Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (52)

This lovely enameled pansy, originally a screwback earring, has been converted to a colorful ring with the addition of sterling silver shank. The pansy is enameled in bright shades of purple and yellow. The enamel has a slight iridescent effect and is translucent so the engraved silver shines through for added texture. In the Victorian language of flowers, the pansy generally conveyed the meaning, “Think of me.” Purple and yellow pansies more specifically meant, “Forget me not.” The back is marked “Sterling.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1930.
• Condition: excellent; no enamel damage.
• Dimensions: 3/4 x 3/4".
• Finger Size: 6 1/4.
• Weight: 3.8 grams.

An elegant Art Nouveau silver brooch depicting a maiden smelling a rose. She is surrounded in a bower of climbing roses and enclosed in a frame of whiplash curves typical of French Art Nouveau. The clasp is marked for silver and bears the maker's mark of Fernand Boursot, who opened shop in Paris in 1894. THe brooch could be converted to a pendant with the addition of a bail at the top or a pair of bails and a split chain at the upper corners.

• France, ca 1895.
• Excellent condition; sharp detail.
• 1" x 15/16".
• 5.1 grams.

An Edwardian gilt silver ("vermeil") locket enhanced with bright turquoise blue guilloche enamel. The starburst design of the champleve is enhanced with gilt accents in the enamel. The locket retains the original insert frames on both sides. Stamped with English hallmarks; the city mark is obscured, so we can't be certain of the exact date letter, but we believe it to be 1917.

• England, ca 1917
• Excellent condition; no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1" diameter
• Weight: 13.0 grams

An elegant pendant worked in 18K yellow gold and sterling silver by DeBeers Award winning jewelry designer John Atencio. The pendant features a square cushion cut amethyst surrounded by pave-set round brilliant cut diamonds. The amethyst has strong purple coloring, and the use of concave facets creates are very lively brilliance in the stone stone. The diamonds are of good quality, averaging J color and SI clarity. The setting is finely detailed with niello accents. The bale is hinged so the pendant can be slipped over a thick chain, and is marked “SS 18K”. The back of the setting incorporates the jeweler’s initials “JA” as a signature. The approximate retail cost of this pendant is $830.

Origin: America, ca. 2000

Condition: excellent

Size: 1-3/16” x 11/16”

Weight: 12.5 grams

Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: amethyst, 2.81 carats; diamond, .28 carat.

An elegant gilt sterling silver oval brooch by Kirk in the "Repousse" pattern. Kirk made a range of jewelry in this pattern but only a few were then gilt. With the addition of a bail to the back, this pin would make a very striking vertical pendant. The back is stamped with Kirk's hallmark from the 1932-61 period.

Origin: America, ca 1950. Condition: excellent, no wear to gilding. Dimensions: 2-7/16" x 15/16". Weight: 18.5 grams.

A delightful Imperial Austrian silver brooch set with three reverse-carved Essex crystals by the Imperial jeweler Georg Adam Scheid. The domed pin is finely engraved in a basket-weave motif and is pierced by three Essex crystals, each depicting a lap dog, perhaps a Pekingese. The dogs are well carved and colored, with tiny blue bows under their chins. The crystals never had a mother-of-pearl backing like those produced in England and France. Except in France, Essex crystals were not widely used in Continental European jewelry. The back retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp. The hinge is stamped with Imperial Austrian hallmarks for 800 silver and with Scheid’s hallmark. The brooch retains its patina, but could be polished if desired.

Origin: Austria, ca. 1880. Condition: all original, silver is excellent, some wear to the paint on the crystals. Dimensions: 1-1/16" diameter. Weight: 8.3 gr.

A delightful and very rare Victorian pin depicting a woman's "safety bicycle". With a chain drive connected to the back wheels and structural supports that left room for petticoats, these bicycles gave women unexpected freedom. Susan B. Anthony claimed that bicycling "had done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world." This pin is worked in silver gilt and set with rose cut Bohemian garnets. The detailing is very nice. The back of the pin retains its original clasp and extended pinstem.

Ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 1-5/16" x 13/16". Weight: 2.9 gr.

A wonderful figural fob seal depicting England’s patron St. George defeating the dragon. The design is worked primarily in silver, but the horse’s bridle, the dragon’s dorsal ridge and the saint’s spear and shield are worked in yellow gold. The gold base encloses a flat malachite that was never engraved. Tested and guaranteed sterling silver and 18K gold.

