Kensington House Antiques and Sterling Silver Kensington House
Antiques
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1427049
Kensington House Antiques
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A lovely Art Nouveau pendant worked in gilt silver depicting a pair of hounds against a background of oak leaves and acorns. The quality of the casting and chasing is very nice. The reverse is marked "800".
  • Origin: Europe, ca 1900
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: 1-9/32" diameter
  • WeightL 13.0 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1930 item #1427400
Kensington House Antiques
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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
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1920 item #1359800
Kensington House Antiques
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A pretty Art Nouveau 10K yellow gold locket by Elias Rees & Son, depicting a young woman surrounded by a bower of flowers. The back cover bears a period monogram, nicely worked in ornate Art Nouveau script. The interior retains the original frames and glass covers on both sides and is hallmarked by Rees.

Origin: America, ca. 1915. Condition: excellent; nice detail. Dimensions: 1" diameter (excluding bail and jump ring). Weight: 5.8 gr.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1484423
Kensington House Antiques
$295.00
A fine Art Nouveau medallist stickpin depicting Demter (“Ceres”), goddess of the harvest and the seasons, in 14K gold by Louis Rault. She is shown in profile with several of her attributes including a tiara of wheat and a scythe. Louis Armand Rault was a leading designer for Boucheron 1868-75 and this is one of his signature designs. His designs were sometimes licensed to other jewelers, hence this American 14K version. The stickpin is finished in a soft bloomed texture. The pinstem is stamped iwth Carter, Gough's 14K mark. The stickpin could easily be converted to a ring or pendant.
  • Origin: America, ca 1880
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Dimensions: head, 9/16” diameter, length, 2-1/2”
  • Weight: 2.0 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1393117
Kensington House Antiques
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A fine Art Nouveau medallist brooch depicting Demeter (Ceres), goddess of the harvest, in 18K gold by Louis Rault. She is shown in profile with several of her attributes a tiara of wheat and poppies and a scythe. The wears a rose-cut diamond earring, a diamond toga clasp, and a third in her tiara. Louis Armand Rault was a lead designer for Boucheron 1868-75 and this is one of his signature designs. The brooch is stamped with French 18K gold marks and also with an illegible maker's mark. The front is also marked with Rault's monogram. The brooch could easily be converted to a pendant with the addition of a folding bail.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1880.
  • Condition: excellent; sharp detail; all original.
  • Dimensions: 1" diameter.
  • Weight: 7.4 grams.
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .03 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1393093
Kensington House Antiques
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A stunning Art Nouveau medallist brooch depicting Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, and patron of the arts, in 18K gold. The goddess is depicted with several of her attributes, including a dragon-topped war helmet, a wreath of olive leaves, an owl, and a drama mask representing the arts. Her helmet is studded with a star-set ruby and a band of rose-cut diamonds and she wears a necklace of rose-cut diamonds. This design was created by Louis Armand Rault, a lead designer for Boucheron 1868-75. This is once of his most iconic designs, though it is unusual in having quite so many gemstones added. Rault apparently licensed many of his designs to various makers, though the gold examples are French more often than not. This example is fully stamped with French marks for 18K and has an illegible maker's mark. The front is also marked with Rault's monogram. The pin could easily be converted to a pendant with the addition of a folding bail.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1880.
  • Condition: excellent; sharp detail; all original.
  • Dimensions: 1" diameter.
  • Weight: 5.0 grams.
  • Approximate Gemstone Weight: ruby, .02 carat; diamond, .05 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1427048
Kensington House Antiques
$2,495.00
A very rare Art Nouveau Mardi Gras ball favor jewel in 14K gold depicting Greek goddess. The exposed areas of gold have a soft "bloomed" finish typical of higher quality Art Nouveau jewels that constrasts beautifully with the translucent enamels. The back is stamped "14K" and is engraved "COMUS 1908."

