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| JEWELRY FAVORITES Dealer’s and Collectors
Top Choices Survey, December 2004 |
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I am delighted with the insightful comments from so many dealers
and collectors, and thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts. The
surprise is that, almost without exception, there were few "name"
designers
mentioned in the this year’s top sellers, and none of them made the top
four list. What a shock! Who would have thought
it a year ago? Yes, Haskell is still strong, and a few mentioned
Trifari, Schreiner and a couple of others, but the only category mentioned by
almost every single dealer and collector was… "UNSIGNED". Just when attributing each
and every piece of unsigned jewelry to a well-known maker has become
something of an obsession, it seems that collectors are less interested in "name" than in
"look". Molly Garza
said it for a lot of us who both sell and collect. "Our best selling items are gorgeous unsigned….and I am aiding the economy by spending,
too!" Said Myrna Seale, "In last year’s contest, ‘category’
meant almost exclusively specific designers. But for me as a
collector it isn’t the designer, it’s "type". Carol Bell. after
naming some well-known makers that sold well for her, also said, "A
surprise seller for me (since I sell mostly glitzy pieces) were pot
metal pins with flower motif, enamel and a few rhinestones." And
Jenny Wren said it the funniest, "For
me, unsigned pins are smokin’ like a fresh-fired Saturday night
special!" I heard it over and over… unsigned,
unusual quality pieces won this year, hands down! |
PALE yellow
unfoiled and clear rhinestones set in silver and gold tone brooch, 3-1/8".
View #Y26172 | ORNATE gold
tone 17" by 1-1/2" necklace, 2" brooch and 1-1/4" earrings with mother-of-pearl,
art glass cabs and purple and green rhinestones.
View
View
View
View
View
View #Y26348 | SILVER and silver
tone leaves and flowers pin with purple stone bug, 5".
View
View #Y26164 |
AQUA and lavender
rhinestone butterfly brooch, 2-7/8".
View
View
View #Y27418 | BASKET brooch with
molded glass flowers and clear rhinestones set in pot metal, 2-3/4".
View
View #Y23932 | AQUA cabochons,
clear rhinestones and gold tone acorns pin, 3".
View #Y23552 |
GRAPES rose and blue cabochons and green rhinestones grapes brooch,
2-1/3". View
#Y25911 | GRAY opalescent
cabochons, red rhinestones and cream set in gold tone 6-1/2" by 1-1/2"
bracelet, 2" brooch and 1-1/2" earrings.
View
View
View
View
View
View #Y26025 | ENAMEL on pot metal with
multi-colored cabochons stylized flower brooch. #Y21295 |
To accent any outfit, this pin and earring set has
large pink art glass cabochons surrounded by white, pale lavender, blue and
yellow rhinestones. The pin is 2 inches by 2-3/4 inches. Each earring measures
1-1/4 inches high and 1 inch across. Courtesy Carol Bell | LADY with multi-colored
head dress brooch. Courtesy Carol Bell | Beautiful seashell art glass trembler stones accent this lovely bracelet.
Rhinestone rondells and garnet faceted stones are all hand wired. The
bracelet is vermeil finished with a pressure push closure and measures
7×1". A most unusual bracelet and in excellent condition. Courtesy of Molly Garza |
BUTTERFLY, pink and aurora set
in gold tone butterfly brooch, 2-1/2".
View #Y27480 | ROSE purple
watermelon and purple, rose and pink rhinestones set in antiqued gold tone
round 2-1/3" brooch with dangle 2" earrings.
View #Y27455 | RED and gray
rhinestone and pink aurora borealis in japanned setting brooch, 2-1/3".
View #Y26927 |
Victorian jewelry is now 100 to 170 years old and like most really
great jewelry, it is getting harder to find truly wonderful pieces.
