Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold (1000)

A particularly nice Art Nouveau four-leaf clover honeymoon watch pin, the leaves beautifully enameled in shades of translucent green, yellow and rust. The 14K yellow gold crescent moon is set with a graduated row of pearls, while an old European cut diamond centers the clover. The back retains the original clasp and watch hook. In Victorian flower language, the clover symbolized "good luck." When flowers and crescents were used together, the symbolism was "honeymoon," and these were popular gifts given to new brides by either their grooms or close family. Since the meaning here is "good luck on your honeymoon," we'd have to assume that this particular pin was a gift from the bride's mother rather than from her groom. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1" x 1"
• Weight: 3.7 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .025 ct

An elegant Retro 14K yellow gold floral brooch, the flower head set with a ring of blue sapphires surrounding a cabochon moonstone. This classic combination of moonstone and sapphire was very popular in Retro jewelry, probably because the color of sapphires brings out the blue undertones of moonstone. The quality of the stones is very fine. The sapphires are a bright cornflower blue, and the moonstone has very good adularescence. The back is marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-3/8” x 1-1/8”. Weight: 13.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: moonstone, .88 carat; sapphire, .43 carat.

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.

You know you'll live a life of good luck when you're wearing this 14K gold upturned horseshoe pendant necklace. The horseshoe is adorned with blue enameled forget-me-nots, flowers that conveyed exactly that meaning in the Victorian language of flowers. Originally a brooch, the horseshoe has been converted to a pendant with the addition of a delicate 14K gold split cable chain.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: converted from a brooch; excellent enamel.
• Dimensions: pendant, 7/8" x 7/8"; overall necklace length, 16".
• Weight: 3.0 grams.

Elegant vintage 14K yellow gold brooch set with eight beautiful Mikimoto pearls. The pearls are, of course, of the very finest quality. They have bright white body color with silver overtones. The surfaces are very smooth and the nacre thick. The pearls range in size from 5 to 7.5 mm. The back of the pin is marked with Mikimoto’s hallmark and “K14”.

Origin: Japan, circa 1950s. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-7/8” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 11.0 grams.

A fun piece of sporting jewelry depicting a crossed pair of croquet mallets and a coral ball inside the wicket. The banded agate stone is black with a single white line and has never been engraved. Croquet became fashionable among the English elite in 1856 when when the first book of croquet rules was published and the All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon. The fob is stamped “10 ct.”

• Origin: England, ca. 1860
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3/4” x 9/16” x 1-1/4 (excluding jump rings)
• Weight: 5.0 grams.

A lovely stylized flower basket pendant featuring flowers set with diamond, emerald and sapphire centers. The surrounding foliage is worked in a mix of glossy and stippled finishes to add depth and detail. The gemstones are of very good quality, with vivid color saturation and good clarity. The back of the pendant has a fixed bail and a pinstem, so it can be worn as a pendant or brooch. It is stamped with French marks for 18K gold.

Ca. 1935. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1-1/4" x 1-7/16". Weight: 8.6 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .02 ct; emerald, .07 ct; sapphire, .10 ct.

NOTE: The listed price includes the 16" 14K gold chain shown in the photos, but we offer the option to purchase the piece without the chain.

A wonderful early Victorian portrait locket worked in gilt silver and set with hundreds of Bohemian garnets, including a 10.2-carat rose cut oval at the center. The garnets are set with space between them to lighten the overall effect and better show the bright red coloring of the stones. The locket is suspended from a garnet-encrusted clover shaped bail. The back cover is entirely glass The gilding is intact.

• Origin: probably English, ca. 1845
• Condition: excellent, no missing stones
Dimensions: locket, 1-1/4” x 1-3/8”; overall length, 2-1/8”
• Weight: 14.4 grams

An elegant Art Nouveau 14K gold enameled flower pin with a full-blown blossom centering a seed pearl and a half-opened blossom. The petals are decorated in soft shades of ivory, green and rose iridescent translucent enamels. Delicate floral pins of this kind were popular gifts for new brides in the Victorian and Edwardian eras due to the sentimental meanings of various flowers in the Victorian flower language. The back is hallmarked by Whiteside & Blank.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent; all original; no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1-5/16" x 11/16"
• Weight: 3.4 grams.

A lovely 18K yellow gold, diamond and ruby love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain,” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow”) a line from the love poem written by Rosemond Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889. In 1907, the Lyonnais jewelry Alphonse Augis created a love token based on the poem, and his designs became iconic. In this example, the word “moins” is represented by a minus sign set with a synthetic ruby. This is the first time we’ve seen a medaille d’amour incorporated into a larger pendant design that also features a rose and a heart. The pendant is stamped with French 18K marks and Augis’ maker’s mark. The pendant is sold with its chain which is not gold.