The Mystick Crewe of Comus is the oldest and most exclusive of New Orleans' Mardi Gras organizations. The theme selected for the 1908 event was "Gods & Goddesses." Favors were bestowed on the ladies in attendance. Usually, these were inexpensive items, but in 1908, the "trinket" were these lovely gold pins.
  • Origin: America, 1908
  • Condition: excellent, no enamel loss
  • Dimensions: 1" x 7/8"
  • Weight: 5.5 grams.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1365944
Kensington House Antiques
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A very fine 14K multicolored gold pendant/pin in the form of a ruffled pansy. Each of the petals is subtly sahded from rose gold at the edges through shades of yellow and finally, to a grayish gold (possibly platinum) where the petals join. The surface is finished with a lightly stippled texture. The center of the flower is set with a round blue sapphire and three of the petals are set with old mine cut diamond "dew drops". The diamonds are small, but are very good quality (F/VVS1) and sapphire has rich violetish-blue coloring. The reverse retains the original folding bail and pinstem/clasp, and is marked "Pat." Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 1" x 1-1/8". Weight: 6.2 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: sapphire .39 carat; diamond, .08 carat.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1390569
Kensington House Antiques
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An astonishing figural pendant necklace featuring a natural semi-baroque pearl in the shape of a pear, accented with platinum and 18K yellow gold leaves and a stem, all set with old European cut diamonds. The pearl has very fine orient, with all the colors of the rainbow skating over the creamy white surface. The diamonds are graded at an average of H/SI1. Converted from an Edwardian stickpin, the pear is now a gorgeous pendant hanging from a French 18K white gold chain.

NOTE: The pendant is also available without the chain for $1050.
  • France, ca. 1910.
  • Excellent condition; pendant converted from a stickpin.
  • Pendant, 11/16" x 1/2"; overall necklace length, 16-3/8".
  • 3.8 grams.
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .26 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1920 item #1385580
Kensington House Antiques
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Three glowing opals punctuate each this pair of Art Nouveau 14K gold dress clips. Triangular in shape, the clips are entirely hand-pierced and chased in a swirling foliate pattern. The leaves extend beyond the triangular borders to create a slightly assymetrical shape. The opals are much more attractive in person than in the photos, and have fine play of green, blue, orange and red color, evenly spread over the gemstones. Clips of this sort would have originally been worn on either side of a neckline, on a fur, or attached to shoes. They can still be worn those ways, of course, but they're terribly versatile and could be worn on jacket or coat lapels, clipped onto a grosgrain or velvet ribbon and worn as a choker, and dangling from a chain. The clips have a a jeweler's inventory number, but no maker's mark. Tested and guaranteed 14K.
  • America, ca. 1915.
  • Excellent condition; all original.
  • 1 1/4" x 1 1/4".
  • 21.0 grams.
  • Approximate Total Opal Weight: 2.22 carats.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1389587
Kensington House Antiques
$595.00
14K gold Art Nouveau pendant necklace featuring a flower set with a blue sapphire center and a seed pearl bud enclosed within a heart-shaped frame of foliage. The gold has a slightly greenish cast and is engraved to suggest the velvety leaves. Originally a brooch, the pendant now hangs on a 14K gold split chain as an elegant necklace. Tested and guaranteed 14K.
  • Origin: Continental Europe, ca. 1900
  • Condition: excellent.
  • Dimensions: pendant, 1" x 1"; necklace length, 18-3/4".
  • Weight: 4.2 grams.
  • Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: .06 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1367552
Kensington House Antiques
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An important 18K yellow gold and natural semi-baroque pearl necklace in the "Lierre" ("Ivy") design by Edouard Aimé Arnould. The necklace features five foliate plaques set with pearls flanked on either side with a long- and short-link chain. The sculptural quality of the leaves is enhanced with areas of bright polish contrasting with areas in a slightly matte finish, a technique repeated on the back sides, as well. The natural pearls have excellent luster with faintly lavender/rose overtones. In Victorian symbolism, ivy represented the bonds of love in marriage. One can imagine a bride, even today, wearing such a necklace with her gown! Each section of the necklace is stamped with French 18K marks, and the central plaque is signed "Arnould".