Cathy Gordon says, "Two new areas for me this year–Deco, including some
fabulous Fahrner pieces and Victorian–lover’s eye, portrait brooches on
ivory, garnets, even a Silesian wirework brooch". The
appreciation for it has revived again this year, with collectors looking
for engraved pieces, hand painted pieces and pieces using unusual
materials. Buckle and snake motifs were mentioned, as were earrings. |
VICTORIAN lady photo brooch with seed pearls,
black enameling, scroll design, safety chain, 1-1/3".
View
View
#V27581 | VICTORIAN hand tinted little girl photo brooch with seed
pearls set in sterling, 7/8". #V27599 | VICTORIAN hair brooch, ornate
silver setting with pastes, hair curls, 1-1/2".
View
#V27578 |
VICTORIAN yellow
gold portrait pierced earrings, pendant portion 1-1/3".
View
View #V27338 | ELGIN
14k lady’s pendant 1-1/4" watch with 1-1/2" watch holder brooch. Watch
is #15386609, circa 1910.
View
View #w25029 | VICTORIAN hair
set in etched and enameled gold pierced earrings with three pendants, 1-3/4"
top to bottom. View
#V27335 |
VICTORIAN gold and
enameled 1-7/8" hair brooch with "In Memory Of" encircling frame,
engraved on back:
Ms Buchannan
died 12th Nov 1843
John Wilson died 4th June 1843
Engraving
(Seen in Christie Romero’s "Warman’s Jewelry, 3rd Ed, page 35.) #V9521 | VICTORIAN hair
locket brooch with etched flowers and embossed scrolls, engraved on back "FHN".
View
View #V27368 | VICTORIAN
18k hair brooch/pendant, oval with braided hair in two blonde colors, hair
back, 2" wide. View
#V18982 |
VICTORIAN vulcanite
butterfly pin, 2". See page 121 of Helen Muller’s book
"Jet". View #V25282 | VICTORIAN jet pendant with
painted porcelain lady portrait, 2".
View #V25926 | VICTORIAN vulcanite
hand holding key and rose pin, 2-7/8" . See page 127 of Helen
Muller’s book "Jet".
View #V25281 |
VICTORIAN eye brooch.
Called "Lover’s Eye" jewelry, this
brooch is a wonderful hand painted on ivory of a woman’s eye set in gold
with pearls, dated 1845.
Courtesy of Cathy Gordon |
VICTORIAN cut steel set circa 1860, the necklace is 18" by 1-1/3", the
bracelet 7" by 1-1/3", early to mid-1800’s. Polished steel faceted studs
were riveted to a steel backing to fashion this type of jewelry.
View
View
View
View #V25841
| SILESIA wire work brooch
in the shaper of a bunch of grapes. Origins of this are still unknown
(see Warman’s page 30) though conjectured to come from Silesia. The
woven wire mesh is machine-made and Christie Romero circa dates this pin
to 1840.
Courtesy of Cathy Gordon |
Continuing the interest in older jewelry, the era of the 1920s
and 1930s has a very strong following and received many votes from both
dealers and collectors. Whether it is Deco, Czech, or filigree, strong unusual pieces fly off the web sites. Sash brooches with
Art Nouveau or bizarre motifs won some fans, and Retro was also
mentioned by several as a new interest this year. |
Signed Czech oval pin with dark red
enamel around the edge, green enamel leaves, and rhinestones. The background
looks like basket-weave.
Courtesy Carol Bell | FAHRNER
Deco necklace and bracelet with rectangular faceted stones in blues and
greens, marcasites, all set in sterling, circa 1920, signed Germany.
Courtesy of Cathy Gordon | GERMAN
Deco bracelet–possibly German.
Sterling, enamel, marcasites, and green glass stones, some tiny
hallmarks.
Courtesy of Cathy Gordon |
CZECH
CzechoSlovakia multi-colored enameled and rhinestone 3-1/3" pendant 22"
chain. View
#Q25337 | DECO embossed sterling
and carnelian-colored glass "O’s" bracelet, 8" long and each "O" is
1".
View #Q24797 | CELLULOID hand painted and set
with blue
rhinestones 2-1/2" by 3-1/4" pendant on a blue grosgrain 32" ribbon.
