Catalog (2402)

A wonderful, finely detailed 18K gold pendant / brooch featuring a cat surrounded by an ivy-covered wood wreath. The cat has bright emerald eyes and wears a platinum collar with an old European cut diamond at the front. The pendant is finely engraved to represent the cat’s fur and the wood and foliage textures of the frame. Even the back is engraved in a wood texture. Cat jewelry is extremely difficult to find—this example is one of the two best we have had in the last 20 years. Stamped “15 Ct.”

• Origin: England, ca. 1870
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-1/4” diameter
• Weight: 18.8 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: emerald, .02 carat; diamond, .05 carat

A handsome pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. set with square cut sapphires. The cufflinks are fashioned in a sort of modified belt buckle motif. The sapphires have very good uniform color and show no indication of heat treatment. The backs are stamped Tiffany & Co. and also have the manufacturing jeweler’s mark for Larter.

• Origin: America, ca. 1940
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 9/16” x 11/16”
• Weight: 13.2 grams
• Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 1.0 carat

A handsome pair of 9K yellow gold toggle-back cufflinks, the faces depicting fox heads encircled by horseshoes. The foxes have citrine eyes. All elements are very nicely detailed. The backs are stamped with 9K gold hallmarks, the maker’s mark for Cropp & Farr, and the date mark for 1966.

• Origin: England, 1966
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: faces, 5/8” x 9/16”
• Weight: 9.6 grams

A large Etruscan style 18K gold fob charm an a crown form, set with emerald and round cut citrines. The gold surfaces are decorated with twisted wire and rosettes, and the lower portion has a Florentine finish with engraved details. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Origin: Italy, ca, 1955
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” x 1-3/16” x 1-3/8” (excluding jump ring)
• Approximate Total Citrine Weight: 37.4 carats
• Weight: 22.6 grams

A fine Italian Etruscan style 18K gold fob charm set with amethysts and pearls. The charm is shaped as a crown. The gold surfaces are enhanced with twisted wire and rosette motifs. The oval amethysts have nice medium color intensity and the pearls have good luster. The charm bears the maker’s mark of Figli di Vittoria Franconeri di Lidia (Florence).

• Origin: Italy, ca. 1955
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1” x 13/16” x 1-1/4” (excluding jump ring)
• Approximate Total Amethyst Weight: 7.99 carats
• Weight: 125.8 grams

An elegant Art Nouveau bracelet, the fancy links comprising ornately twisted knots and set alternately with old mine cut diamonds and round cut sapphires. The diamonds are set in platinum collets while the sapphires are in yellow gold. The diamonds are H color, I1 and I2 clarity; the sapphires are vivid blue. The clasp is stamped with a maker’s serial number indicating a quality house, and the clasp tongue is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, normal wear to tops surfaces of gemstones (not visible without 10x magnification)
• Dimensions: length, 6-1/2”; width, 1/2"
• Weight: 23.4 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .68 carat; sapphire, .84 carat

An elegant Edwardian bracelet comprising rectangular filigree plaques of 14K gold centering collet-set oval amethysts. The filigree is amazingly detailed. The amethysts have rich, saturated color and no zoning. The tongue of the clasp is stamped “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1910
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7-5/16” long, 1/2" wide
• Weight: 22.3 grams
• Approximate Total Amethyst Weight: 16.02 carats

A delightful late Victorian or Edwardian pendant in the form of a poodle jumping through a hoop. The wonderfully detailed poodle is cast in sterling silver and the hoop is 14K gold. The dog is fully three-dimensional, and the eyes are set with small pyrope garnets. The pendant is marked “14K Sterling.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1910
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-9/16” x 3/8” x 1-1/4”
Weight: 11.2 grams

An excellent late Victorian silver baton link watch chain, the batons decorated with niello in a checkboard pattern. The batons are joined by gilt silver curb links. Even the dog clip and bolt clasps are enhanced with striped niello. The chain is stamped “800.”

