Catalog (2481)

An elegant pair of silver double-sided cufflinks by David-Andersen featuring Prussian blue guilloche enamel in a sunburst design encircled with opaque white champlevé enamel. Exposed areas of silver are gilt. The backs are stamped with the David-Anderson mark used 1888-1925.

Origin: Norway, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent; no enamel damage. Dimensions: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 6.6 grams.

An important 19th century brooch of carved coral lilies nestled among 18K yellow gold chrysanthemum leaves set with old mine cut diamonds. The lily blossoms are fully three dimensional and are carved from the finest Mediterranean red coral, most likely harvested from the Italian coast near Naples. The heavily detailed gold leaves have a strong sculptural quality with undulating movement. Every surface is set with old mine cut diamonds of exceptional quality, averaging I/J color and SI clarity. Diamonds, collet-set and suspended from knife-edge mountings, also form the flowers' anthers. Diamonds are also set into portions of the stem that can't be seen from the front. Exposed areas of gold are delicately hand-engraved. The back of the brooch retains its original extended pinstem c-clasp. There is also a threaded aperture that was probably originally used to attach the brooch to a comb so it could be worn as a hair ornament. Tested and guaranteed at least 18K (it appears to be a little higher, perhaps 19-20K).

Origin: probably France, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent; one gold stem appears to have an old repair; no breaks in coral; no replacements. Dimensions: 3" x 3-5/8" x 1-1/8". Weight: 54.9 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 10.0 carats.

A phenomenal dress set comprising a pair of cufflinks and three shirt studs, all worked in 18K yellow gold and set with green cat's-eye tourmalines. The settings are designed in a thistle pattern similar to Jean Schlumberger's designs for Tiffany. All the details are entirely hand-engraved and each piece looks as good from the side or back as it does from the front. The fine tourmalines have strongly bluish-green color, well-placed bright chatoyancy (cat's-eye effect), and very good symmetry and polish. Each cufflink is illegibly signed. The mechanical portion of the shirt studs are marked "14K", but all the other parts of the settings are tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Size: cufflink front faces, 5/8" x 7/16"; cufflink back faces, 7/16" diameter; studs, 5/16" diameter. Weight: 22.5 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: tourmaline, 20.87 cts.

A lovely art glass cabinet vase with cameo decoration in the “Thistle” pattern by Daum. The glass has elegant mottled coloring with dark peach and amber. The rim and foot are enhanced with gilt edging. The bottom of the base is signed in gilt script and bears the cross of Lorraine. This example is finely carved and makes very nice use of the layers of color.

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks, very minor wear the gilding along the foot and rim. Size: 4-5/8” tall.

A very unusual Bohemian zwischengoldglass liquor glass, the bottom featuring an inset gilt and enameled design of a ladybug. The panel cutting along the beaker’s sides causes the design to be visually repeated. Small beakers such as these are normally decorated with a flower. This is the only example we’ve seen with an insect. The ladybug traditionally symbolizes good luck, so perhaps that's why it appears here.

Origin: Bohemia, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, gilding intact, no chips or cracks. Size: 2-1/4” tall.

A classic Art Deco figural cocktail shaker in the form of traditional milk can by Reed & Barton. The “Milk Can” was introduced in 1959 and came in two sizes, with the 32-ounce size retailing for $35. This shaker was a luxury product and was made with Reed & Barton’s highest quality plating. The bottom is stamped “Reed & Barton/27/32 oz.” It also retains the original paper lable.

Origin: America, ca. 1959. Condition: near mint, no dings or scratches. Size: 9-1/2” tall.

A very fine 12-piece set of gilt silver and mother of pearl dessert, fruit or cheese knives presented in their original fitted box. The tapered mother of pearl handles are tipped with silver finials and ferules decorated in a Louis XVI-style ribbon and reed motif. Most similar sets have plated blades, but these are silver. The silver is gilt, a process that is decorative, but also serves to prevent corrosion from the salts in cheeses which were often served in France as a dessert course. The gilding has faded to a very nice, light lemony color. The interior lid of the velvet- and silk-lined box is marked by the maker, “J. Fayard/Fabricant Orfèvre Joaillier/St Etienne”.

