Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1628)

A lovely double-sided 18K yellow gold crystal “porte-photo” (photo carrier), the gold rim elegantly decorated with a bound reed design in the Louis XVI style. The crystal covers are faceted in a star design on both sides. The locket is cleverly constructed with a hidden screw mechanism that allows the gold frame to expand so the crystal covers can be removed for adding or changing the contents. Double-sided porte-photos were often used to display a photo on one side and a tiny lock of hair, a pressed flower or other memento. They could also be used to display a “public” photo on one side and a more “private” image on the other. They are usually round or oval; a hexagonal example is rather uncommon. These lovely little pieces have become increasingly difficult to find. The porte-photo is fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks to crystal. Size: 1-3/32” diameter (excluding bale).

An extraordinarily fine pair of 18K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the oval faces pave-set with round blue sapphires and round brilliant diamonds. The gemstones are of extremely high quality. The diamonds are graded as E/F color, VVS1 clarity and the sapphires as vivid, pure blue. The sapphires are set in black gold to further intensify the color. Each cufflink is marked "750" for 18K and is signed "Apogée". We have been unable to find any reference to this mark, but the cufflinks came from a private collection that was mostly by Cartier Buccellati, Bulgari, etc. These cufflinks are clearly of equal quality.

Origin: Continental Europe, ca. 1980. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: larger faces, 9/16" x 13/16"; smaller faces, 7/16" x 9/16". Weight: 21.2 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, 2.74 cts; diamond, 1.0 ct.

An interesting vintage 14K yellow gold ring featuring a heart-shaped amethyst in an ornate prong setting with a clustered accent of cultured pearls and another small amethyst at the top. The gallery under the stone echos the heart motif. The amethyst has good, even coloring and is eye-clean. The interior of the shank is engraved "Until Eternity." Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: one prong lacking near the bottom point of the heart; amethyst has a 1 millimeter nick in the girdle (visible under magnification). Finger Size: 8. Dimensions: 1" x 3/4". Weight: 9.5 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: amethyst, 14.35 cts.

A very fine and rare Bohemian garnet pendant featuring an openwork butterfly pave set with rose-cut garnets and enclosed within a heart-shaped gilt metal frame. Most Bohemian garnet jewelry was made in the more traditional styles popular in England and America, but this pendant--in the more stylized Germanic Jugendstil--is particularly striking. Some of the butterfly's wings are set with large, deeply colored stones, while others are set with smaller, brighter stones to provide contrast. The pendant is completed with a 20-inch gold-filled chain.

Origin: Bohemia, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; chain is a later addition. Dimensions: pendant, 1-1/2 x 2-7/8".

An extremely desirable pair of of Edwardian 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks set with reverse-carved Essex crystals depicting American birds, retailed by Abercrombie & Fitch. The faces have beautifully rendered depictions of a ruffed grouse, a sandpiper, a standing mallard duck, and a mallard duck in flight. Each of the birds is brilliantly colored and set against a mother-of-pearl background. The connectors are marked "14K" and are signed "AF" for Abercrombie & Fitch.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 5/8" diameter. Weight: 11.1 gr.

A very attractive 18K yellow gold fob charm in the Etruscan Revival style. The lantern-shaped charm is set with four oval cabochons of amazonite. The gold surfaces are heavily decorated with applied rosettes and wirework. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-1/8” long (excluding jump ring). Weight: 5.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: amazonite, 12.75 carats.

A lovely late Victorian 14K yellow gold locket, the front decorated with a coiled snake with a diamond-set head. The serpent’s head and tail are twisted together forming a circle that, in Victorian symbology, represented the eternal nature of love. The snake’s body is very nicely detailed and the 5-point old mine cut diamond has bright color and good clarity. The locket’s smooth surfaces have a slightly matte “Russian” finish that contrasts nicely with the details of the snake. The interior of the locket retains both original frames and glass covers. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, a few pinpoints on the back side, no monogram. Size: 1” diameter. Weight: 5.9 grams.

A fine Edwardian 14K yellow gold and platinum bangle bracelet, the top set with four sets of three round brilliant sapphires separated by rows of round single-cut diamonds. The sapphires are superb quality, with medium-tone, vivid violetish blue color in sunlight and a nearly pure violet color in incandescent light. The stones are eye-clean and are perfectly matched. Color-change sapphires are rather uncommon and matched stones such as these are very rare. The diamonds have bright color and SI clarity. The sapphires and diamonds are in a millegrained platinum setting with a delicately pierced gallery along the sides. The bracelet has an unidentified maker’s mark (a pair of acorns). Tested and guaranteed 14K gold and platinum.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3/16” wide; 6-1/4” circumference. Weight: 8.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .23 ct; color-change sapphire, 4.68 cts.

A very fine 18K yellow gold fob charm set with coral cameos. The faces are similar to comedy and tragedy masks, with one frowning, one smiling and one somewhere in between. The cameos are very nicely carved and have the strong coloration typical of Mediterranean coral from the Italian coast. The gold surfaces are ornately decorated with beading and twisted wirework. This is one of the nicer and more unusual large fob charms we’ve seen over the years. The fob is marked “750” for 18K gold and bears an Italian maker’s mark.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Size: 1-9/16” long (excluding jump ring). Weight: 18.1 grams.