• Origin: Switzerland, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all niello intact
• Length: 16-1/2”
• Weight: 10.4 grams

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 lovely 18K gold bracelet in the Louis XVI style, the links fashioned as floral and foliate wreaths alternately centered with old European cut diamonds and round cut rubies. The pierced design lends a light appearance despite the bracelet’s substantial weight. The clasp is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 7/16” wide; 7-1/2” long
• Weight: 29.1 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .24 carat; ruby, .44 carat

A very fine 19th century 18K gold watch chain enhanced comprising a quadruple foxtail chain enhanced with two slides, a fob, and a watch key. The slides and the fob are finished with repousse decoration and cushion cut rubies. The fob also has an unengraved bloodstone plaque on the bottom. When the two slides are drawn close together they cause the chain to plait itself. The watch hook has a secure locking mechanism. This chain is particularly ornate and would have been intended for wear as a “gilletière” high on the vest so it could be readily visible to others. The rubies have vivid color are show no indications of heat treatment. The watch chain would look particularly nice styled with other heavy neck chains or perhaps even worn as a bracelet. The chain is stamped with early 19th century hallmarks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1840
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 13-3/4”
• Weight: 40.4 grams
• Approximate Total Ruby Weight: 2.0 carats

A pair of silver egg-shaped earrings decorated with ornate floral guilloche engraving below translucent golden enamel. The enamel gives the appearance that the eggs are constructed entirely of gold. The ridge around the center of each egg was left unenameled for color contrast. The upper half of each egg is set with an old European cut diamond. The 14K gold wires are possibly original, but more likely replacements. The bail of each egg is stamped with illegible hallmarks. Purchased in Paris.

• Origin: Russia, ca. 1910
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1/2” wide; 3/4" long (excluding wires)
• Weight: 7.8 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .06 carat

A very good 19th century French silver tastevin (wine taster). This example is the in Burgundian style with repousse and engraved grape and leaf decoration around the bowl, rather than the more typical “perles” and fluted “godrons.” The handle, however, is in the classic style of two snakes grasping an apple symbolizing the Garden of Eden and the temptations of wine.The handle and the side of bowl are stamped with French 1st standard silver marks (950/1000 pure silver) and an unidentified maker’s mark.

• Origin: France, probably Burgundy, ca 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3-5/16” x 4-1/2” x 1-1/8”
• Weight: 125.0 grams

A delicate early Art Deco gold chain worked in 14K white gold filigree. Each of the baton-shaped links is centered with a short length of ropetwist to create the filigree appearance. Marked “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 25-5/8” long
• Weight: 3.6 grams

Open the ornately engraved box to reveal a miniature record play complete with an album that turn and a moveable needle arm. The controls are represented by small turquoise and coral cabochons. The music box plays “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” a song recorded by everyone from Patti Page to Bing Crosby to Ethel Merman, to Micky and Minnie Mouse. The case is stamped “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca 1955
• Condition: excellent, music box in working condition
• Dimensions: 1” x 27/32” x 1/2"
• Weight: 22.1 grams

A elegant brooch worked in 18K yellow gold filigree centering a round brilliant-cut amethyst surrounded by natural seed pearls. The amethyst’s collet is enhanced with millegraining, as is the remainder of the filigree work. The edge is finished with a border of wirework rosettes. The quality of workmanship is superb. Filigree of this delicacy is usually only seen in platinum. The amethyst is moderately pale with a slightly pinkish tint. The back of the pin is marked “18Kt”, and there is an indistinct mark on the original c-clasp. The brooch could easily be converted for wear as a pendant.

• Origin: England, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 1-1/8” x 1-1/8” on the diagonal; 7/8" x 7/8" on the square
• Weight: 4.7 grams
• Approximate Amethyst Weight: .68 carat.

One of the nicest Retro buckle bracelets we’ve seen, this 18K gold and platinum example comprises a strap of honeycomb-shaped links set off with a large buckle pave-set with rose cut and single cut diamonds in platinum. The buckle’s tongue, frame and loop are set with calibre cut synthetic rubies. This bracelet has a particularly sculptural appearance. Rubies from the Retro period are nearly always synthetics because the usual shipping lanes from the gem mines of southeast Asia were cut off because of World War II. The bracelet bears French marks for 18K and platinum.

• Circa 1940
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions 7” circumference; strap, 1” wide; buckle, 1-1/2” wide
• Weight: 90.7 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, 4.5 carats; diamond, 1.0 carat