Arnould was among the most important of the French Art Nouveau jewelers and is well listed in most of the scholarly references of the period. He opened his studio at 7, rue Racine, Paris in 1890. In 1911, a French design journal credited him with "jewels of the best taste." Around 1900, Maison Arnould published a catalog. The final photograph in this listing shows the necklace as it was listed in the catalog. It's interesting to note that the necklace was available with or without the natural pearls, and that the price nearly doubled for the pearl version. Other pages of the catalog show the "Lierre" design used for pendants, bracelet charms, hair barrettes, brooches, rings, bracelets and cufflinks.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: overall length, 16-1/2"; length of floral plaques together, 6-1/2"; center plaque, 2" x 1-3/4". Weight: 31.2 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1390635
Kensington House Antiques
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The pansy carries the message "Think of me" in the Victorian language of flowers. Certainly, the giver of this beautiful enameled gold pansy ring will be thought of often and fondly. The beautiful violet, cream, yellow and black enamels have a velvety texture to suggest the feel of a real pansy's petals and the whole is set off by a sparkling old mine cut diamond at the center. Originally a Victorian stick pin, this flower is now ready for daily wear with the addition of a 14K gold split shank.
  • Origin: America, ca. 1900.
  • Condition: converted from a stick pin; enamel is in perfect condition except for a small area about 3/32" that is mostly hidden by the petals in front of it (much less noticeable in person than in the photos).
  • Dimensions: pansy, 9/16" x 9/16".
  • Finger Size: 6-3/4.
  • Weight: 3.4 grams.
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .03 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1400282
Kensington House Antiques
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A gorgeous enameled clover, worked in several shades of green is featured in this ring converted from a Victorian earring. The enamel has a soft velvety appearance and is accented at the center with a small pearl. The clover is set on a sturdy 14K gold split shank. Four-leaf clovers are generally associated with good luck, but in Victorian flower symbology, they also carried the sentiment, "Be mine." So whether you're in love or just feeling lucky, this ring is perfect!
  • Origin: America, ca. 1900.
  • Condition: converted; no enamel damage; excellent condition.
  • Dimensions: crown, 3/4" x 3/4".
  • Finger Size: 7.
  • Weight: 3.7 grams.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1394530
Kensington House Antiques
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A gorgeous enameled pansy, worked in several shades of purple and lavender is featured in this ring converted from a Victorian earring. The enamel has a soft velvety appearance and is accented at the center with a small pearl. The pansy is set on a sturdy 14K gold split shank. Pansies are generally associated with remembrance, but in Victorian flower symbology, they also carried the sentiment, "Think of me." So whether you're in love or just feeling nostalgic, this ring is perfect!
  • Origin: America, ca. 1900.
  • Condition: converted; a miniscule fleabite to the enamel at the edge of one petal.
  • Dimensions: crown, 3/4" x 11/16".
  • Finger Size: 7.
  • Weight: 5.8 grams.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1158143
Kensington House Antiques
$24,500.00
Exquisitely rare Art Nouvean plaque pendant by master jeweler and enamelist Eugene Feuillatre. The overall bell-shaped outline mimics the shape of the flowers surrounded the golden maiden at the center of the pendant. The flowers are worked with en plein enamels in subtle shades of pale green and gold translucent enamels, and are surrounded by openwork filled with plique-a-jour enamels in milky opalescent shades of pale rose and blue. Every detail is perfectly worked. The best of the French Art Nouveau jewelers believed that a jewel should look as good from the back as from the front. The back of this piece features fine hand-engraved details showing the maiden's flowing hair and the delicate veining of the flowers' leaves and petals. the back is signed with Feutillatre's cartouche and is marked with a bigorne (a 19th century French guard against forgeries) and the "tete d'aigle" guarantee for 18K gold.

