Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1615)

An elegant pair of Imperial Russian 14K yellow gold cufflinks, each of the round faces set with with a pair of cushion-cut blue sapphires and a pair of cabochon rubies. The stones are good quality, with intensely saturated color. Chains connect the fronts to torpedo backs. Each cufflink is stamped with the Russian marks for 14K (56 zolotniks) and for the assay-master Alexander Romanov, (St. Petersburg).

Origin: Russia, 1904-08. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: faces, 1/2" diameter. Weight: 4.0 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, .45 ct; ruby, .56 ct.

A lovely sentimental jewel by the esteemed London jeweler Murrle, Bennet & Co. featuring a heart-shaped citrine surmounted by a crown and a scrolling frame set with seed pearls. In Victorian symbology, a heart topped with a single crown conveyed the sentiment “ruler of my heart.” The citrine has very nice pure yellow coloring, with just a hint of orange. It would be very easy to add a small hidden ring at either end of the pin, so it can be worn from a chain. Murrle, Bennet & Co. was a leading jeweler, often collaborating with Liberty & Co. The pin is stamped “15Ct” and also has Murrle, Bennett’s hallmark.

• Origin: England, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” x 7/8”
• Weight: 4.6 grams
• Approximate Gemstone Weight: 5.39 carats

A classic French Art Nouveau 18K gold brooch featuring a young woman with naught but a sprig of flowers covering her breasts set against a poppy blossom. A swallow appears over her shoulder. In Victorian symbology, swallows variously represented wishes for a safe return or “home and heart” since the they mate for life. Similarly, poppies had various meanings including imagination and pleasure. The design was created by the sculptor Armand-Pierre-Louis Quenard (1865-1925) and presented at the inaugural salon of the Société des Artistes Français in 1901. The clasp is stamped with French 18K gold marks and with an illegible maker’s mark.

NOTE: The brooch could be converted to a pendant with the addition of a folding bail to the back.

• Origin: France, ca. 1901.
• Condition: excellent; all original.
• Dimensions: 1” x 1”.
• Weight: 5.0 grams.

A lovely Victorian ring featuring a center red spinel flanked by a pair of oval blue spinels, all bordered in old European cut diamonds. The gemstones are intensely colored with excellent clarity. The ring likely dates to around 1876, when jewelry in patriotic colors enjoyed a resurgence for the American Centennial. Tested and guaranteed 14K. This ring would make a stunning and unique engagement ring!

• Origin: America, ca. 1876.
• Finger Size: 5.
• Dimensions: crown, 3/8" x 1/2".
• Weight: 2.5 grams.
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: red spinel, .58 carat; blue spinel, .53 carat; diamond, .20 carat.
• Condition: excellent.

A beautiful and rare Retro 14K yellow and white gold floral brooch featuring carved jadeite leaves and a carved rock crystal blossom. The rock crystal has an opalescent quality that appears much like moonstone. Both the front and back surfaces are finely engraved to suggest floral textures. The jade is brightly colored and contrasts nicely with the golden stems and leaves. The back is marked “14K”. Carved gemstone floral pins are quite uncommon.

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-11/16” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 12.0 grams.

A very nice pair of Art Deco 14K gold and enamel cufflinks by Carrington. The enamel is worked in a particularly pleasant shade of French blue with opaque white accents. The gold surfaces underneath the translucent enamel had engine-turned engraving in a pattern that suggests moire silk. The edges of the faces are very slightly, gracefully bowed outward. The connectors are hallmarked by Carrington. These cufflinks, worked in a different color combination, are shown in “Cuff Links” by Jonas and Nissenson.

Origin: America, 1910-15

Condition: excellent, minute surface wear visible under 10x magnification

Size: 9/16” x 9/16”

Weight: 10.5 grams

A superb American silver locket and chain necklace from the Victorian era. The book chain is enhanced with three rows of lapidary-cut silver balls. The locket’s cover is decorated with an engraved scene of an egret, bamboo, reeds and a fan in the Japonaise style popular during the Aesthetic period. The interior retains the original frames on either side. The chain can be worn without the locket as a 17” necklace or, with the drop chain in place at the back, as a 19-1/4” necklace. American chains of this style are far more uncommon than English chains. Tested and guaranteed silver.

• Origin: America, ca. 1885
• Condition: chain is excellent; locket has one pinpoint ding to the front and several to the back
• Dimensions: necklace, 17” to 19-1/4”; locket, 1-3/8” x 1-3/4” (excluding bail)
• Weight: 95.3 grams

A very handsome pair of 14K yellow gold barbell cufflinks, the cube-shaped ends enhanced with waffle-cut engraving. The linear design has a very sophisticated modernist feel and these cufflinks can be worn with anything. Marked 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1990. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: larger faces, 3/8 x 3/8 x 3/8 inch. Weight: 9.0 grams.

