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1980s Jeweled Red Dress w/ Peplum, Ruffled Shoulders
Catalogue:
Popular Collectibles:
Nostalgia:
Fashion:
Apparel:
Pre 1990 item# 954949
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$85. Was $125.
(Free US Shipping
(& Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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Sequins and beading, peplums, ruching and strong shoulders are having another big moment now! If you crave that 1980s look, why not wear the real thing, rather than a new-yesterday knockoff?
You'll find this "Dynasty" era dazzler is perfect whenever you need a party dress of cocktail length -- and it's just the right color for holiday parties (or for making a huge impression anytime). Vividly scarlet, it has an elegantly draped peplum overskirt and a ruched front bodice ornamented with a transparent Art Nouveau butterfly that's loaded with white pearls, red sequins and bugle beads. Ruffles supported by an underlay of red petticoat net appear both fore and after and the skirt is slit, so you can walk and dance easily. The low-cut back closes with a short zipper. Length is just below the knee.
The prior owner bought this gorgeous gown in 1985 and wore it only a few times, so condition is quite good. Its label identifies it as a California-made creation "For David Howard" from the "Climax" line by Karen Okada. The acetate fabric feels like satin taffeta: rich and slightly crispy. It looks like it would fit sizes 2 through 6. The only point of close fit is the waistline, which measures 26 inches.
There's no charge for insured US shipping and giftwrap is also free if desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Superb Retro Emerald and Diamond Drop Earrings
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Retro:
Pre 1960 item# 954889
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$3,450
(With free delivery to any country where we ship
& glamorous gift-wrap if desired)
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This holiday season, spoil somebody special with vintage earrings fit for a queen. Featured in this stunning pair are two Colombian emeralds -- the best -- of mesmerizing deep green, plus 26 dazzling diamonds, set in icy white gold. All the gems are highly rated for proportion, symmetry and polish, as well as clarity and color.
This design is a timeless classic, but we believe the earrings were made soon after the end of World War II, when white metals returned to favor and jewelry expressed a new mood of opulence -- which was more than welcome, following two decades marked by ecomomic depression and then conflict and rationing. In the same family since around 1950, they can't be newer than that. If older, they'd have to date from the 1920s or earlier. This is possible, but unlikely, given their splendid condition.
The excellently matched emeralds (SI-1 clarity, type III, Colorscan 205) are beautifully cut in pear shapes and together weigh about .8 carats. The brilliant-cut round diamonds comprise about .5 carats. The two diamonds on the surmounts, larger than the accent stones, are of VVS clarity and G/H/I color. Including the 14k mountings, the earrings total 2.3 pennyweights (equal to .115 troy ounces or about 3.58 grams). Other weights are approximate, based on measurement, since removing stones would compromise the integrity of the setting.
The pair appraised at $2,900 in 1990, when gold cost about half its current price and good Colombian emeralds hadn't yet become scarce. Our technical information comes from that gemologist's appraisal document.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Vintage Emerald Bracelet - Lovely Floral Design, Mint
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Period:
Pre 1980 item# 953551
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$435 SALE. Was $585.
With free delivery to any country where we ship
& beautiful gift-wrap if desired.
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If you're longing for a vintage emerald bracelet or know somebody who is, here's one at an indulge-yourself price.
Intricately detailed, this stunning jewel from a Dallas area estate showcases 13 well-matched emeralds, true green. They're set amid fancy links with stylized floral ornaments. Each gemstone measures about 3mm round, so there's loads of color, and a hidden box-style clasp provides excellent security without detracting from the design. Length is about 7 inches, which is right for the average-sized wrist. If you're smaller, a link or two can be easily removed.
This bracelet looks brand-new, although the prior owner remembers getting it around 1980. Obviously she didn't wear it much, but you'll make up for that, won't you?
As for value, have you noticed vintage bracelets that are only emerald GLASS (and set in silver or even base metal) are selling elsewhere online for more than $200? Why not pay just a little more and have the real thing?
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Vintage Modernist Diamond & Emerald 14k Ring
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Modernism:
Pre 1980 item# 953548
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click for details
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$435 SALE. Was $585.