A classic gold “Open Heart” pendant in the large size by Tiffany & Co. Created by Elsa Peretti, this design has become one of Tiffany’s most popular and identifiable designs. This pendant is currently available in three sizes, this version (27mm) being the largest. The pendant is suspended from its original Tiffany chain. The back of the pendant is signed “Elsa Peretti” and both the pendant and chain are fully hallmarked by Tiffany & Co. This piece is currently available at Tiffany & Co. and retails for $1250.

Origin: America, ca. 2000. Condition: excellent. Size: chain, 18-1/4” long; pendant, 1” x 1-1/16” (25 x 27 mm). Weight: 10.5 grams.

A handsome pair of vintage 14K yellow gold cufflinks in the loveknot form, the top of each knot collet-set in white gold with a round brilliant-cut diamond. The gold tubes that form the knots have squared-off edges that make the knots more interesting than other similar knot cufflinks. The diamonds are estimated at SI2 clarity and J/K color.

Origin: America, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 6.5 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .23 carat.

An exquisite Edwardian pendant and brooch featuring a large oval rubellite (pinkish-red tourmaline) cabochon surrounded by old European cut diamonds mounted in elegant buttercup settings. The diamond flower buds are mounted in an intricately interlaced knife-edge platinum setting. The back has a removable mounting so the piece can be worn as either a brooch or a pendant. Removable mountings of this type are very complex and appear on only the finest pieces from the period. The rubellite has fine color. Rubellites are usually very included, but this stone has far better clarity than most, graded as Type III slightly included. The diamonds range I-J in color and SI1-SI2 in clarity. Tested and guaranteed platinum.

Origin: probably France, ca. 1905. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: Weight: 6.6 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 1.6 cts; rubellite, 5.08 cts.

A very attractive pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks in the stirrup (“etrier”) style originally popularized by Cartier in the Art Deco era. The solid hinged bar passes through the cuff holes and the angled legs surround the outside of the cuffs to hold them securely together. The legs are decorated in an elegant herringbone weave pattern that creates just a little soft sparkle. The cufflinks are fully stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks and have an unidentified maker’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1” x 3/4". Weight: 13.0 grams.

A superb 19th century French figural fob seal worked in silver and 18K gold. The gorgeously detailed wolf's head is worked in silver with gold accents such as the collar and the long tongue that hangs from one side of the very toothy jaws. The eyes are set with small rubies. The carnelian seal has never been engraved. Tested and guaranteed silver and 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, a very small flake on one corner of the carnelian, jump ring is a later addition. Dimensions: 7/8" x 7/8" x 1-5/16" (excluding jump ring). Weight: 21.7 grams.

An extraordinary gentleman's dress set comprising two double-sided cufflinks and three shirt studs, all worked in 18K yellow gold and set with cabochon cut blue sapphires. The design is very simple and sophisticated. The sapphires are of unusually fine quality to be cut en cabochon. Using the Gemological Institute of America's grading system, they are medium-dark, vivid strongly violetish-blue with excellent symmetry and polish, and very good clarity. The set was retailed by Cabochon Jewellers, Bangkok's most luxurious jeweler, located in the lobby of The Oriental Hotel. The set is accompanied by two original bills of sale, indicating the weight of the gemstones. Each piece is marked "750" for 18K.

Origin: Thailand, ca. 1978. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: cufflinks, 9/16" x 15/32"; studs, 1/2" x 13/32". Weight: 24.9 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 15.51 carats (cufflinks, 9.53 cts; studs, 5.98 cts).

An extremely rare pair of 22K yellow gold cufflinks designed by the famous surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Inspired by his hero, Louis XIV, Dali minted a limited number of his own gold coins in 1966. The artist called his gold coin the "Dali d'or" after the "Louis d'or" coins created for the French king. The coins were minted in four sizes and values, and Dali occasionally used them to pay debts he owed to friends.

In 1967, a year after creating the money, Dali collaborated with the luxury jeweler Piaget to create a line of jewelry incorporating the remaining coins. Dali d'or jewels are quite rare, but can be found as watches, pendants, earrings, brooches and cufflinks.

Like the royal coins, Dali's personal coins featured his likeness along with that of his wife, Gala, on the front. Their faces are surrounded by laurel leaves, fleurs-de-lys and eggs, the last element a recurring symbol of rebirth in Dali's works. The same motifs are repeated on the back, but without the faces and in an even more surrealistic design. Each coin is signed and dated by Dali and is incised with its edition number. The coins used for this pair of cufflinks are #1495 and #1499.

The toggle findings are worked in 18K gold and are signed "Piaget".

Origin: Spain and France, 1967. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 1" diameter. Weight: 35.8 grams.

A very interesting pair of 18K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. The cufflinks were made in France and were available only in Tiffany’s Paris boutique. Each face is formed as a square knot instead of the more traditional knots often seen in cufflinks. The solid connectors are marked with French 18K hallmarks and also “Tiffany & Co.”

Origin: France, ca. 1980. Condition: excellent. Size: 13/16” x 7/16”. Weight: 15.0 grams.

A nice pair of vintage 18K yellow gold stirrup cufflinks. Unlike most stirrup cufflinks that have a rounded triangular shape, this pair has a severe angled shape that heightens the Art Deco appeal of the design. This type of cufflink was first popularized by Cartier in the late 1940s and remained popular in France through the mid-century. The surfaces are decorated with bright-cut engraving. Each cufflink is fully hallmarked with French "tete d'aigle" hallmarks for 18K and with an unknown maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Size: 3/4" x 1-1/8" x 9/32" wide. Weight: 9.3 grams.