Origin: France, ca. 1860. Condition: knives are excellent, no dings, no cracks, normal fading of the gilding; the box shows considerable wear and has a slightly warped lid. Size: 7-1/2” long.

A sterling silver vermouth dispenser in the form of a watering can by Cartier. When tipped, the dispenser lightly sprinkles just a drip of vermouth into the glass for the perfect martini. The bottom is marked “Sterling” and is signed “Cartier”. These watering cans were made for Cartier’s New York flagship store.

Origin: America, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent. Size: 3” tall. Weight: 48.8 grams.

A vintage sterling silver vermouth dispenser in the form of a syringe by Gorham. These were called “Martini Spikes” when sold by Gorham in the 1960’s. The functioning plunger allows vermouth to be drawn up into the syringe and then dispensed in precisely-calibrated medical dosages into your favorite cocktail. The syringe originally cost $10 as is indicated on the original order form that accompanies this example. It also includes the original fitted box (though in poor condition).

Origin: America, 1967-70. Condition: excellent (except box), no monograms or dings. Size: 6-1/4” long.

A sterling silver corkscrew by International Silver in one of the company’s 1930s Art Deco designs. Clearly patterned after the popular Scandinavian designs of the period, this design is very similar to “Royal Danish”, “Sonja” and “Norse”. The handle is marked with International’s older hallmark and the pattern number “NX14”.

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, no dings, sharp details. Size: handle width, 4-5/16”; length, 4-5/8”.

Vintage sterling silver figural jigger in the form of a thimble. The rim is engraved "Just a thimblefull." Thimble jiggers became popular in the Victorian era and remained so through the mid-20th century. The base is hallmarked by Towle.

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: a very small ding at the bottom edge visible upon close inspection. Size: 2" tall. Weight: 28.1 grams.

A fun mid-century chrome and bakelite stoplight handled jigger. The side is marked off in three increments--"Safe", "Caution" and "Danger"--each with a jeweled light. The bottom is marked "Reg'd Design/Glo-Hill Canada". Montreal-based Glo-Hill made a creative range of barware and serving pieces for modern entertaining.

Origin: Canada, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Size: 3-13/16" tall.

A witty pair of Art Deco silverplate jiggers, the smaller (1.5 oz) decorated with a hand with one finger upraised and the larger (2.0 oz) with two fingers. The jiggers are heavy and well-made. The jiggers nest together perfectly.

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, original plating completely intact. Size: 2-5/8” and 3” tall.

A lovely antique crystal plaque by Baccarat encasing a sulphide or "cameo incrustation" of the "Madonna and Child". This particular sulphide is one of the two known depictions of Mary and Jesus used by Baccarat during the classic period of paperweight production. It is a large version and shows Mary supported by a swirling cloud of angels. The back of the plaque is cut in a waffle pattern and the edges are finished in with curved gadroons. A footed cross with the same sulphide subject and gadrooned cutting can be seen in the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass. The crystal is completely free of inclusions. The plaque retains its original bronze mounting and jump ring.

Origin: France, ca. 1825. Condition: excellent; no chips or cracks; original mountings except the bail has been replaced with a wire (not visible from the front or when hanging). Dimensions: 2-15/16" x 3-11/16" (excluding mountings).

Superb and very rare pair of French Art Deco platinum double-sided cufflinks, the faces fashioned from rock crystal and set with diamonds. The rock crystal is carved into a faceted open-centered square design with canted corners, the opposite sides bisected by platinum bands set with baguette diamonds. The diamonds are of exceptionally good quality with E color and VVS2 to IF clarity. The faces are joined by chain connectors with a spring ring to ease in putting them through a cuff. The cufflinks are fully marked with French hallmarks for platinum and have an illegible maker's mark and an illegible signature (only "France" is visible).