With free delivery to any country where we ship
& beautiful gift-wrap, if desired.
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Perfect for dazzling someone special this holiday season, here's a stunning vintage ring paved with 6 emeralds and 10 diamonds. The jeweled area is quite large -- almost .75 inch tall and .5 inch wide -- and its ribbons of gems form a sleek and sophisticated geometric banner that rises importantly above the hand. All 16 gems are brilliantly faceted and about 3mm round. The emeralds are a deep true green, very well-matched for color and size.
Because the face is of white gold, while the shank is of yellow gold, this is a ring that can be worn beautifully with either metal.
Hallmarked 14k, the ring is in such fabulous condition that it can't have been worn much. It reached us from an extensive New Mexico estate collection and appears to date from the 1970s or early 1980s. Glamorous cocktail rings enjoyed great popularity then, as they also did in the 1950s, but the earlier designs tend to have wider bands and generally lack grace. Notice the pretty, fluid lines of the dual band, which merges into a single shank at the back to facilitate resizing. It's currently about a US size 5.25-5.75. (We state sizes as a range, because results from different types of measuring equipment can vary up to half a size, as our fingers also do with the time of day and temperature.)
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Deco Revival Jeweled White Gold Necklace - Custom, Mint
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Period:
Pre 1980 item# 953543
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$525 SALE. Was $675.
With free delivery to any country where we ship
& beautiful gift-wrap, if desired.
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This gorgeous estate jewel, crafted to the design of its former owner, is in the Art Deco manner. The spectacularly detailed pendant, patterned even on its sides and back, measures about 1 ¼ inches tall, more than half an inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. At that size, it's quite heavy, containing lots of white gold plus three sizeable blue topaz stones of lovely cut and color.
These stones were taken from an antique ring, so their color is natural, which may be as significant for safety as value. Nearly all blue topaz sold now and in recent years has been treated -- often by radiation, not merely intense heat. (So-called “Swiss Blue” and "London Blue" are really clear or brownish stones that get their Windex or denim hues entirely by artificial means, including multiple nuclear bombardments.)
To complete the necklace, the former owner chose this very elegant 18-inch gold snake chain hallmarked 14k Italy, which has a sleek lobster clasp and is worth hundreds of dollars in its own right.
Making this an even more appealing gift choice, every inch of the necklace is like new. It can't have been worn much. Also pristine is its fabric-lined presentation box from Silverman's. Established in 1934 as a supplier of fine jewelry to retail and wholesale markets, Silverman's later entered the retail field and had 30 showrooms in 10 states when the company was sold in 1999. Because of their expertise in jewelry fabrication, they were known for excellent custom work, all produced in the original El Paso factory. Their one-of-a-kind designs are of course especially collectible. Most are wedding rings, so this pendant is rare. Its next owner can be confident that nobody else has one like it. Exact dating of the pendant and chain aren't known, so we're just calling this "period" rather than vintage.
There's no charge for insured U.S. Priority shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Vintage Czech Bridal White Woven Bead Bracelet
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Unsigned:
Pre 1950 item# 952045
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$45 SALE
Free U.S. Shipping
(& Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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A wonderful match for our braided necklace of the same pattern, this lovely bracelet fresh from a Midwestern estate is comprised of tiny white glass beads, the kind often called "sugar crystals." Strands of them are intricately braided together to form it. Lots of work went into jewels of this type, most of which are of Czech origin and date from the 1930s or 1940s. (Braided and twisted designs were also popular in the 1950s, but those tended to be much larger and of mixed materials.)
The visible woven area is 7 inches long, to which the end caps and fastener add about another 3/4 inch. Width tapers subtly from half an inch to 3/8 inch at the ends. Condition is excellent; it takes high magnification even to notice surface wear on the end caps.
