Boucheron “Renaissance Revival” cuff / bracelet, attributed to a design by Paul Legrand and made by Tissot, highly sculptural gold inlay, damascene steel set with an intricately agate carved cameo c. 1878
French Art Deco / Boivin (attr.) / Strekers, 11 rue de Pyramides 75001 Paris (maker’s mark) “Fan Shape” clip / brooch, 18K gold with fancy hard and baguette cut citrines and a large cabochon ruby (6.50 carats), marks c. 1938
Rene Boivin (attr.) French Art Deco brooch set with a large rectangular aquamarine and diamonds set in a geometric platinum and matte finish 18K yellow gold, signed c. 1930’s
Joseph Kutchinsky, London (1914-2000) “Wrapped Cloth” ring in 18K yellow gold with a platinum tapered rectangular form pave set with 37 round diamonds (approx. 8 carats TW) , signed, 1973 (London gold mark small “s” for 1973) (illustrated: Christie’s Twentieth-Century Jewelry, Sally Everitt and David Lancaster (New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2002) p.113.
Tapio Wirkkala / Nils Westerback, Pendant Necklace, Lap-gold (18K gold or higher) pendant head with a rigid necklace, marked, 1970
TAPIO WIRKKALA (1915-1985) Finland
NILS WESTERBACK Finland
Pendant Necklace 1970
Lap-gold (18K gold or higher) pendant head with a rigid necklace
Makers: Tapio Wirkkala and Nils Westerback
Marks: 750, three crowns symbols
Model illustrated in: The Art of Jewelry, Graham Hughes (New York: The Viking Press, Inc., 1972), p. 135; Scandinavian Design, Charlotte and Peter Fiell (Köln: TASCHEN, 2002) p. 675; Marianne Aav, Rosa Barovier Mentasti and Gordon Bowyer, et al., Tapio Wirkkala – eye, hand and thought, exh. cat., Museum of Art and Design, Helsinki, 2000, p. 194, fig. 342 and p. 370
Shreve & Co., San Francisco Art Deco ring set with a trio of round cut diamonds (approx. 2 1/4 carats TW) set in platinum with caliber cut onyx surrounding the three diamonds and further set with four round cut diamonds flanking either side of the ring shank, signed: Shreve & Co., 950, Platinum, c.1930
Cartier Art Deco brooch, carved rock crystal with a fancy platinum mount set with diamonds, original leather box, signed c. 1925
Cartier Art Deco brooch, carved rock crystal with a fancy platinum mount set with two European and cushion cut diamonds (approx. 3 carats TW) further set with two European and cushion cut diamonds (approx. 1 carat TW) with diamond pave work filling out the surrounding floral motif, original leather box, signed and numbered, c. 1925
Marsh & Co. San Francisco, “Paisley” brooch with a blackened steel dramatic outline on an elaborate 18k gold frame and back in the shape of a paisley pave set with full cut round diamonds of (approx. 3.5-4 carats TW), c. 1950’s
G.T. Marsh was established in 1876 in San Francisco, CA as one of the first purveyors of Japanese art and antiques. In the early 30’s Marsh, with the help of his Italian bench jeweler settled on a unique style that will always be indicative of the firm. Instead of using gold or platinum, the jeweler, who was interested in gun-smithing, created a line of jewels using sandblasted steel finished with gun bluing. This resulted in a rich dark mat black finish. Chased or milegrained white gold or platinum offset pearls, jade or diamonds set against the black ground of the steel. Movement also played a part in the design. Hinged pearls or gemstones added yet another distinct element to the work or exceptionally strong contrasting graphics. The use of diamonds on a grander scale with the dramatic outline of a classic paisley form, places this brooch mid-century and at a time when Marsh’s Jewelry boutique was particularly flourishing in the Bay area.