Origin: France, ca. 1920. Condition: very good. Size: faces, 1/2" x 1/2". Weight: 7.4 gr. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .80 ct.

An uncommon 18K yellow gold pendant in the Sputnik style collet-set with round amethysts, green tourmalines, pink tourmalines, garnets, aquamarines and citrines. This design was originally created by H Stern in the 1950s to showcase the range of colored gemstones available from the mines of the company's native Brazil. It later came to be known as "Sputnik" for its resemblance to the spiky Soviet satellite launched in 1957. Each piece has a unique appearance resulting from the specific combination of gemstones used. This pendant has rich look with unusually saturated colors. The Sputnik design was most commonly used for rings; pendants are difficult to find. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: Brazil, ca. 1955. Condition: excellent. Size: 25/32" diameter (excluding bail). Weight: 3.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.81 cts.

A delightful pair of cufflinks worked in 14K yellow, rose and green gold. Each cufflink depicts a woodland scene with an owl in a tree, a rabbit standing on his hind legs, various flowers and plants, and a moonlight starry sky. The combination of an owl along with a rabbit represents the concept of "night" and "day." These cufflinks were originally cuff buttons and were converted to cufflinks using the original parts. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent. Size: 13/16" diameter. Weight: 12.4 grams.

A terrific pair of earrings in the form of round shakudo plaques set in 14K yellow gold borders. Each of the matching Meiji-period discs features a Japanese immortal or scholar along with a fearsome dragon. Details of the dragon’s scales and fins and the man’s staff are picked out in gold and copper highlights. The gold borders are simply decorated with a ropetwist motif. The earwires are later additions. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

Origin: Japan, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-1/16” diameter; 1-1/2” from top of wire.

A fine pair of platinum-topped 18K yellow gold cufflinks, each faces ornately pierced and set with three old European and mine-cut diamonds, flanked by a pair of small rose cut diamonds and finished with calibre-cut blue sapphires at the corners. The platinum is accented with millgraining. The I1 diamonds are graded as L/M color, and they appear quite bright in the settings. Tested and guaranteed 18K and platinum.

Ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: front faces, 1/2” x 1/2"; back faces, 13/16” long. Weight: 7.4 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 1.0 ct; sapphire, .53 ct.

A very nice pair of Retro 18K yellow gold cufflinks in the stirrup (“etrier”) popularized by Cartier. During the war years, even the most exclusive European jewelers frequently used synthetic rubies and sapphires because natural material simply wasn’t available. The square cut stones are channel set along the sides of the cufflinks, and a single stone is collet-set at either end of the closing mechanism. When being worn, the band of rubies goes fully around the outsides of the shirt cuff. The cufflinks are stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-1/16” x 11/16”. Weight: 10.2 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.52 cts.

A handsome pair of double-sided 18K yellow gold cufflinks, the round faces featuring an ornate pattern of woven gold “threads”. The faces are joined by chains. Each cufflink is fully hallmarked with French 18K gold marks and with an unidentified maker’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1980. Condition: excellent. Size: 17/32” diameter. Weight: 9.0 grams.

A fun Art Deco cocktail pick set designed as a large green and white bakelite dice holding a set of six chrome picks, each with a dice finial. The bottom of the holder is marked “GB Modèle Déposé.”

Origin: France, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent. Size: holder, 2” x 2” x 2”; picks, 3-1/2” long.

An elegant pair of Edwardian 14K yellow gold, platinum and mother-of-pearl cufflinks by Carrington. The round, slightly concave mother-of-pearl faces are centered with small natural pearls and enclosed within engraved platinum borders. Both the mother-of-pearl and the pearls have very nice luster and color overtones. Each face is hallmarked by Carrington, one of the leading American manufacturing jewelers at the turn of the 20th century.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 9/16” diameter. Weight: 9.1 grams.

