Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold: Deco (30)

A pretty pair of Art Deco 12K yellow gold, coral and pearl tassel earrings. Lengths of gold chain studded with small pearls and coral beads hang freely from the pearl surmounts. The coral has attractive, uniform color and the semi-baroque pearls have especially bright luster. The earrings have a lot of movement when being worn and would have paired nicely with the long chains and fringed gowns fashionable in the 1920s. Tested and guaranteed 12K gold (clutches are 14K).

Origin: England, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, except one pearl that has a flake to the nacre visible upon close inspection. Dimensions: 1-3/8" long. Weight: 3.9 grams.

A handsome man’s 14 yellow gold ring set with a large bloodstone tablet. The dramatically tapered shank is engraved on either side of the stone with a stylized papyrus motif. The bloodstone has a slightly lighter than usual greenish tint that contrasts nicely with its red markings. The interior of the shank is stamped “14Kâ€.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: crown, 13/16†x 3/4"; shank tapers from 13/16†to 1/8â€. Finger Size: 10. Weight: 9.0 gr.

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

A nice Art Deco 14K white gold bar link chain. The bars alternate with groups of three round links. The bars reflect light, so the chain has a pleasant shimmer. The clasp is marked "14K".

• Origin: America, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Length: 21-3/4"
• Weight: 3.1 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

An elegant pair of Art Deco drop earrings featuring elongated teardrops of rich green chalcedony, accented with small natural pearls, and suspended from 18K white gold leaf-shaped surmounts. The chalcedony has a particularly nice color and excellent translucency. These earrings are a good example of transitional jewelry between the Edwardian style, with its use of white metal and pearls, and the Art Deco style, with its emphasis on scale and color. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, the clutches are 14K. Dimensions: 2-3/8" long. Weight: 5.6 gr.

A classic Art Deco 18K white gold Russian braid chain necklace with opal cabochons and faceted onyx beads sandwiched together into egg-shaped stations along the length. The opals have nice play-of-color with a preponderance of blues and greens. Most station chain necklaces are quite long, but the shorter length of this example makes for a very wearable, delicate look. The clasp is stamped with French 18K marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1925
• Condition: very good, two opals have small flakes on the pointed end visible upon very close inspection
• Dimensions: chain length, 17-1/4”; stations, 3/16” diameter
• Weight: 2.8 grams

A classic target-style ring featuring a luminous pearl surrounded by a ring of calibre-cut synthetic rubies set in an 18K yellow gold setting. Originally a stick pin, this ring was created with the addition of an 18K shank. The rubies are synthetic—as they often were in the Art Deco period—are a beautiful deep red color that nicely accents the creamy white pearl.

• Origin: French stick pin, ca. 1920.
• Condition: excellent; converted from an Art Deco stick pin.
• Dimensions: crown, 11/32" diameter.
• Finger Size: 6-1/4".
• Weight: 1.5 grams.

Fabulous Art Deco 18K yellow gold box, the lid decorated with opaque red and black champlevé enamels depicting a roulette wheel. A black enamel linear pattern and fan motifs at the corners complete the very Deco design. The can be used to hold either cash or mother of pearl gambling counters. For those who are curious, the case perfectly fits $2,500 in $100 bills folded in half. The superb workmanship shows, not only in the enameling, but in the solid construction techniques such as attaching the lid with a full piano hinge for extra security. The inner lip and thumbpiece are hallmarked with the “tete d’aigle” mark in a hexagonal reserve used on French enameled 18K gold. There is also an unidentified goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no monogram, no enamel damage, a pinpoint ding on the bottom side of the case. Size: 3-7/16” x 2-13/16” x 3/8”. Weight: 142.5 grams (4.582 troy ounces).

A magnificent pair of Art Deco 18K white gold earrings set with diamonds and Burma rubies. The oval brilliant cut rubies have pure, vivid red color and good clarity. The do not show indication of heat or other enhancement. The rubies are surrounded by a border of round diamonds intersected by a double band of diamonds on either side of the ruby. These hang freely from a surmount fashioned by a trilliant cut diamond suspending round diamonds set into a triangular plaque echoing the shape of the trilliants. The mountings have a double gallery and the backs surrounding the ruby drops are engraved in a geometric pattern. The .21-ct trilliants are graded as E color, SI1 clarity and the smaller diamonds are G-H color, SI1-I1 clarity. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

NOTE: We are presenting the matching ring (Item #1306951).

Ca. 1925. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: length, 1-3/8"; maximum width, 1/2". Weight: 4.5 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, 2.5 cts; diamond, 1.74 cts.

An outstanding Egyptian Revival 20K gold pendant necklace in the form of a uraeus, representing the Eye of Ra, set with a coral and turquoise cabochons and coral beads. The wings are highlighted with ropetwist and milgrained details. A pair of cobras flank the coral cabochon. The Eye of Ra personified the goddess Wadjet, who watched over childbirth and served as the protector of children. This piece was originally a brooch, but with the addition of an 14K gold chain, is now an elegant, colorful necklace. The wings are tested and guaranteed 20K, and the chain is marked 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1925.
• Dimensions: wings, 1 3/8" x 1 3/8; overall length, 19 1/4".
• Weight: 5.1 grams.
• Condition: very good, a small area of porosity on the head of the cobra to the right visible with a loupe.

