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Rare Antique Victorian Bell Charm Stickpin, His or Hers
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 835525
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Our delightful bell-shaped antique stickpin must have been fashioned for a gentleman with a highly developed sense of occasion -- the anti-Scrooge, as it were. Obviously perfect to wear during the holiday season, it would also be wonderful for a wedding, christening or any other bell-worthy occasion.
Extremely sturdy and quite rare in form, the pin features a bell that dangles like a charm, swaying freely. (There was never a clapper, so it doesn't make annoying noises.) The bell is so perfect in shape that it must have been cast, but the stock and large jump ring were handcrafted. The stock has the twist in the center that indicates great age, as well as a very graceful curve at the top (from which the bell hangs) that makes me think of old street lanterns.
The pin dates from around the middle of the 19th century, I believe. It was in early Victorian years, soon after the queen's marriage to Prince Albert, that German Christmas traditions entered England and the festival became more important, acquiring most of the traditions now associated with it. In 1841, the Royals put up their first Christmas tree and, also around that time, they began sending Christmas cards. Thus, it was exceedingly fashionable then to ornament oneself in the holiday spirit -- and the quality of this piece indicates it was worn by an "early adopter" of some social standing. This is no flimsy mass-produced trinket. It was most likely made in England; it could, however, be from elsewhere in Europe or from the US. (If American, a pin of this type would certainly have come from New York, since people there were also quick to take up Christmas customs derived from their Dutch heritage and generally close links to Europe.)
There's no question that all the parts are original, since the color match is so precise. Everything's a softly patinated golden hue. I can't say for sure what the metal is, since I'm averse to damaging lovely old things with files and test acids, but the weight suggests rolled gold or bronze, rather than brass. Total length is 2 1/4" and the bell, alone, is about 5/8" tall and 5/8" round at the bottom. The jewel is so well-made that the only flaws I can find are a few teensy dings visible only with magnification and a slight waviness to the lower part of the stock, which any good jeweler could straighten if desired. Provenance is an estate in Arizona: a great place for antiques, since so many people retire there and the climate preserves things beautifully.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Thanks for looking!
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BELAIS Deco Dragonfly Ring Gold Filigree Onyx Diamond
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Deco:
Pre 1930 item# 816127
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Genuine antique jewels with the dragonfly motif are so coveted that they're very hard to get now, as you probably know if you collect Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewelry. Making this dragonfly ring even more rare and collectible, it's by the legendary Belais Brothers - makers of the finest white gold filigree in the early 20th century.
Stamped 14k BELAIS, it has an intricately worked basket setting, its sides formed by the exquisitely textured bodies and outspread wings of two large dragonflies. The mounting holds two fancy-cut tablets of highly polished black onyx arranged to look like one elongated stone and set with a small accent diamond framed in white gold. Measuring 3/4" long, 3/8" wide and 3/16" high, this is a dramatic jewel that can't possibly be overlooked. Current size is about a U.S. 6, easily altered since the back of the shank isn't ornamented.
The condition of the filigree is wonderfully crisp and, of course, the bulk of the ring's value resides in its masterful goldwork. Visible only on the underside, there's evidence of an old repair where the onyx stones join. I considered having the onyx replaced, but thought the next owner might prefer to add more colorful gems, instead. Aquamarine, citrine or garnet would be incredibly lovely. The one small flaw was reflected in our original price, which would have been considerably higher if everything were perfect.
At the present sale price, this treasure is a steal. You'll want it insured for $1,000 or more -- a great deal more, if the price of gold keeps rising.
There's no charge for insured delivery anywhere in the U.S. or to most foreign countries. Thanks for looking!
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Large Art Nouveau Repousse Filigree Heart Pin Pendant
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Art Nouveau:
Pre 1910 item# 727477
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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This exceptionally beautiful antique necklace pendant, also wearable as a brooch, was obviously hand-crafted. The wax around which the domed front with its intricate repousse details was formed remains in place (as with those fine silver hairbrushes and hand-mirrors of the same period); you can see it through the pretty pierced back. Heavily gilded, the jewel is in marvelous condition - showing the rich patina of age and only minor losses of finish (most on reverse). It measures about 2 1/4 inches by 2 inches, so is a highly impressive, can't-miss-it piece.
Dating is a bit uncertain, since the design says 1885-1900, but this type of safety clasp wasn't introduced until a little later. The pinstem appears to have been shortened (as was common for safety's sake) and the present clasp may have been added at that time. Whether this is Late Victorian or Edwardian, it's a true antique and a rare treasure. Provenance is a West Coast estate.
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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Exquisite Antique Gilt and Celluloid Coral Bracelet
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 721540
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $289.
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Besides being simply gorgeous, this antique bracelet is rare and fascinating, both for its composition and its miraculous condition. The three roses that look like carved angelskin coral are actually of a very early plastic -- most likely Zylonite (sometimes spelled Xylonite), a form of what we came to call celluloid. Technically all the variants are cellulose nitrate, a notably delicate substance, and yet these intricately formed flowers remain perfect after more than a century! The gilt brass metalwork -- stunningly engraved, adorned with applied foliate details and rich with time's patina -- is in superlative shape, too. This bracelet must not only have worn very little, but also stored with the utmost care.
