Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1639)

A truly exceptional example of American Art Nouveau enameled gold jewelry, this pendant features a deeply three-dimensional waterlily enameled in translucent lavender. The blossom is surrounded by bright green leaves and another bud about to open. A pair of baroque freshwater pearls flank the blossom, and the whole is presented against a gold frame incorporating whiplash curves and suspending a freshwater dogtooth pearl. The pearls are of exceptional quality, with bright orient in rainbow colors. The pendant is suspended from a leaf-shape plaque. The depth of the design is amazing. The pendant can be removed from the chain and originally had a removable pinstem mechanism so it could be worn as a brooch. The mechanism is now missing, but could easily be recreated by a competent goldsmith. All in all, this is one of the very best Art Nouveau enameled pendants we’ve owned. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America (probably Newark), ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: length of pendant from the top of the leaf element to the bottom of the dogtooth pearl, 2”; width of pendant element, 1-3/16”; chain length, 18”. Weight: 8.2 gr.

A very attractive pair of double-sided 14K yellow gold Victorian cufflinks, the faces set with oval garnet cabochons. Cufflinks of the kind are usually made with a simple bezel setting, but this pair has a double border of gold around the garnets, giving them a more substantial look. The garnets are very fine, with vivid red coloring. Each cufflink is marked "14K" and is signed wtih the maker's mark for Sansbury & Nellis.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 9/16" x 7/16". Weight: 9.3 grams. Approximate Total Garnet Weight: 10.84 carats.

An elegant pair of Edwardian 14K gold and platinum double-sided cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. The round faces are set with plaques of black mother of pearl within engraved platinum borders. The faces are centered by natural seed pearls. The mother of pearl has strong iridescence, primarily in rose shades, against the silvery gray body color. Black mother of pearl is much less common than the lighter colors and creates a striking effect. The bright-cut engraving of the platinum borders adds a touch of sparkle. The backs of the faces are signed “Tiffany & Co.” and are marked “14K” and “Plat & Gold”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 9/16” (15 mm) diameter. Weight: 9.3 grams.

An elegant late Victorian or early Edwardian 14K yellow gold long chain with opal double-cabochon stations at regular intervals. The stations are carefully arranged so that the opals are alternately spaced whether the necklace is worn at full-length or doubled. The clasp can also be used to suspend a pendant. The opals are good quality with even play-of-color, mostly in the blue/green range with occasional bursts of orange/red. The clasp is marked "14K."

• Origin: America, ca. 1900.
• Condition: excellent; one opal has minor crazing to the back surface.
• Length, 52-1/2" plus the pendant clasp as a single strand; 27" as a double strand; opals, 8mm diameter.
• Weight: 16.8 grams.

A superb pair of late Victorian or Edwardian 14K yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the faces set with reverse-carved and painted Essex crystals depicting a cockfight. Cufflinks depicting a cockfight are quite rare. The workmanship in this pair is outstanding. The carving is deep and the painting is expertly done. The mother-of-pearl backing is particularly lustrous with fine iridescence. The crystals are simply set in gold frames attached with bar connectors marked "14K".

At the turn of the century, cockfighting was considered a gentleman's sport and images from fights appeared on a variety of gentlemen's accessories and barware. The images tell the story of the whole match. One crystal shows the roosters meeting for the first time; the second shows one rooster attacking; the third shows the counter-attack; and the final crystal shows the winning rooster crowing over his vanquished enemy.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; one face has very faint moisture marks on the mother-of-pearl, but no paint loss. Size: faces, 11/16" x 9/16". Weight: 13.3 grams.

A very fine 14K yellow gold Art Nouveau locket, the cover decorated with a beautifully detailed depiction of the Viking god Odin, father of all gods and men. He is traditionally depicted wearing a helmet enhanced with horns and feathered wings. The locket retains its original glass insert. The back was never monogrammed. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 15/16” diameter.

A lovely Art Nouveau 14K yellow gold honeymoon pin in the form of a crescent moon decorated with blue and white enamel forget-me-nots surrounding an enameled pansy set with a .025-ct round brilliant diamond. The pansy is the more uncommon type where the petals have elegantly-chased decoration. In Victorian flower language, both the pansy and the forget-me-not symbolized “think of me.” 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.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damange
• Dimensions: 7/8” x 11/16”
• Weight: 2.8 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .025 carat

A lovely Art Nouveau pendant in 14K yellow gold by Bippart, Griscom & Osborn. The curving gold frame encloses a flower with petals made from baroque Mississippi River pearls centering a bezel-set round blue sapphire. Another freshwater pearl hangs from the bottom of the pendant. The gold surfaces have a softly bloomed texture. The bail is original and is marked by Bippart.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: pendant, 2-1/2" x 5/8"; chain 15"
• Weight: 5.6 grams
• Approximate Sapphire Weight: .11 carat

A lovely 18K yellow gold locket, the front cover enhanced with ornate engine-turned engraving in a sunburst pattern with laurel leaf borders. The front cover is centered with a blue sapphire cabochon with rich coloring. The locket’s back cover is more simply decorated with engine-turned stripes. Even the interior edges, which are hidden from view, are engraved in a foliate pattern. The locket is suspended from its original laurel leaf jump ring that matches the border of the front cover. The interior retains both of the original portrait frames. The overall style is typical of French or Russian jewelry at the end of the 19th century, but it is unmarked. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original, sharp detail. Dimensions: 1-3/16” diameter (excluding jump ring). Approximate Sapphire Weight: .24 cts. Weight: 10.3 gr.