Eugene Feuillatre was born in Dukerque in 1870 and began exploring enameling techniques at the age of 18. He was hired by Lalique to execute his enamel designs and continued that association until around 1898 when he exhibited to great acclaim at the Paris Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francaises, where the Musee des Art Decoratifs (the decorative arts wing of the Louvre) acquired one of his works for its permanent collection. By the following year, he was exhibiting regularly at the New Gallery (London) and the Libre Esthetique (Brussels) alongside jewelry luminaries such as Lalique and Fouquet. Feuillatre exhibited successfully at the international expositions in Paris (1900) and Milan (1902). Today, he is considered among the greatest French fathers of Art Nouveau jewels.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, absolutely no enamel damage. Size: 1-1/4" x 2-9/16" (excluding bail). Weight: 13.7 gr.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1044872
Kensington House Antiques
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A stunning French 18K yellow gold and diamond pansy brooch in the Art Nouveau taste. The petals are beautifully decorated in translucent enamels shading from silvery white to cream to rose. The outer ruffled edge of each petal is outlined in small rose cut diamonds. The pansy is centered by a larger rose cut diamond of unusually good color and clarity. As is typical of 19th century French jewels, the diamonds are set in silver. Each petal is cast separately and then attached to the others with a screw mechanism. The back has a replaced pinstem and clasp. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, one 1/8" area of flaking enamel visible under magnification. Size: 1-1/4" x 1-1/4". Weight: 18.1 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.385 cts.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1487922
Kensington House Antiques
$2,695.00
A wonderful Victorian/Art Nouveau pendant and brooch in the form of a mythological griffin grasping a diamond in its jaws. The creature’s open-winged pose is somewhat unusual for this type of jewel, as they tend to be more curled up in a more circular position. The pose, however, makes for wear as a dramatic pendant hanging from the pendant loops on each wing. The back also has a removable fitting so it can also be worn as a brooch. And finally, there is a watch hook at the bottom that could suspend a watch or a dangling gemstone. The griffin is worked with in great detail and even the back is enhanced with engraved feathers and scales. The old mine cut diamond has good color and VS1 clarity. The pin stem is stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Dimensions: 2-3/4” x 1-3/8”
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Weight: 18.1 grams
  • Approximate Diamond Weight: .33 carat
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1332286
Kensington House Antiques
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A magnificent French Art Nouveau 18K gold and diamond slide locket, the front cover featuring a a fierce griffin clutching an old European cut diamond in its mouth. The beast is beautifully chased and engraved with a lot of detail in the feathers and fur. The griffin is presented against an ornately pierced Renaissance style background that would allow small peaks to show through of any portrait or photo enclosed in the locket. In Greek mythology, griffins were the guardians of the most treasured and priceless possessions, and its role on the front of a locket mimics that idea. The diamond is of equally high quality, graded as G color, VVS1 clarity. The bail has partially obscured French hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, sharp detail; a few small pinpoint dings on the back cover; no monogram. Dimensions: 1-1/16" diam (excluding bail). Weight: 14.6 gr. Approximate Diamond Weight: .24 ct.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1320408
Kensington House Antiques
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A beautiful Art Nouveau bracelet worked in 18K yellow gold featuring oval blue sapphire cabochons accented with laurel wreath settings and alternating floral plaque links. The gold is very finely worked. The sapphires have medium dark, strong blue color (B6/5) and eye-clean clarity. They show no indications of heat treatment. The bracelet is completed with a concealed box clasp. The clasp is stamped with French gold hallmarks used outside Paris 1847-1919. The maker’s mark is partly obscured, but we have seen the mark before (the goldsmith must have used a damaged punch, because his marks are always partially missing) on expertly-made heavy gold items with intricate piercing, often set with cabochon gemstones, from around 1880-1900.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3/8” wide; 7 -1/4” long. Weight: 11.5 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.6 cts.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1330774