A classic Victorian 14K yellow gold hinged bangle bracelet with black taille d’épargne enameling in scrolling floral pattern. The delicate enamel design is further accented with a stippled background that adds a sense of depth.

Origin: America, ca. 1865. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, no exterior dents. Dimensions: 1/4" wide, 6-1/8” interior circumference. Weight: 9.5 gr.

A pretty vintage 14K yellow gold pin by Krementz featuring a spray of beautifully enameled bleeding hearts, each dangling a small seed pearl. The enameling on the blossoms has a matte effect that mimics the waxing texture of the flower in nature, while the leaves are in Krementz's more typical shaded translucent style. In Victorian flower language, bleeding hearts were used to represent "deepest love." Pins such as this with a delicate enameled flower against a geometric back represent are typical of Krementz's move Art Nouveau into Art Deco and finally Retro. The original clasp is stamped with Krementz' hallmark. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent; no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1-3/16" diameter
• Weight: 7.0 grams

A classic vintage Mikimoto 14K yellow gold pin featuring ten cultured Akoya pearls, ranging in size from 6.25 to 7.58 millimeters. The pearls are estimated at A+ quality, with cream body color and rose overtones, and strong orient. The nacre is thick and lustrous and the surfaces are blemish-free. The back is signed with Mikimoto’s hallmark.

Origin: Japan, ca. 1980. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-7/8” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 12.1 grams.

A lovely pair of Victorian 14K gold earrings featuring a rose gold lily with green gold foliage against a yellow gold background. The flower petals and leaves are stippled for added texture. The edges are finished with ornate beading, rope-twists, and appliqués. In Victorian floriography, lilies represented virtue or purity, though in Queen Victoria’s personal floriography, the white lily represented “majesty.” The earrings appear to have been converted from a pair of cuff buttons with the addition of ear wires. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America or England, ca. 1850
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 11/16” x 11/16”; 15/16” long from top of earwire
• Weight: 6.9 grams

A heavy 18K yellow gold fob Etruscan-style fob, charm or pendant in the form of an ancient Greco-Roman amphora. The gold surfaces are covered in an ornate pattern of twisted rope and rosettes. The upper shoulders of the urn are set with a pair of cabochon citrines of dark amber color and the lower portion is set with a pair of cabochon garnets. The design is finished by a pair of rope-twist handles. The charm is marked “750” for 18K.

Origin: Italy, ca. 1960. Condition: very good; one garnet has surface abrasions and nicks to the collet setting visible on close inspection. Dimensions: 1-7/8” long. Weight: 11.0 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: garnet, 4.88 cts; citrine, 3.38 cts.

A handsome pair of 14K yellow gold cufflinks in a brushed finish with prong-set sapphires. The design of a cut-out triangle superimposed over a solid triangle creates a layered effect that lends a nice feeling of depth to the cufflinks. The toggle backs are marked "14K".

li>Origin: America, ca. 1950.
• Dimensions: faces, 3/4" x 3/4".
• Weight: 13.5 grams.
• Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: .15 carat.
• Condition: excellent, one toggle has a minute ding on the edge.

A handsome pair of mid-century modern 14K gold and malachite cufflinks reminiscent of an Aztec design. The arch cabochons of malachite have very nice color n markings. The gold surfaces are stippled for added textural interest. The toggle backs are stamped "14k."

• Origin: America, ca. 1970.
• Dimensions: faces, 1 1/8" x 23/32"
• Weight: 18.0 grams.
• Condition: excellent

A handsome pair of 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the heavy oval faces gypsy-set with variously cut fancy colored sapphires. One cufflink features a medium-tone blue sapphire in a radiant cut, flanked by two round brilliant cut sapphires—one a pale greyish-blue and the other an orangy-yellow. The other cufflink has a pale blue oval sapphire flanked by a pair of vivid blue round sapphires. The faces are connected to toggle backs. The cufflinks are stamped "14K" and also have an unidentified maker's mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1990. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 5/8" x 3/8". Weight: 12.8 gr. Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 1.26 cts.

A classic vintage Mikimoto brooch featuring pearls set in 14K yellow gold. The swirled design includes ten pearls of superb quality, estimated at AA quality. The surfaces are smooth, the luster is bright and the body color is cream with rose overtones. The pearls range in size from 5.5 to 7.7 millimeters. The gold “leaves” are pierced to provide a sense of lightness despite the pin’s relatively generous size. The back retains the original typical Mikimoto clasp and is signed with Mikimoto’s hallmark and “K14”.

Origin: Japan, ca. 1980. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-1/4” x 1-3/8”.

An interesting pair of 18K yellow gold baton style cufflinks, the faces set with oval blue sapphires. The sapphires are bezel-set for a clean, classic look. The sapphires have a strong, dark blue color and do not show signs of heat treatment. The toggle backs are stamped with French 18K gold marks.

Ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: faces, 15/16” x 1/4". Weight: 9.7 gr. Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 4.56 cts.