Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1615)

A gorgeous early Victorian demi-parure consisting of a brooch and pair of earrings. Concave round white chalcedony discs are encircled in 18K yellow gold settings accented with black enamel. The center of each chalcedony disc is set with a delicately carved coral flower reminiscent of a pansy, which is, in turn, set with a natural half-pearl in a star-shaped gold mounting. The strong color contrast is very attractive. The earrings, especially, show the translucent quality of the chalcedony to great effect. The brooch retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp, and the earrings retain their original wires and c-clasps. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Ca. 1840. Condition: excellent, all original, no damage. Size: brooch, 1-5/16” diameter; earrings, 13/16” diameter, 1-3/8” long to top of earwire.

A delicate Edwardian 14K yellow gold bangle bracelet set with square cut amethysts and pearls. The gemstones are separated by openwork gold in an interlaced heart pattern that lends a very lacy quality The use of amethyst is somewhat uncommon in a bangle from this period. The interior bears the 14K gold mark for Alling & Co.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original, no dings
• Dimensions: 1/4" wide; 7” interior circumference
• Weight: 9.2 grams
• Approximate Amethyst Weight: 1.12 carats

A handsome pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, each face enhanced with “quilted” engraving studded with round brilliant cut diamonds and sapphires. Cufflinks in this design are often marked “Tiffany & Co.” They were made by one of the Newark jewelers such as Larter for retail at Tiffany’s New York store. They always have generous weight and use high-quality gemstones. Sometimes, as in this case, they are marked only “14K”.

• Origin: America, ca. 1940.
• Condition: excellent; all original.
• Dimensions: faces, 1/2" x 1/2”.
• Weight: 11.6 grams.
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .18 carat; sapphire, .80 carat.

A large 18K yellow gold Sputnik ring by H Stern. The dome is bezel-set with round amethysts, citrines, aquamarines, peridots, green tourmalines, pink tourmalines and garnets. The Sputnik design was created in the 1950’s to highlight the range of colored gemstones available from Stern’s Brazilian mines. It later came to be called “Sputnik” for its resemblance to the spiky Soviet satellite launched in 1957. Each piece has a unique appearance depending on the specific colors of the stones and their arrangement. The dome is tested and guaranteed 18K. The shank is a 14K replacement.

• Brazil, ca 1955.
• Conditions: excellent; replaced shank.
• Dimensions: dome, 1” diameter
• Size: 7
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 7.79 carats.
• 6.6 grams

A delightful Retro period 14K gold charm or pendant depicting "Thursday's Child" by William Ruser. The charm is finely detailed. According to the poem, Thursday's Child has "far to go" so Ruser depicted the naked child walking along a natural freshwater pearl carrying a traveling sack of belongings. The use of freshwater pearl is a classic Ruser touch. The child's eyes are set with blue sapphires. The back is signed and is marked "14K."

Ruser, the formost Beverly Hills jewelry of his time, was a favorite of Loretta Young and Joan Crawford. He is best know for his depictions of dogs (particularly poodles) and waif-like children in various poses.

• Origin: America, ca. 1945
• Condition: excellent; all original
• Dimensions: 1-5/16" x 1-5/8" (excluding bail)
• Weight: 15.8 grams

A heavy pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the oval faces simply enhanced with parallel line engraving and joined by an ingenious swivel mechanism. We’ve never before seen this particular form of closure. The faces are slightly convex rather than being entirely flat, thus accounting for the unexpectedly heavy weight. The cufflinks are stamped with “585” for 14K gold and with French import marks. There is also an unidentified, but likely European, maker’s mark.

Origin: Europe, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent; sharp detail; all original. Dimensions: faces, 1/2 x 5/8 in. Weight: 13.5 gr.

A beautiful 18K rose gold pendant set with an array of brilliant round-cut colored gems including green tourmaline, peridot, aquamarine, garnet, green beryl, citrine and pink topaz. The gems are arranged in a circle around the central peridot set in a multi-level buttercup setting. The rosy shade of the gold contrasts beautifully with the rich colors of the gemstones. Although it is not signed, we feel strongly that this piece was created by H Stern, around the same time as the iconic "Sputnik" line was introduced. These jewels featured the wide array of gems to be found in Stern's Brazilian mines. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Brazil, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1-1/8" diameter (excluding bail and jump ring). Weight: 9.9 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 6.96 carats.

A classic pair of Art Deco 18K gold and lapis cufflinks by Gaetan de Percin, the jeweler responsible for most of the classic Hermes jewelry designs in the 1930s and 40s. This design is from that era. The ends of the batons are set with lapis cabochons in the deep violet-blue color sometimes referred to as "Afghan". The connectors are slightly arched to draw the cuffs close together. Aside from Hermes, de Percin created jewelry for Carter, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Chanel, Dior and Boucheron. The connects are stamped with de Percin's hallmark and the guarantee marks for 18K.

• Origin: France, ca. 1935
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: faces, 13/16" long
• Weight: 13.1 grams.

The 18K yellow gold anchor pendant shines as it dangles from the steel cable bar-link chain with gold accents. The combination of materials makes the necklace appropriate for wear in the day or evening. The design was part of the "Flavia" line from the renowned Italian jeweler, UnoAErre The pendant is marked "Flavia" and is stamped with Italian hallmarks and the maker's mark. The clasp is also hallmarked and bears the retailer's mark for Carrazza, a luxury jeweler in the yacht basin area of Ft. Lauderdale that specializes in jewelry by European designers whose work is not widely available in North America.

• Origin: Italy, 1987.
• Condition: excellent.
• Dimensions: pendant, 1-3/16 x 15/16"; necklace length, 16".
• Weight: 29.5 grams.