View
View #Q24870 |
RHINESTONE "CheckoSlovak"
marked frosted glass and clear rhinestones 3-1/4" brooch.
View
Mark #Y24802 | DECO
clear rhinestones set in silver tone buckle motif 14" necklace and 7"
bracelet. View
View
View #Q26764 | RING Deco marcasite and green
glass ring, size 5. View
View #G22080 |
FILIGREE silver tone
filigree hinged bangle with deep aqua center rhinestone and black and yellow
enameling, 7-1/4" by 5/8".
View #Q24438 |
FILIGREE silver tone filigree 1-1/2" pendant with lavender
rhinestone on 24" chain . View
#Q24437 | FILIGREE
silver tone heavily filigreed hinged bangle with melon molded cranberry
center stone, clear rhinestones, 7" by 5/8" by 1/3".
View
View #Q25401 |
FILIGREE
silver filigree, blue molded glass and clear rhinestones necklace, "patn
1257158", 2-1/2" pendant on 16" necklace.
View #Q26356 | STERLING and faux
carnelian glass cabochon 16" necklace with a 2" front drop and hammered
links in the Arts & Crafts style.
View
View
View
#Q14982 | DECO
crystal balls and clear rhinestones necklace.
View
View #Q26369 |
DRAGONFLY and poppy
sash pin circa 1900.
View #Q19163 | SASH pin
with unfoiled lavender and pale yellow rhinestones, 2-1/4". Maker’s
mark "CS" on the back.
View
View #i24436 | SASH pin with a serpent curling around an amethyst-colored
rhinestone. It is 3" wide and has the older style c-clasp. VIEW
#i16557 |
Pam Brooks was one of many who said, "The biggest sleeper is
non-jewelry. I’m still in shock!" It
seems that many jewelry collectors and dealers are branching out into
accessories in a big way… purses, chatelaines, and even old spectacles
with the proper new lenses so that they can be used. Natural as it seems
to pair accessories with jewelry, it is an area new to some jewelry fans.
Accessories this year have taken off like a rocket. |
JUSTIN Arts &
Crafts leather purse with enameled frame and latch, tree motif, 5-1/4" by
7". View
View
View #P26804 | | AMITY Arts
& Crafts leather purse with pussy willow motif, 6-1/2″ by 6-3/4″ , 12″
handle.
View
View
View #P26746 |
TIFFANY 1930-40’s
petit point evening bag, enameled and sterling metal filigree, frame floral still life motif, 5-3/4" by
8-1/3". ViewView
View #P20978 | BLACK petit point purse with
colorful floral and leaf motif, 7" by 8". The silver floral and scroll
embossed frame is intricate and lovely, with dolphin loops holding a 16"
double chain handle.
ViewView
View
View
View #P26687 | PETIT POINT purse 9 inches long and 7-1/2" wide
across the frame. Beautiful garden motif with many flowers and wonderful
colors, the chain handle is decorated with glass beads. View
View
View
View
View
View #P20987 |
UNGER
sterling lady face lorgnette, circa 1900, 4-3/4" by 1-1/2". (Seen in
Christie Romero’s "Warman’s Jewelry, 3rd Ed, page 112.)
View
View
#V14745 | | LORGNETTE tortoise
ornate pierced 6" lorgnette with inlaid metal dots, edge break on one end of
glasses portion.
View
View
View #V23679 |
| CHATELAINE
the mirror is hallmarked Birmingham 1904-05, maker’s mark C&N; the pencil
holder is marked Chester 1902-3; the match safe is engraved with the
initials "HHA"; the envelope-shaped stamp holder is hallmarked Birmingham
1977. The length from top to bottom is 9".
View
View
View
View
#V20954 | |
Haskell
Schreiner
Trifari
Swarovski
Corocraft sterling vermeil
McClelland Barclay
Regency
| Honorable Mention | European jewelry
Contemporary jewelry
Clampers & hinged bangles
Wood jewelry
Figurals
Beads |
Many many thanks to all the dealers and collectors
who contributed to this years survey! |
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