Sigmund Zuckermandl, Vienna, “Cherry Blossom” brooch, enameled 18K gold set with diamonds and pink tourmalines further set with a large round pink tourmaline as a hanging lantern and a pearl, signed, c. 1890
European Modernist ring set with three round diamonds (approx. 2 carats TW) and further set with 34 diamonds (approx. 4 carats TW) in three platinum sections on a 14K gold ring, signed, c.1930
French Art Deco Emerald ring set with a very fine cabochon emerald (approx. 3 carats TW) and two old European cushion cut diamonds (3 carats TW) and further set with 12 round cut diamonds all set in 18K gold, signed, c.1920’s
Seaman Schepps “Grape” cluster clip/brooch set with 9 large cabochon sapphires (approx. 85+ carats TW), 5 large cabochon emeralds (approx. 35+ carats TW) and 13 round diamonds (approx. 2 carats TW) set in a 14K yellow mounting with leaves and vines, signed Seaman Schepps and 14k, Dimensions: 2 3/4 inches long x 2 1/4 inches wide, c. 1940
***This is a closely related “Grape” cluster clip/brooch model that Seaman Schepps made on commission for the eminent socialite Doris Duke (Collection Seaman Schepps, but there is a predominance of dark blue and purple cabochon sapphires in the DD brooch as opposed to the predominance of larger and more translucent cabochon sapphires as well as cabochon emeralds in this example
French Art Deco “Heptagon” clip / brooch set with a large fancy cut madeira citrine and 8 baguette madeira citrines all set in 18K gold, signed, c. 1935
French Art Deco “Heptagon” clip / brooch set with a large fancy cut madeira citrine and 8 baguette madeira citrines all set in 18K gold, signed GA in a diamond French touch mark, French Eagle’s head mark for 18k gold, c. 1935
Cartier, Paris “Snake” necklace in finely detailed 18k gold and with a slightly expandable link feature, signed: Cartier Paris (script signature), no. 02694, French Eagle’s head touchmark for 18K gold (2x), Cartier touchmark in a diamond, original Cartier red leather, velvet and silk presentation box, c.1940
French 19th Century “Gothic Revival” ring set with a very fine square step cut emerald (approx. 2 carats TW) and two European rose cut diamonds (approx. 2 carats TW) all in an openwork 18K yellow gold mount further set with 12 old mine cut diamonds, signed, c.1885
Moshe Oved (1883-1958) “Marabou Stork” ring, hand tooled lost wax 18K gold casting in full dimension as a complete biomorphic form of the bird and set with sapphire eyes, c.1940
French Art Deco Interlocking ring, Invisibly set rectangular sapphires (10 count, approx. 2.50 carats TW), pave diamonds (approx. 2.50 carats TW) all set in a platinum mount, c. 1935
French 19th Century light yellow natural color diamond (approx. 2.20 carats TW, G.I.A certificate, 8.05 x 6.90 x 5.05mm, natural diamond) ring set in a fancy 18K yellow gold mounting, signed, numbered 3056, c. 1890
American Art Deco ring (likely by Louis C. Tiffany for Tiffany & Co.) set with a large blue zircon (approx. 64 carats by calculation, 20mm x 20mm x 19mm) set in a fancy platinum mount further set with 14 round cut diamonds, four bullet shaped gold/orange citrines and two kite shaped gold/orange citrines, marked: very deeply stamped letters as a maker’s mark on the inside of the shank, c. 1930
***Top quality gem blue zircons over 10 carats trade at a minimum price of $200 per carat and go up from there depending on the size of the stone and the quality of the color. Blue zircon, the most popular color, is produced by heat treatment of brown zircon. But not all brown zircon will turn blue when heated; only some zircon has the right physical structure for this to occur. This is why most blue zircon comes from certain sources in Cambodia or Burma. Blue zircon is a reasonably hard gem with a Mohs hardness of about 7 to 7.5. Blue zircon has some unique properties that make it very popular with gemstone aficionados. Not only does zircon have outstanding brilliance, but it also has very strong dispersion or fire, the tendency to split white light into the spectral colors. Zircon also has very pronounced birefringence or double refraction, with a wide variance between the two refractive indices. This can be often be observed with the naked eye when you look down through the table of a cut zircon; you will observe facet doubling that makes the facet edges appear blurred.
Edwardian Sugarloaf Fire Opal (approx. 4 carats TW) ring with 32 diamonds set in a milligrain platinum topped 18K yellow gold mounting, marked, c. 1910
French Art Deco Diamond and sapphire ring, Round rose cut diamond (approx. 3 carats) set with sapphires (approx. 1.5 carats TW) in a platinum mount, signed, c. 1930
French Art Deco ring set with a fine jadeite oval cabochon, faceted and caliber cut onyx, and further set with 18 round diamonds and six square French-cut diamonds all set in a millegrain platinum mount, c. 1920’s
Neil Lane heart shaped natural sapphire solitaire ring, 3.12 carats (GIA certificate, 8.56 x 9.62 x 5.13mm, no heat) with a diamond pave set platinum mounting, signed, c. 2005
American “Retro Ruby” ring set with three square cut natural pink toned rubies (approx. 2 carats TW) in a 14K mounting, marked: RKV maker’s mark, 14K, inscribed with the initials H.R.P.to S.M.P., c.1940
Guebelin Switzerland “Half moon” ring in 18K white brushed gold set with a large cabochon oval moonstone, two crescent moon shaped inset lapis lazuli stones and further set with two tapered baguette diamonds on either side, signed with the Guebelin cipher, 750 and Swiss, c. 1950’s
Edwardian cluster ring set with a natural Saltwater pinkish brown pearl (G.I.A. certificate) and 28 diamonds (approx. 7 carats TW) set within a silver topped gold mount, c. 1890’s
American Arts & Crafts ring, detailed and scrolling 14K gold mount with stylized leaves and blossoms surrounding a large cabochon amethyst (approx. 22+ carats TW), marked, c. 1915
Russian “Crest” ring, double headed eagle on a blue enamel background set with 17 round cut diamonds and multiple single cut diamonds all in a 14K gold mount (56 zolotniks), signed, c. 1905
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