A fine large 18K yellow gold Venetian Etruscan fob, bracelet charm or pendant set with oval amethysts and pearls in a crown shape. The gold surfaces are enhanced with twisted wire, rosettes and beading. The amethysts have very good, even coloring in an appealing medium-violet shade. The pearls have nice luster and rosy overtones that compliment the color of the amethysts. The bail is marked for 18K gold.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1-1/4" x 1" x 1-1/4" (excluding bail). Weight: 18.4 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 20.5 cts.

A rare and very interesting pair of flip-up stirrup cufflinks in 14K yellow gold by Carrington. Each end of the connectors are fitted with a green nephrite jade cabochon. This style was popularized by Cartier, and this is the only we’ve seen by the great American maker, Carrington. The use of nephrite is most unusual, as well, instead of the more common onyx or dark blue sapphire. Each cufflink is stamped with Carrington’s 14K hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: faces, 7/16” x 7/16”. Weight: 7.3 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 1.48 cts.

A phenomenal Victorian 18K yellow gold brooch in the Etruscan Revival taste. The brooch features a large azurite-malachite cabochon weighing more than 60 carats. The natural fissures, and blue and green color mottling is striking, especially against the richness of the gold. The setting is one of the best Etruscan frames we’ve seen, befitting a minerological specimen that would have been considered extravagantly exotic (probably originating in Afghanistan). The stone is set in a collet surrounded with a border of beaded rosettes flanked on either side with delicate twisted wire. The frame is decorated at compass points with shell motifs outlined with twisted wirework. Cyma scrolls and graduated beading fill the space between the shells. The surface of the gold has the slightly matte bloomed finish that lends the appearance of antiquity to the better Etruscan pieces. The back of the brooch retains the original c-clasp and extended pinstem. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: America or England, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, the border has two of the tiny rosettes and a tiny portion of one cyma scroll missing, but these are noticeable only upon very close inspection. Size: 2” x 1-11/16”. Weight: 19.75 grams.

A fine French Victorian 18K gold and shaded enamel pin featuring an image of Raphael's "Madonna della Seggiola". The enamel scene of Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist is beautifully executed with great attention to detail. The gold background is stippled for added texture and a little sparkle. The reverse retains the original pinstem and clasp, both marked with French 18K stamps. There is also a partially visible maker's mark. This piece could easily be converted to a pendant with the addition of a bail at the top.

• Origin: France, ca. 1860
• Condition: excellent; no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1-1/8" diameter
• Weight: 4.75 grams

A pretty Georgian heart pendant worked in 18K yellow gold and featuring a double-cut citrine heart. The gold surfaces are decorated in a repousse floral motif. The citrine is cut with lapidary facets on both sides it looks the same from the back or front. The stone has very pleasant pale yellow coloring. The jump ring is original to the pendant. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

• Origin: England, ca 1820
• Condition: excellent, very light wear on some of the citrine’s facet junctions visible upon close inspection
• Dimension: 1-1/16” x 1-3/4” (including jump ring)
• Approximate Citrine Weight: 17.4 carats
• Weight: 13.7 grams

A handsome, heavy pair of 18K yellow gold and onyx cufflinks, each fashioned as two spheres joined by chain-like connectors. The design is a play on positive/negative space. The larger spheres are constructed in gold decorated with concentric rings and inset at the equator with a recessed band of black onyx. The smaller spheres are the opposite—onyx spheres inset with a slightly protruding band of gold at the equator. The gold mountings on the onyx spheres and the middle of each connector are decorated with concentric rings to echo the larger spheres. Altogether, this is an understated, but very sophisticated design. Each cufflink is fully stamped with French hallmarks for 18K gold and with a master goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1950. Size: large spheres, 1/2" diameter; small spheres, 11/32” diameter. Weight: 13.7 grams.

A pair of fine shakudo ornaments originally mounted in Victorian times as a pair of cuff buttons, and then re-imagined by our jeweler as an elegant split-chain pendant necklace. The two plaques feature a court lady and gentleman in Meiji-period costume. After the collapse of the feudal Samurai system in Imperial Japan, Europeans collected old sword and armor fittings such as these to set as jewelry. The mountings and chain are 14K.

• Japan, ca 1890.
• Excellent condition, sharp detail and finish.
• Dimensions: each plaque, 15/16" x 13/32"; total pendant length, 2"; total necklace length, 18-1/2".
• 13.8 grams.

A very unusual pair of 14K yellow gold barbell cufflinks, one end the traditional ball shape and the other in a geometric “rooftop” shape. Louis Tamis & Sons opened in 1909 and quickly became the leading American maker of gold boxes and other luxury objects. In the 1930s, the company manufactured for Paul Flato. By mid-century, it had become on of New York’s most exclusive manufacturing jewelers, creating commissioned pieces for Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Each cufflink is stamped “14K” and bears Tamis’ hallmark.

• Origin: America, ca. 1940.
• Dimensions: “rooftop” faces, 1/2” x 1/2”; ball faces, 3/8” diam.
• Weight: 10.3 grams.
• Condition: excellent.

An extremely attractive pair of cufflinks worked in 18K white gold, the faces featuring plaques of black mother of pearl set with diamonds. Black mother of pearl is much less common than the usual light color and displays a beautiful pearly luster with overtones of green and rose that can be clearly seen in the photos. The diamonds have bright color, estimated at F, and VVS clarity. Solid connectors join the faces to hinged toggles. The connectors are marked “750” for 18K gold, and have an unidentified maker’s mark “LG”.

• Origin: probably Continental Europe, ca. 1980
• Dimensions: 5/8” diameter
• Weight: 7.6 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 2.0 carats.