An extraordinarily fine Art Deco gentleman's ring in the Egyptian Revival style featuring a large cabochon of the finest Afghan-quality lapis lazuli. The setting is formed as a grouping of stylized lotus plants, complete with leaves, buds and full-blown blossoms forming the collets that hold the stone. The quality of the hand-engraving is superb. Ancient Egyptian decorative elements were very popular in European and American jewelry following the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1924. The gold has a bright yellow color, with hints of green that are appropriate for the vegetal nature of the design. The lapis is a seamless expanse of dark violet-blue. Solid blue lapis is far rarer and more desirable than stones with bits of gold-colored mica. At the time this ring was made, such stones could only be found in the mountains of Afghanistan. The stone is cut in an unusual high-domed rectangular shape. The interior of the shank is stamped "14K".

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 25/32" wide at crown, tapering to 1/8" at the tack. Finger Size: 8-1/4 (can be sized without damage to the design). Weight: 13.3 gr.

A magnificent Art Deco 18K white gold ring set with a 1.49-ct Burmese ruby surrounded by round diamonds. The ruby has a pure, vivid red color and eye-clean clarity. There are no indications of heat or other treatment. The back of the mounting is enhanced with a pierced gallery and geometric engraving. The diamonds are G-H color, SI clarity. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

NOTE: We are also presenting matching earrings (Item #1306948).

Ca. 1925. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: crown, 1/2" x 1/2". Finger Size: 5-1/4. Weight: 2.7 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, 1.49 cts; diamond, .54 ct.

A very fine Art Deco 14K yellow gold necklace of filigree links centering a collet-set carved jadeite disc suspending another filigree link and a large oval plaque of jadeite carved in a floral pattern. The workmanship of the filigree is superior, with finely detailed millegraining on nearly all the surfaces. The use of yellow gold in filigree jewelry of the period is quite unusual, but is very attractive as a foil to the rich green of the gemstones. The jade plaques nicely carved in a traditional floral pattern. The stones are semi-translucent, medium-textured, and moderately mottled from very saturated green to a light slightly grayish-green. There are no signs of dye. The necklace has an interesting invisible clasp mechanism that is marked "Pat. Appl'd For". Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 16" long; pendant jade drops 2-7/16" from the bottom of the jade disc. Weight: 23.1 grams.

An Art Deco pendant or charm displaying four playing cards each with the pip for an ace worked in black or red enamel. Four aces is an unbeatable hand in poker unless an opponent has a flush. The bottom edge of the charm is engraved “Réussité” (“Success”). The charm and the original jump ring are stamped with French 18K guarantee marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1/2" x 11/16” excluding jump ring
• Weight: 2.2 grams

An extraordinary pair of Art Deco earrings featuring faceted onyx rings suspended from platinum and yellow gold surmounts set with rose cut diamonds. Each onyx ring encloses a platinum element with rose-cut diamonds set in a foliate pattern and further suspending a prong-set old European cut diamond. All the parts are fully articulated, so the earrings have a lot of movement. The platinum is finely millegrained. The center diamonds are I color, SI2 clarity. The earrings retain their original level backs. The earrings are stamped with French gold and platinum marks that were used for goods imported from the U.S.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1-7/8” long; 1” wide. Weight: 8.1 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .40 ct.

A fine 10x19mm navettte-shaped opal set in an Art Deco 14K yellow gold setting enhanced with bright champleve enamels in shades of dark and light green, red, and black. The opal has a very nice "pinfire" pattern with an unusually generous amount of red/orange play of color. The pattern is evenly dispersed, with color throughout the stone. Unlike some of the other opal patterns, pinfire has the distinction of showing pattern when viewed from any direction. Even the bottom of the stone visible through the mounting has nice color and pattern. The colors of the stone are nicely accented with the enamels on the mounting. The shank is engraved in a floral pattern and is accented at the shoulders with floral appliques worked in white gold. The interior of the shank is marked "14K" and has an unidentified maker's mark.

• Origin: America, ca. 1920.
Dimensions: crown, 7/8" x 1/2".
• Finger Size: 6.
• Weight: 5.0 grams.
• Condition: excellent; no enamel damage; no crazing, scratching or pitting to opal.

A lovely Art Deco ring of 10K yellow gold enhanced with a geometric pattern of apple green and black champlevé enamel. The mounting holds a cushion cut synthetic spinel of a pale green color that beautifully accents the enamels. Art Deco enameled rings were popular for a short period around 1930, but are extremely difficult to find now, especially without enamel damage. They are usually set with colored gemstones, often of a synthetic nature, chosen for their color rather than their innate value. The interior of the shank is marked “10K ECCO”.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, all original. Dimensions: crown, 9/16” x 1/2". Finger Size: 8. Weight: 3.8 grams.