• Origin: France, ca. 1950s or early 60s
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3/4” x 5/8”
• Weight: 2.2 grams.

A small fob seal featuring an amethyst tablet set in a fluted closed-back setting surmounted with ornate scrollwork. The amethyst tablet bears the monogram “RB” and a heart-shaped lock and a key. The lock and key are rebus images carrying the message “Key to my heart.” This fob is perfectly sized to wear alone as a pendant or on a heavy chain or bracelet as one of multiple charms. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

• Origin: England, ca 1830
• Condition: very good
• Dimensions: 5/8" x 1-1/8"
Weight: 7.5 grams

A lovely Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold pin with a daisy and foliage enameled in translucent shades of green, yellow, rose and white enamel. The center of the blossom is set with a seed pearl. The flower is enclosed within a swirling gold frame. Flower pins of this sort were often used to convey sentiments from the "language of flowers." In this case, the daisy represents "innocence." The back retains its original watch hook, pinstem and clasp. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: overall excellent; two minute enamel nicks on the daisy's petals visible only under 10x magnification. Dimensions: 1-9/32" x 7/8". Weight: 3.8 gr.

A very nice 32nd Degree Masonic fob in the form of a double-headed eagle. The bird grasps a platinum saber in its talons. The heads are crowned with a triangular emblem with enameled decoration, which then leads to a short fob chain and a buttonhole bar. The triangular emblem is hinged so that the eagle always hangs nicely. The detailing of the bird’s feathers, the hilt of the sword, etc. is superb. The bale is stamped 14K and bears the hallmarks of J.J. Sommer & Co.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: excellent, all original, no enamel damage, sharp detail.
• Dimensions: overall length, 2-9/16”; eagle, 1-3/16” x 7/8.
• Weight: 7.9 grams.

A pretty late Georgian example of a Halley’s Comet pin worked in 14K (perhaps 15K) yellow gold and featuring a light blue paste stone to represent the comet’s nucleus. The paste is set in an elegant buttercup-type setting accented with an engraved gallery. Blue paste is less common than other colors, and makes a very nice presentation. The comet’s tail depicted in the engraved and voluted gold setting.

In 1705, Edmond Halley correctly predicted the comet’s return in 1758. When it returned again in 1835 (and in 1910), jewelers were ready with fashionable pins to celebrate the comet’s passage.

• Origin: England, ca 1835
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” long
• Weight: 2.9 grams

An outstanding 14K yellow gold and pearl ring in a sophisticated modernist the design. The split shank creates a flat crown enclosing a row of three pearls, graduating from 5.3 to 6.6 mm. The quality of the pearls are easily on a par with Mikimoto. The luster is superb, the color is cream with rosé overtones, and the surfaces are smooth. Overall, the quality is estimated at AA. The quality of the mounting itself, is likewise superb. The interior of the shank is marked "14K".

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: crown, 3/4" x 7/16". Finger Size: 4-3/4 (could easily be enlarged). Weight: 9.5 grams.

An elegant pair of vintage earclips in 18K yellow gold set with pearls. Each earring is set with 19 4.5mm pearls of fine quality. The pearls have cream body color with nice luster, and are estimated at A+ quality. The setting is constructed in a way that it is nearly invisible when the earclips are being worn. The backs retain the original omega clips, but could easily have posts added. The backs are marked with the French “tete d’aigle” mark for 18K gold and also have an unidentified maker’s mark. One earring also has a partial serial number, generally the sign of a high-quality jeweler.

Origin: France, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 29/32” diameter. Weight: 10.5 grams.

14K gold ring featuring a detailed portrait of a Native American wearing a feathered headdress. The portrait is surrounded by a twisted rope border. Originally an Edwardian bar pin, the ring has been fashioned with the original pin's scrolled ends connecting to the medallion. The reverse is marked "585 Pr FSH" for 14K gold.

• Origin: Continental Europe, ca 1900.
• Dimensions: crown, 13/16" diamter.
• Finger Size: 6-1/2.
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail.
• Weight: 5.9 grams.

A wonderful Victorian equestrian pin in the form of a horseshoe nail enhanced with a cluster of small natural pearls, sapphires, and rubies. Nails were a popular motif in Victorian jewelry, and the red, white, and blue color scheme had momentary popularity around the time of the American centennial in 1876. This piece is a pin, but can easily be worn as a pendant suspended from a chain without alteration. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1876
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 2-1/8” long
• Weight: 5.6 grams