the “Minerve” mark for 800 silver and with an illegible maker’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent. Size: 25/32” high; 2-3/4” diameter (excluding handle). Weight: 32.9 grams.

A rare composition Halloween candy container in the form of a three-dimensional owl, complete with glass eyes. The container is large enough to hold quite a generous amount of candy!

• Origin: probably Germany, ca. 1920
• Dimension: 4-1/4" tall
• Condition: very good, but some cracking along side seams and a flake at the back edge of the container opening

An extraordinary blue and white Chinese export porcelain beaker-form jardinière raised on feet. The quality of the painted decoration makes this one of the finest examples of 19th century Canton we’ve seen. The entire pot is heavily decorated in a naturalistic array of peonies, cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums. The upper border has a beautiful scalloped pattern while the lip is decorated in a traditional Greek key-type design. Perhaps the finest decorative element, however, are the feet—wonderfully shaped as fat sparrows with their wings outstretched. The detailing of the plumage is really lovely. The sparrows’ heads extend past the bottom of the jardinière to lift it off the surface. The inside bottom has the original hole which could be plugged with a cork to regulate drainage. Potting an item of this size was difficult, and there is a line around the inside bottom edge where the bottom pulled away from the sides a bit in kiln. The bottom also has a hairline that extends around 1/3 of the bottom edge. The hairline is stable and the jardiniere is perfectly usable. Considering the rarity of the form and the superior quality of the decoration, these are really rather minor distractions.

Origin: Southern China, ca. 1820. Condition: good. Size: 10-3/8” tall; 9-1/2” diameter at top.

A very good pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks by Alfred Dunhill. The faces resemble branches of coral. Dunhill produces the vast majority of its cufflinks in sterling silver and the 18K gold versions are very rare. The coral design, in general, is hard to find because it was made for only a short time around 2005. The cufflinks are constructed with the connector set off-center, so the link lies flat against the cuff. The toggle back is Dunhill’s classic small toggle with the company’s insignia. The connectors are fully stamped with English convention hallmarks for 18K and with the maker’s mark for Dunhill.

Origin: England, ca. 2005. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-1/4” x 3/4". Weight: 17.6 grams.

A very large and heavy sterling silver double jigger with a turned ebony handle by Quaker Silver Co. The cups are decorated with an ornate acanthus leaf and bead design reminiscent of Jensen and other Nordic designers of the early 20th century. The jigger is stamped with Quaker's hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, a couple of very tiny pinpoints along the rim of the smaller cup. Dimensions: 4-15/16" tall; 10-3/4"long. Weight: the silver portion is approximately 150.00 gr.

A pair of vintage sterling silver cufflinks by Hermes. The double baton faces are engraved in a tree bark motif and are connected by chains. Each cufflink is signed “Hermes†and bears appropriate French silver marks. They are also stamped with the silversmith’s hallmark. This is an early design that hasn't been in production in 80 years or more.

Origin: France, ca. 1930. Condition: cufflinks, excellent; box, excellent. Dimensions: faces, 13/16†long. Weight: 14.9 gr.

A very handsome Retro bracelet worked in rose and yellow gold links enhanced with engraving in a snakeskin texture. The color contrast is very attractive, and the links are made in such a way that the bracelet drapes very nicely on the wrist. The box clasp is stamped with Italian gold marks of the period and the goldsmith’s registry number 1 TO for Antica Ditta Marchisio (now Mattioli Gioielli). Founded in 1860, the house is the oldest jeweler in Torino, Italy, and was a maker for several luxury jewelry houses including Cartier.

• Origin: Italy, 1934-40
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 11/16” wide; 8-3/8” long
• Weight: 53.6 grams

Very rare pair of sterling silver salad servers in the 1888 "Rococo" pattern by Dominick & Haff. This is one of the company's most desirable patterns. The pieces are quite simply, enormous! The handles are beautifully decorated with an ornate floral pattern that is repeated at the top of the bowl and tines. The backs of the handles are simply decorated with a vine motif along the edges. The bowl and tines retain their original gilding. The backs are marked with Dominick & Haff's hallmark and the patent date.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original, no monogram, gilding intact. Size: 11-1/2" long. Weight: 276.0 grams.