A fine and very heavy pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks the in the “stirrup” (“etrier”) style popularized by Cartier in the late Art Deco period. The cufflinks are formed as sharply arched bands of open curb link chain. The hinged closing mechanism is hidden inside the cuff when the cufflinks are being worn. Each cufflink is fully hallmarked with French “tete d’aigle” hallmarks for 18K gold and with a master goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 13/16” x 1”. Weight: 15.8 grams.

A handsome set of 14K yellow gold, platinum, pearl and mother-of-pearl cufflinks and shirt studs in a classic style. Each octagonal face is edged with a platinum border engraved in a floral design. The rich coloring of the mother-of-pearl contrasts beautifully with the platinum. Each piece is marked “14K” and has Larter’s manufacturer’s mark. The dress set is presented in its original fitted box, with the inside of the lid inscribed “J. E. Caldwell & Co./Philadelphia”. Larter was one of the most important American manufacturing jewelers and produced many pieces for elite stores such as Caldwell, Tiffany, and Bailey, Banks & Biddle.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: cufflinks, 9/16” diameter; studs, 11/32” diameter. Weight: 9.1 grams.

Vintage sterling silver figural jigger in the form of a thimble. The rim is engraved "Just a thimblefull." These first became popular during the late Victorian era and remained so through the mid-20th century. This example is hallmarked by Towle.

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Size: 2" tall. Weight: 28.2 grams.

An unusual 1940s French cocktail pick holder depicting a "racoleuse"--a streetwalker--leaning against a lamp post and raising her skirt very high. The chrome is engraved in a way to show that her thin dress does nothing to hide her more perky attributes. A selection of bakelite and chrome cocktail picks a stored in the trash can on the other side of the lamp post. Cocktail picks, often with very elaborate holders, were vastly popular in France and come in infinite variety. This is the only example we've seen of this particular design.

Origin: France, ca. 1948. Condition: excellent, all original; one bakelite sphere is cracked. Size: base, 5-7/8" x 2-1/2"; 9" high.

An attractive, colorful frit paperweight showing a pair of hearts shot through with an arrow and surrounded by a laurel wreath and the word "Friendship," all against a bright mottled umbrella ground. The pontil is ground and frosted. The glass is nicely free of striae and bubbles. The quality of workmanship is quite good, and the weight is certainly the handiwork of one of the better West Virginia glass makers, possibly Gentile.

Origin: America, ca. 1950. Condition: very good; extremely minor surface wear to crown. Dimensions: 3-1/4" diameter; 2" high.

An elegant pair of 18K yellow gold Art Deco cufflinks, the faces set with ornately carved amethyst cabochons surrounded by borders of rose cut diamonds and centering collet-set single cut diamonds. The borders of diamonds are set in millgrained platinum. The carving on the amethysts is finely done and the surfaces have a matte finish that gives the stones a deep velvety appearance. The faces are connected with chains to gold lozenge-shaped backs centering round cut diamonds. All the diamonds have bright color and good clarity. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold and platinum.

Ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: front faces, 11/16” x 1/2"; backs, 7/8” x 5/16”. Weight: 10.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 1.14 carats, amethyst, 9.48 carats.

An exceptional pair of Victorian carved ivory and 9K yellow gold earrings. The earrings are fashioned as exquisitely detailed cherubs, each suspending three elongated drops. The drops are arranged in the typical girandole style with the central piece hanging lower than the outer elements. The cherubs are fully three-dimensional and the feathered carving on the backs is as fine as that on the front. The ivory has a very nice patina. The style and exceptional quality of carving indicates the ivories were likely carved in Italy, whereas the use of 9K gold suggests they were mounted as jewelry in England. Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter can be seen wearing an ivory cherub brooch quite similar to these in one of her portraits. The girandole style emerged in French jewelry in the early 1700s and remained popular throughout the century. The ornate style returned to popularity during the Rococo Revival around 1870. The wires are stamped with French import marks for 9K. Victorian ivory earrings of this quality are quite uncommon, and we were fortunate to acquire two exceptional pairs from the same source.