A wonderful Art Nouveau 14K gold ring in the form of two intertwined snakes surrounding an opal cabochon. The ornately coiled snakes are beautifully detailed. The opal has attractive play-of-color, with a preponderance of green and blue with sparks of red and orange. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

In the 19th century, snakes in jewelry symbolized eternal love. Jeweled snakes became particularly popular after Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake ring for their betrothal, and remained popular throughout the century.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Dimensions: 3/8" wide tapering to 1/16"
• Condition: excellent
• Finger Size: 7
• Weight: 3.1 grams

A striking late Victorian 14K yellow gold crucifix set with sapphires, an old European cut diamond and seed pearls. The diamond is graded at I/SI2 and the sapphires are finely colored and show no indication of heat treatment. The gold surface is "bloomed" for a soft matte texture that enhances the gold color but is subdued enough for the religious purpose of the pendant. The bail is original and is stamped for Bippart, Griscom & Osborn, one of the finest Newark jewelers of the era.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: 1-1/2" x 2-1/14" (excluding bail)
• Weight: 9.2 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, .80 carat; diamond, .23 carat

A very fine Imperial Austro-Hungarian bangle bracelet simply designed as an oval of twisted gold, but then set at the top with a trefoil of three cornflower blue sapphires surrounded by rose cut diamonds. The sapphires, .72, .58, and .52 carat, have microscopic stringer, sharp-edge milky bands, and snowflake inclusions typical of sapphires mined in Kashmir in the 1880s. The sapphires have excellent saturation, medium-dark tone, pure blue color without violet overtones, and a characteristic velvety appearance. The sapphires are surrounded and centered with eleven small rose cut diamonds. The bracelet is stamped with the Vienna hallmark used 1872-1922. The removable safety chain makes the bangle easy to take on and off.

• Origin: Vienna, Austria-Hungary, ca 1885
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1/8” wide at back; 5/8” wide at front; interior circumference, 6-1/2
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, 1.83 carats; diamond, .10 carat
• Weight: 14.9 grams

A very pretty Art Nouveau honeymoon pin worked in 10K yellow gold enhanced with enamel and seed pearls. The iris blossom is beautifully decorated in translucent shades of purple and greenish-yellow enamel and is centered by a small seed pearl. The flower appears against a crescent moon studded with graduated-size seed pearls. In the Victorian language of flowers, these elements were understood to symbolize “honey” (the flower) and “moon” (the crescent), thus representing “honeymoon”. These small pins were often given by grooms to their new brides as a wedding gift. For some reason, irises are somewhat uncommon in enameled jewelry. Though unsigned, the workmanship and style of this example suggests a Newark maker. The original clasp is marked “10K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: 7/8” x 13/16”. Weight: 2.3 grams.

A rare pair of sterling silver bean-back cufflinks, the faces with very detailed images of a Native American in profile. The Indian's long hair is woven with feathers and the edges of the cufflinks are decorated with stalks of corn. These latter details are very much in the Art Nouveau taste. The backs of the cufflinks are marked "Sterling." Both Unger and Kerr made an Indian design with a full-face image. These cufflinks are of equal quality, but we do not know the maker.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; sharp detail. Dimensions: 13/16 x 1/2". Weight:

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.

A wonderful pair of Art Nouveau 18K yellow gold cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. The faces feature finely detailed images of a bearded, horned devil with pointed ears and wild hair shown against a fiery background. The workmanship of the chasing and engraving is superb. Mythological subjects were especially popular during the Art Nouveau period, and certainly this devil's head could be seen as an extension of that popularity. The faces are attached to plain oval backs, which have never been engraved with a monogram. Each cufflink is signed with the Tiffany & Co. mark used around 1900 and is marked for 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Dimensions: 3/4 x 3/8". Weight: 10.4 grams.

A fun Victorian 14K yellow gold stickpin in the form of an oyster, complete with a small natural pearl resting on the lip of the oyster's shell. The surface is hand engraved to mimic the roughness of an oyster shell. The reverse is stamped "14K" and has an indistinct maker's mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: head, 1/2" x 13/16"; overall length, 2-1/2". Weight: 1.6 grams.

An exquisite English Art Nouveau 15K yellow gold pendant,centering a 5.02 carat pear shaped brilliant cut aquamarine with round brilliant pink tourmalines at either side, and suspending a free-hanging oval pink tourmaline. The gold surfaces are set with tiny seed pearls. The use of pastel gemstones is especially elegant and feminine and would have complemented the pale dress fabrics of the Edwardian era. The back of the pendant is engraved "JKM/JKC 1908/1909." It was likely a present to celebrate a first wedding anniversary. Marked 15Ct.

Origin: England, 1908. Condition: excellent, all original including pearl-set bail. Dimensions: 15/16" x 2". Weight: 4.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: aquamarine, 5.02 cts; pink tourmaline, .93.