Silver mounted agate sculpture in the form of a Kiwi or a similar bird. The silver is well worked and complements the rich brown shadings of the agate. The silver mountings are marked "P. Rata 833".

• Origin: Portugal, 1950
• Condition: excellent, some natural pitting in the stone
• Dimensions: 2-1/4" tall

An elegant pair of 19K yellow gold "Contas de Viana" earclips. The domes are covered with concentric circles of ropetwist appliques in the ancient Etruscan style. The clips are stamped with older Portuguese hallmarks for 19K.

Viana beads were modeled on ancient Etruscan jewels found in archaeological sites in Portugal. The circular patterns of filigree and granulation were thought to resemble the eyes of a partridge, bringing luck and protection. A Portuguese girl received her first bead from her godmother at birth. Whenever the family could afford it, another bead was added to the collection with the goal being to create a complete necklace—a circle of protection and good luck—in time for her marriage.

Origin: Portugal, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, no dings. Dimensions: 7/8" diameter. Weight: 9.9 grams.

High quality porcelain tea saucer in a most unusual design incorporating polychrome fantasy flowers with pink luster, probably made for the American market. The body is a typical Regency style with tall, sharply angled sides.

Origin: England, c. 1800-1820. Condition: mint. Size: 5-5/8" diam.; 1-1/4" high.

High quality porcelain tea saucer in a most unusual design incorporating polychrome fantasy flowers with pink luster, probably made for the American market. The body is a typical Regency style with tall, sharply angled sides. Origin: England, c. 1800-1820. Condition: mint. Size: 5-5/8" diam.; 1-1/4" high.

A nice pair of sterling silver cufflinks with an subtle Art Deco engraved floral motif. The solid connectors are joined to hinged backs. Each connector is stamped with Polish sterling marks and an unidentified maker's mark.

Origin: Poland, ca. 1986 (the pattern is likely from the 1920s). Condition: excellent; sharp detail; unpolished. Dimensions: 13/16" x 1/2". Weight: 10.6 gr.

A very fine pair of platinum, diamond and aquamarine earrings in a classic Art Deco style. The brilliant round-cut diamonds graduate from .20 ct at the top to .30 ct at the bottom. The diamonds are finely matched at H color, VS1 to VS2 clarity, with good to very good cut. The brilliant oval-cut aquamarines have fine color color, very good brilliance and SI clarity. The aquamarines are unheated. Each gemstone is set in a fully articulated mounting with a pierced gallery. The earrings have screw posts. Tested and guaranteed platinum.

Size: 1-3/4" long. Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 2.52 carats; aquamarine, 3.52 cts. Weight: 9.0 grams.

A magnificent vintage platinum brooch formed as a floral bouquet featuring three primary blossoms tied at the bottom with a ribbon, and set with a mix of old single cut, old Swiss cut, old European cut, old mine cut, early modern brilliant round cut and French cut diamonds and round brilliant cut sapphires. The center flower features a .83-carat, old mine cut diamond of fancy cognac color and SI2 clarity; surrounded by sapphires. A flower bud is represented just above by a prong-set .34-carat old European cut diamond of fancy light cognac color and VS2 clarity. Leaves are bead-set with mixed cut white diamonds, all in the E-G color range with VS1 to SI2 clarity. Berries are represented by collet-set blue sapphires. The sapphires display P2B zone 30 color (moderate purplish blue) on the Gem Dialogue scale and have VS clarity. The hinged double pinstem is worked in 14K white gold, but the body of the brooch is tested and guaranteed platinum.

The range of different diamond cuts in this brooch clearly indicates it was specially made to order for a customer using the diamonds already in her possession. Such commissioned pieces are often not fully hallmarked, hence the lack of a mark for platinum or a maker's mark. The quality of workmanship is superb.

The brooch is accompanied by a June 2008 written appraisal (GIA & NAJA) conforming to the above description and assigning a replacement value of $16,500.

Origin: America, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2" x 1-1/4". Weight: 16.3 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 1.84 carats (1.17 carats of fancy colored diamonds); sapphire, 2.1 carats.

Staffordshire pottery cup and saucer decorated in a rare combination of rococo brown transfer reserves with pink luster roses. The earthenware body is molded in a swirled pattern.

Origin: England, c. 1850. Condition: mint. Size: saucer, 5" diam.; cup 2-1/4" tall, 3" diam. (not including handle).