One of the bracelet's jump rings is marked Czechoslovak and the jump rings and clasp on the necklace are identical, so we feel confident both are Czech. The beads on the bracelet have a slight pearly iridescence, whereas the necklace is matte, but that small difference wouldn't be noticed when worn. If you're interested in both pieces, let us know and we'll work out special pricing. They're already on sale, but we can do even better on a combined purchase.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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His or Hers Signed Wide Modernist Pink Sapphire Ring
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Silver:
Modernism:
Pre 1950 item# 951396
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$145 SALE (Was $195)
(Free U.S. Priority Delivery
(&Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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This splendid Modernist ring will delight any woman who enjoys bold mid-century studio silver -- or one of those exciting gentlemen so self-confident they aren't shy about pink.
Half an inch wide, it makes a powerful statement on the finger of either gender and its high quality is evident at a glance, without reference to the signature: an "R" within the outline of a gemstone. We haven't yet identified that mark, so please let us know if you recognize the maker.
From the Georgia estate of a couple with extensive World War II era collections, this is a serious designer jewel dating from that period or earlier (based both on style and its "sterling" hallmark, rather than the "925" stamp that came into increasing use between 1935 and 1950). Such simple, honest early modernist pieces are the most coveted by collectors and often command higher prices in silver than later items of gold.
That the stone is pink sapphire also adds value, since "fancy" colors (pinks, oranges, yellows, greens and purples) are generally prized above all but the finest blues. It could also be called a pastel ruby, since both sapphire and ruby belong to the same mineral family: corundum. Besides their beauty, these share high honors on the hardness scale, so provide generations of pleasure as heirlooms, given reasonable care.
Condition of the ring is great, with only minor age-appropriate surface wear, Currently about a US size 6.5, it could be stretched a bit easily or resized more significantly by an expert jeweler. Based on the "sterling" mark, its origin is most likely American, but it may well have been created by a European. Through the 1930s and 1940s, many Bauhaus and similar avant-garde artisans took flight from the advance of Nazi power, quickly popularizing the "industrial" look of Modernism.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. There's no charge for U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Thanks for looking!
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Rare Victorian Golf Trophy Putting Stone Marker Fob
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Decorative Art:
Metals:
Silver:
Pre 1900 item# 950781
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$695 SALE (Was $795)
Free delivery to any country where we ship
(& gift-wrap if desired)
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To dazzle a golfer who has everything else, here’s a superb Gothic Revival putting stone from Fife in Scotland -- the birthplace of golf, home to St. Andrews and other legendary links. It reached us via an auction sale in Dundee.
Certainly handcrafted and one-of-a-kind, it was presented to a tournament victor in the mid-19th century, being inscribed "1st Prize Putting Stone" on the reverse. The front is a work of art -- literally: a gorgeous enamel portrait of an early golfer in medieval attire -- and the silver frame is intricately worked with Gothic arches on both sides and crowned by thistles, emblematic of Scotland and its Royal house for centuries. This particular triple-thistle motif may allow it to be traced to a particular golf course.
The loop at the top suggests it was used as a watch fob, when not busy being a marker. It would make a glorious necklace pendant, too.
This is an extremely high-quality piece with a lot of heft. It measures about 2.25 inches by 1.5 inches and is in almost pristine condition. The enamel colors remain radiant and unworn and the lavish silverwork is undamaged. We've left the patina of age in place on the silver, which is unmarked but obviously of high grade. It can of course be polished brightly if you prefer that look. The only issue we can find is a tiny chip at the edge of the portrait's black background. Our pricing naturally reflects the flaw, although it’s hard to notice, since the medallion appears to be black all the way through.
Golf collectibles have gained value dramatically over the past 25 years, as you probably know, with exceptional items far outperforming stocks and bonds. Because prices have eased with the recession, now is a great time to invest in them before future run-ups reflect the growing worldwide popularity of the game.
The tradition of awarding golf tournament gifts can be traced back to 1744, when the Edinburgh City Council was asked to provide a silver club for an annual competition held by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (still extant as The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers). Prizes have subsequently taken just about every form, among which this is the most beautiful I’ve seen.
For this treasure, there will be no charge for delivery to any country where we ship, and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Stunning Antique Suffragette Earrings & Pendant / Pin
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Silver:
Deco:
Pre 1930 item# 945464
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$185
Free U.S. Priority Shipping
(& Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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As you know if you collect Suffragette jewelry, it's extremely rare to find a set. So few were made that many years could pass before we have the opportunity to offer another demi-parure.