Kensington House Antiques
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A stunning French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold necklace comprising three large and four small gold plaques ornately engraved in a pattern of daisies and foliage. The links are set off at either end with a fancy baton-link chain. The plaques are exquisitely detailed and even the backs are lightly engraved with a reverse image of the daisies—a hidden luxury that speaks to the quality of the piece. In Victorian flower symbolism, the daisy was used to communicate innocence, purity and loyal love. The necklace is delicate, yet has surprising weight because the floral plaques are solid. The necklace is stamped with French 18K marks and an illegible maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Dimensions: overall length, 17"; large plaques, 1" x 1/2". Weight: 17.2 gr.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1427050
Kensington House Antiques
$5,500.00
A fine early French Art Nouveau orchid brooch, the flower petals carved from banded agate around old mine cut diamond stamens, all set atop an elegant gold stem set with rose cut diamonds. The flower is a single piece of agate, finished with a matte surface to suggest the texture of a real flower petals. The carver left streaks of a darker colored agate on the back to create the delicately-colored veining that shows through the petals. The petal at lower left is turned back on itself to enhance the realistic effect. The reverse is stamped with a "tete de Mercure" hallmark indicating 18K gold that was intended to be sold abroad. There is also an illegible master goldsmith's mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1880
  • Condition: excellent; all original; a few tiny fleabites on one petal visible only with 10X magnification
  • Dimensions: 2-5/8" x 1-1/4"Weight: 10.25 grams
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .85 carat.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1182896
Kensington House Antiques
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A very fine, beautiful Art Nouveau gold brooch featuring a row of three kittens sitting on a diamond-studded platform. The kittens are finely cast with excellent attention to detail. The cat at the far right appears to be licking his neighbor while the one of the opposite end seems completely aloof from the proceedings. The bar supporting the cats is topped with silver in the traditional style of French Art Nouveau jewelry and is set with antique cushion-cut diamonds of very nice quality. Interlaced gold volutes are suspended below the diamond platform. The back retains the original pinstem and c-clasp, both marked with “tete d’aigle” stamps for 18K gold. The clasp also bears an illegible maker’s mark. The back is also stamped with a serial number, “6044”, indicating it was sold by an exclusive jeweler. While dogs are a relatively common theme in 19th century jewelry, domestic cats are much less so.

Origin: France, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-1/2” x 1-1/2”. Weight: 16.7 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .675 carat.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1476641
Kensington House Antiques
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A very good French Art Nouveau 18K gold watch pin in the form of a mythological creature that appears to be a dragon with outspread feathered wings. The details are beautifully worked. The reverse is engraved to match the front. The creature grasps an antique cushion cut diamond in its jaws. The pin retains its original watch hook on the back. This piece could easily and inexpensively be transformed into a pendant with the additional of two pendant hooks at the wingtips. The back is marked with French 18K gold hallmarks, an illegible master goldsmith’s mark, and a design number indicating that the piece was made by a renowned maker of the period.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Dimensions: 1-1/4” x 1-1/8”
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .10 carat
  • Weight: 12.7 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1434557
Kensington House Antiques
$3,950.00
An exquisite Art Nouveau pendant/brooch in 18K gold with diamonds, pearls, and enamel. A lily pad, enameled in translucent shades of green, yellow, and rose centers the brooch, and is surrounded by whiplash curves of 95 round diamonds. A large diamond-set lily blossom appears at the top of the frame. All the diamond areas are set in silver-topped gold, as was the custom in French jewels of the period. The design is accented with pearls, including a pearl drop at the bottom. The piece has a brooch attachment, but also has a pair of small bails so it can be worn as a pendant. The brooch fitting, where the original French hallmarks would have been, has been replaced. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.