Origin: probably England, ca. 1860. Condition: very good, some light dings on the mounting around the stone consistent with age. Dimensions: 1’ x 5/8” x 1-1/16”. Weight: 15.9 gr.

A fine Art Deco sterling silver pendant necklace by famed illustrator and jewelry designer McClelland Barclay. The square pendant shows a water lily and lily pad along with several buds in a stylized form. The pendant is suspended from its original silver chain. The reverse is marked "Sterling Silver" and is signed "McClelland Barclay".

Barclay was a noted illustrator, famous for his pin-up style advertisements for General Motors and for Hollywood movies. At the onset of World War II, he volunteered to join the Navy and painted many of the most important recruiting and propaganda images. In 1942, he started designing silver jewelry. He was stationed on ships in the South Pacific and sent his designs via mail to the manufacturing company, Rice-Weiner. He was killed when his ship was torpedoed in 1943.

Origin: America, 1942-43. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: pendant, 2" x 2-1/4"; chain length, 24-1/2". Weight: 35.5 gr.

A cute, diminutive Victorian fob seal in the form of a silver toga-clad monkey sitting atop a gold base. His eyes are set with tiny cabochon garnets. The base is formed from a faceted carnelian and has never been engraved. Tested and guaranteed silver and 18K.

Origin: Probably France, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, all original, no engraving on seal. Dimensions: 9/16” x 7/16” x 1” tall. Weight: 4.2 gr.

A very good set of silver and turquoise watch tips by noted Navajo silversmith Benson Boyd. Each tip is decorated with “chip inlay” of turquoise accented with punched decoration. Chip inlay is typical of Boyd’s work. The tips are attached to a stainless steel band with a deployment clasp. Each tip is stamped with Boyd’s mark. The tips were originally purchased in Denver in 1976.

Origin: America, 1976. Condition: very good, no missing inlay, light wear on the spring pin tubes that connect to the lugs on a watch. Dimensions: tips, 1-1/2” wide; overall length 5-3/8” (the current band can be easily replaced for a custom fit).

A classic Pforzheim school silver Jugendstil brooch decorated with plique-a-jour enamels, moldavite and seed pearls. The translucent enamels have the velvety texture and very subtle coloring typical of many Pforzheim jewels of the period. The reverse is marked "Depose 900" and has the maker's mark for Karl Hermann (Hermann & Speck), one of the leading German Art Nouveau jewelers.

Origin: Germany, ca. 1900. Condition: very good, some light crazing to enamel, but no unstable or missing pieces. Dimension: 1-1/4" x 1-3/8". Weight: 5.2 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.

A stylish sterling silver pendant and chain by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. The bottle can be worn either empty as a sculptural piece of jewelry or as a vase with a single, delicate flower. Both the pendant and chain are signed Peretti and are fully hallmarked by Tiffany. This piece is the middle of the three available sizes and currently retails for $550.

Size: pendant, 1-3/4” x 1-1/2”; chain, 25” long. Weight: 18.6 grams.

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 lovely Art Nouveau pendant worked in silver and 10K yellow gold. The pendant consists of an openwork triangular silver plaque with a pair of plique-a-jour enameled mistletoe leaves below a band of opals and above a band of brilliant green moldavites, themselves over a square-cut pink tourmaline suspending a semi-baroque pearl drop. The whole is suspended from a round brilliant cut pink tourmaline set in gold. The combination of colored gemstones is lovely and nicely accents the enamel. The opals have a particularly nice play of color in tones of blue and reddish-orange. The overall design strongly suggests the work of the Pforzheim studios in Germany, but the “Sterling” markings on the back indicate an American origin.

Ca. 1900. Condition: excellent; no enamel damage. Size: 1-5/16” x 2” (to top of bale). Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: tourmaline, .96 ct; opal, .33 ct; moldavite, .20 ct. Weight: 4.4 grams.

A vintage sterling silver money clip in the form of a dollar sign. The reverse is hallmarked by R. Blackinton & Co.

Origin: America, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-3/4" long. Weight: 10.9 grams.

A very nice modernist silverplate over copper tie bar decorated with a design of coiled silver wire by studio jewelers Morley & Kim Crimi. This use of coiled wire is characteristic of the maker, who more frequently worked in copper than in silver. The back is marked “Morley-Crimi Hand Wrought”.

Origin: America, ca. 1955. Condition: good, some wear to lacquered finish near solder joints. Size: 2-3/4” x 11/16”.