Origin: Italy/England, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, all original, no cracking. Size: length from top of wire, 2-3/4”; length from top of cherub, 2-1/8”; width, 1-1/16”.

NOTE: This item cannot be shipped outside the United States or to California.

A very fine round platinum, diamond and pearl brooch depicting a flower in full blossom being visited by a small insect. The flower’s leaves and petals are set with mine-cut diamonds, as are the insect’s wings. The insect’s body is formed from a small natural pearl and pearls also adorn the flower in several places. The delicacy of the design is amazing. The diamonds are very good quality and the pearls have lovely iridescence. The brooch retains its original safety clasp and 18K gold pinstem. The brooch is signed “Tiffany & Co.” and has an engraved inventory number. Tested and guaranteed platinum. This piece could be worn as a pendant simply by passing a fine platinum chain through one of the openings or by adding a folding bail.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1” diameter. Weight: 4.6 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .30 carat.

A fine modernist 18K yellow gold ring set with an intricately carved aquamarine in the "forma livre" (free form) style. Haroldo Burle Marx was particularly known for his use of large gemstones, often fashioned by carving or tumbling rather than being faceted, a technique he invented in 1948. The color of this aquamarine is quite nice—almost a Prussian blue. The gold mounting is decorated with the fine florentined engraving often seen on Marx pieces. Some of Marx's rings are quite bulky, but the narrowness of this ring truly flatters the hand. The ring is an iconic piece and would be immediately recognizable by any Burle Marx collector. The interior of the shank is signed “Burle Marx” and is stamped “750” and “Ind. Bras”.

Marx worked in his native Brazil, but his only boutique was located at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. He was chosen by the Brazilian government to create gifts for visiting heads of state and their wives including Empress Nagako of Japan, Empress Farah Diba of Iran, Queen Margarethe of Denmark and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was also a favored jeweler to Natalie Wood and Merle Oberon. On of his most important commissions was a gem-encrusted cross made for Pope John Paul II.

Origin: Brazil, ca. 1965. Condition: excellent, all original. Finger Size: 5-3/4”. Dimensions: crown, 1-1/16”; shank tapers to 5/32” at the back. Weight: 10.8 grams.

A stunning French Belle Epoque platinum negligee necklace set with old European and single-cut diamond and calibre cut blue sapphires. The fancy platinum chain, interrupted at regular intervals with natural seed pearls, joins to a gracefully arched diamond-set bar suspending old European cut diamonds leading an asymmetrical pair of semicircular plaques, each finished with a tassel of natural seed pearls. The term “negligee”, technically meaning “careless”, refers to the seemingly careless, uneven arrangement of the drop elements. The diamonds are graded as J/K color and I1 clarity. The necklace is stamped with French “tete de chien” marks for platinum.

Origin: France, ca. 1915. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: necklace length, 17-1/2”; pendant drop length, 2-1/4”. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .85 ct; sapphire, .16 ct. Weight: 9.5 grams.

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).

A handsome pair of Art Deco 14K yellow gold cufflinks, the faces collet-set with jasper chalcedony cabochons. The stones display a nice variety of swirling colors in hues of rust, grayish-green and cream. The figure-eight connectors are marked “14K” and have Larter’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1/2" diameter. Weight: 8.5 grams.

An unusually fine pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks in the “stirrup” (“etrier”) style popularized by Cartier in the late Art Deco period. Rather than the usual triangular shape, however, the cufflinks display a double cyma-curve shape. Each of the sides is decorated with an angular ridged pattern at the edges. The solid bar is hidden inside the cuff when the cufflinks are being worn. Most “etrier” cufflinks have a hinged opening at the bar, but this pair opens at the point where the two sides meet. The mechanism is invisible when closed and the style gives the cufflinks considerably more appeal than their cousins. Each cufflink is fully hallmarked with French “tete d’aigle” hallmarks for 18K gold and with a master goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 7/8” x 15/16”. Weight: 13.0 grams.