  • Origin: France, ca 1900
  • Condition: excellent, brooch fitting replaced, no enamel damage
  • Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 2-3/16” (36 x 55 mm)
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.9 carats
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1131596
Kensington House Antiques
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A lovely Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold floral pendant. The flowers are represented by small rose cut diamonds and a round brilliant ruby. The gold foliage is finely engraved in a naturalistic pattern. The brooch suspends a drop-shaped natural pearl with fine luster. The ruby, though small, has fine red color and excellent clarity. The pendant is suspended from its bale with a double chain. Fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-9/32” wide; 1-3/8” long (not including chain); 2-1/4” long (including chain). Weight: 4.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, .16 ct; diamond, .10 ct.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1491814
Kensington House Antiques
$1,650.00
A lovely early Art Nouveau 18K gold sliding locket by the acclaimed medallist Jean-Baptiste Emile Dropsy. The front cover shows a bare-shouldered woman wearing a diamond necklace and hair ornament feeding a diamond seed to a bird in mid-flight, all surrounded by a bough of chestnut leaves. The diamond accents (“habillé”) add a bit of sparkle to the design. The bird appears to be a dove, representative of “love” in Victorian symbology, while the chestnut leaves represent the sentiment “do me justice.” Taken together, the message means some along the lines of wishfulness for being treated well in love. Dropsy was an early Art Nouveau designer and his female designs tend to be a bit more teasing Gibson Girl than the more overtly sexy nudes that came along a decade or so later. The back cover is decorated with a curved spray of roses complete with thorns. Roses were also used to symbolize love, and when thorns are present, sometimes hinted that love is not without occasional pain. The interior of the locket retains its original frames and mirrored glass, which could be replaced with photos if desired. The locket is stamped with French 18K gold marks.
  • Origin: France, ca 1895
  • Condition: excellent, all original, a small ding on the back cover visible in strong raking light
  • Dimensions: 1-1/8” x 1-1/8”
  • Weight: 11.9 grams
  • Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .06 carat
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1920 item #562286
Kensington House Antiques
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A wonderfully naughty Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold ring depicting a couple engaged in mutual oral stimulation. Victorian and Edwardian erotic jewelry is extremely rare, having been made only for the daring few who were willing to wear such things in public. Like other pieces of erotica, the designer was charged with making the object look as innocent as possible, only revealing its true nature upon very careful and prolonged inspection. Upon first examination, this ring appears to be a typical sinuous floral Art Nouveau design. Looking closely however, the design reveals a man and woman amorously entwined. Even the back of the shank is decorated with a pair of somewhat cleverly concealed penises. The ring is marked with French hallmarks for 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, very little wear. Size: 1/2" wide. Finger Size: 8-3/4. Weight: 7.5 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1296714
Kensington House Antiques
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An elegant pair of French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold earrings designed in a openwork pattern of irises. The flowers and foliage are highlighted with delicate engraving. The gold surfaces are enhanced with the soft matte texture typical of French jewels of the period. The wires appear to be replacements and are stamped with French 18K marks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3/4" 3/4". Weight: 4.7 grams.

All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1476640
Kensington House Antiques
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An elegant Art Nouveau bracelet worked in 18K gold, each link is the form of a pansy enclosed in a scrolling border. The Victorian floriography (the “language of flowers”), the pansy represented the sentiment “think of me.” Jewels with pansies were often given as a romantic gesture or by the parents of a young woman upon her marriage. The bracelet is stamped with 18K fineness marks and an unidentified goldsmith’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1900
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: 7-7/8” long; 1/2" wide
  • Weight: 16.4 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1910 item #1393875
Kensington House Antiques
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A striking Art Nouveau 18K gold and pearl necklace in the form of a pendant of chestnut leaves suspended from a cluster of chestnuts. The gold surfaces are entirely hand engraved with very fine detail. The pendant is set with a natural button pearl and suspends a second pearl at the bottom. The chain is enhanced with a series of tiny pearls, as well. Chestnut trees have traditionally represented fertility, but in Victorian flower language, came more to represent “luxury and abundance.” This style of necklace, called a “draperie” was a popular form among Parisian jewelers around 1900-10. The necklace is stamped with French 18K gold marks, as well as an illegible maker’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1905.
  • Condition: excellent; sharp detail; all original.
  • Dimensions: pendant, 1-1/8” wide x 3” long from the cluster of fruit to the suspended pearl; chain length, 15-7/8”.