Fresh from a Long Island estate, this marvelous set shows both Edwardian and Art Deco influences: the former in the white-on-white shimmer of airy filigree blossoms overlapping plaques of mother-of-pearl; and the latter in its mesh tassel and the strong geometry of the faux amethysts and peridots.
Although American women won the vote in 1920, it took until 1928 for all women to be included in England, so Suffragette jewelry was produced through most of the decade. This set was probably among the last examples, despite its hint of Edwardiana. My dating is mainly based on the simplicity of the reverses. (Earlier pieces, even in the '20s, often had ornately patterned backs.)
The earrings measure about 7/8 of an inch tall and 3/4 of an inch wide, while the slightly domed brooch -- also fitted with a bail for use as a necklace pendant -- measures a bit more than an inch in each direction, plus nearly 1 1/2 inches for the tassel. All stones appear original and the silvery metal settings are evidently of rhodium or chromium -- one of those hard-wearing, tarnish-free cousins to platinum. The earring fasteners are screw-type, as is right for the period, but a good jeweler could easily change them to posts or wires. The condition of every piece is fantastic; they can't have been worn much and have been stored with great care.
This ususual color combination, as you probably know, held deep meaning among 19th century and early 20th century feminists, for whom green represented hope, purple signified dignity and white stood for purity. The language we associate with "regard" jewelry applied, too: The "G" of green, "W" of white and "V" of violet comprised an abbreviation for Give Women (the) Vote. All this seems cryptic now, but was clearly understood by everyone in an era when messages were also communicated by which flowers you sent, how you held your fan and which corner of a calling card you folded down, if any.
Tucked away and forgotten for decades, Suffragette jewelry began rapidly gaining value when the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). We try our best to maintain a good selection, but demand keeps growing. At present, we have several necklaces, brooches and earring sets in stock, but this is the only matched set. If it strikes your fancy, please don't delay.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Gorgeous Antique Suffragette Earrings WW I Era
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Rhinestone:
Pre 1920 item# 945447
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click for details
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
$135
(Free US Priority Mailing
& Gift-Wrap if Desired)
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The "Czecho" signature on these lovely Suffragette earrings lets us date them precisely to the first years of the Czech Republic (established in 1918). The region was previously known as Bohemia, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I ended. Bohemian glass has been prized from medieval times and the stones here certainly live up to the area's reputation. Its enamelwork was admired, too, and that features here, as well.
Although the dating is technically transitional, falling between the death of King Edward and the period dominated by geometric Art Deco style, these earrings are extremely Edwardian in spirit, so would have been crafted soon after the war. The screw backs are also right for that period, when women found ear-piercing rather barbaric.
I especially love the fresh apple green of the emerald-cut faux peridots, which repeats in tiny round stones on both white-enameled blossoms. Stronger hues come into play, in accents of faux emerald and amethyst.
As you know if you collect Suffragette jewelry, this unusual color combination held deep meaning among 19th century and early 20th century feminists, for whom green represented hope, purple signified dignity and white stood for purity. The language we associate with "regard" jewelry applied, too: The "G" of green, "W" of white and "V" of violet comprised an abbreviation for Give Women (the) Vote. All this seems cryptic now, but was clearly understood by everyone in an era when messages were also communicated by which flowers you sent, how you held your fan and which corner of a calling card you folded down, if any.
Measuring about 3/4 of an inch tall and a 5/8 of an inch wide, these are large enough to be noticed easily, but not overpowering. They reached us from a St. Louis estate in superb condition -- not unusual, because Suffragette jewels were worn typically for meetings and marches, rather than on an everyday basis. Assuming careful storage, the stones and even the gilt metal settings can look practically new. In this case, only the actual screws have darkened with age, since those weren't gilded.
Tucked away and forgotten for decades after women won the vote, Suffragette jewelry began rapidly gaining value when the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). We try our best to maintain a good selection, but demand keeps growing. If these strike your fancy, you'd better not delay.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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