  • Weight: 10.9 grams.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1466670
Kensington House Antiques
Sale Pending
A very fine French Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold festoon necklace comprising three gold plaques exquisitely engraved in a pattern of roses and their foliage. The plaques are curved to create a "festoon" look, and are suspended from a gold chain set with natural seed pearls. The backs of the plaques are lightly engraved with a reverse image of the roses—a hidden luxury that speaks to the quality of the piece. Each plaque also includes stems with pronounced thorns, perhaps as a reminder of the selflessness of love. Victorian floriography adoped red roses to represent love from the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis. As she raced to the side of her fallen mortal lover, Aphrodite pricked her toe on the thorn of a white rose and her blood forever stained the flower red. The necklace is stamped with French 18K gold marks, and with an illegible maker's mark.
  • Origin: France, ca 1895
  • Condition: excellent
  • Dimensions: necklace length, 16-3/4"; central plaque, 1-7/8" wide, 1-1/4" high
  • Weight: 21.9 grams
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1334046
Kensington House Antiques
SOLD, PLEASE VISIT US AGAIN!
A lovely 18K yellow gold bracelet designed as floral plaques separated by bezel set blue sapphire cabochons. Each elegantly pierced gold plaque depicts a rose encircled by scrolls and flanked by additional flowers. The backs of the plaques are engraved in a matching motif. The high-domed cabochons have fine deep blue coloring and show no indications of heat treatment. The clasp is stamped with French 18K marks.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Dimensions: 9/16” wide; 7-3/8” long
  • Weight: 22.8 grams
  • Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 3.12 carats
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1492006
Kensington House Antiques
$2,395.00
A heavy French 18K gold and diamond pendant depicting a mythological griffin. The creature has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. His open jaws clasp an old mine cut diamond. The diamond has bright (G-ish) color and is VVS2 clarity. The griffin is depicted against a background of swirling foliage. The back is engraved to match the texture of the front. The griffin has two loops on the backs of the wingtips so it can be worn as a pendant. It originally also had a removable pin stem which is no longer present. The pendant is stamped with French 18K guarantee marks and a partial goldsmith’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail, removable brooch mechanism absent
  • Dimensions: 1-5/8” x 1-3/8”
  • Weight: 11.6 grams
  • Approximate Diamond Weight: .05 carat
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1491792
Kensington House Antiques
$2,595.00
A heavy French 18K gold and diamond pendant depicting a mythological griffin. The creature has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. His open jaws clasp an old European cut diamond set in a milgrain platinum collet. The diamond is graded as I color, VS2 clarity. The griffin is surrounded by a circle of woody foliage. The back is engraved to match the texture of the front. The piece can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant suspended from the loops at the wing tips. The bottom has an additional loop that could be used to suspend an optional gemstone or pearl drop. The pendant is stamped with French 18K guarantee marks and a partial goldsmith’s mark.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1890
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detai
  • Dimensions: 1-9/16” x 1-3/16”
  • Weight: 12.6 grams
  • Approximate Diamond Weight: .15 carat
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Art Nouveau : Pre 1900 item #1491806
Kensington House Antiques
$3,150.00
A heavy French 18K gold and diamond pendant depicting a mythological griffin. The creature has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. His open jaws clasp an old mine cut diamond. The diamond is graded as G color, SI1 clarity. Griffins in brooches are often shown in a crouching position, but in this example, the creature is standing upright in a more assertive pose. The piece can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant suspended from the loops at the wing tips. The pendant is stamped with French 18K guarantee marks and with the master goldsmith’s mark “Vve G” for “widow Godivier.” In rare instances, more enterprising French women were able to successfully assume control of the family business after their husbands had died.
  • Origin: France, ca. 1904-1911
  • Condition: excellent, sharp detail
  • Dimensions: 1-1/2” x 1-3/8”
  • Weight: 15.1 grams
  • Approximate Diamond Weight: .21 carat