Based on indications like the type of catch, the slightly oval shape and the Victorian style, this bracelet could have been made as early as the 1870s and almost certainly is no younger than the 1880s.
Its origin is most likely English, since the firm known to be producing this lovely faux-coral from around 1870 was the British Xylonite Company. They did have a licensee in Massachusetts, The American Zylonite Company, but only in the 1880s.
The only flaw I can find is that there was probably a safety chain, since two tiny triangular loops are positioned to hold one. The catch is quite secure, but you or your jeweler can easily add a bit of chain, if you want to.
Hinged, the bracelet opens wide and it's sized for an average wrist, up to about 7 inches. (If it weren't too big for me, I'd keep it.) Provenance is a West Coast estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Beautiful Edwardian Garland Style Suffragette Earrings
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Estate Jewelry:
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Edwardian:
Pre 1920 item# 706982
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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These are easily the loveliest Suffragette earrings we've ever had the opportunity to offer, featuring an airy openwork setting that screams Garland Style. This was essentially a fit of neo-classicism, thrown in reaction to the excesses of Art Nouveau. Cartier was the movement's first exemplar around 1900. It had only a brief heyday, unfortunately, since World War I changed the mood entirely (leading to the dominance of sleek, modernistic Art Deco forms).
Garland Style jewels have a refined and delicately lacy look, employing decorative elements used in the late 18th century (and, long before then, in real classical times). This half-wreath of precisely detailed leaves and tendrils is a pretty example -- the sort of pattern we see often as inlay in Georgian and later Edwardian furniture -- but here it takes on what was then a very modern touch: stones in Suffragette colors!
As you know if you collect Suffragette jewelry, the unusual combination of green, purple and white had deep meaning for early feminists. For them, 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. The wealthiest suffragettes mixed amethysts and pearls or diamonds with green stones such as emeralds or peridots, but pretend gems were naturally favored by the majority.
In this case, we have faux jade of beautifully marbled early plastic (probably Galalith, invented in the 1890s) plus amethyst pastes and faux pearls. Everything remains in wonderful condition, including the gilding. It takes high magnification to notice any surface wear at all. That isn't unusual, since Suffragette jewels were worn only occasionally (most notably, when marching for the vote). To the Suffragettes' efforts through many decades in the U.K. and U.S., we modern women owe that right, which was finally extended to all American women in 1920 and to all in Great Britain in 1928.
Tucked away and forgotten for decades, Suffragette jewelry has been rapidly gaining value since the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find. We try our best to maintain a good selection, but demand keeps growing. If these earrings strike your fancy, you'd better not delay. They date from circa 1905 - 1915 and reached us from a San Francisco estate. The have screw fasteners right for the period and could have been made by an East Coast firm in America, although the quality of the stones suggests origin in Bohemia or France.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Elegant Early BELAIS HWK 14k White Gold Cufflinks
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Edwardian:
Pre 1910 item# 706882
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Ideal for gentlemen who prefer simpler jewelry, here's a somewhat understated early Belais design from the Edwardian era.
These are also ideal for gifting, since they're in lovely condition and have monogram plaques not yet initialed.
On all four octagonal faces, which measure half an inch in each direction and are slightly domed, an octagonal medallion with scalloped edges frames the central plaque and is filled in with subtle pinstripe and paisley engraving. Surrounding this are demi-lune shapes adorned with foliate forms and, alternately, stripes and stipples. Varying motifs also decorate the edges, shifting between millegrained stripes and stylized bright-cut patterns. It's a lot of intricate engraving, yet so minute and finely balanced that the overall effect is of quiet elegance. The connectors, too, are simple and graceful, not frou-frou. They're of the Edwardian type with one end that swivels, while the other remains fixed.
Besides the Belais 14k White Gold Front stamps, the cufflinks are signed HWK Co. and Talon Grip Trademark. The HWK Company was formed during 1905 in Providence, RI, a major jewelry center then. Their Talon Grip fasteners were highly esteemed and Belais white gold, of course, set the standard for excellence. HWK closed by the 1920s, but the Belais Brothers went on to dominate the white gold jewelry market until its collapse following the Crash of 1929.
With fashion's return to the elegance of French cuffs, antique cufflinks are flying off our shelves as fast as we can find them -- particularly those by Belais, because they're so highly collectible. At the moment, we're fortunate to have several pair of Belais cuffflinks, so search out the others, if you'd like to compare. They're all wonderful. These reached us from a Pennsylvania estate.
Thanks for looking!
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Antique Jeweled Gilt Mesh Suffragette Brooch c 1900
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Victorian:
Pre 1910 item# 702985
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $180.
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This antique Suffragette brooch is the largest I've ever seen, proudly featuring the colors so important to early feminists: green, white and violet, the first letters of which stood for "Give Women (the) Vote". Green also represented hope; white signified the purity of their intentions; and violet was a reference to dignity ("the royal purple").
Here, in a highly dimensional 2.75" by 2.5" mounting of gilt mesh, a huge cabochon of amethyst glass is framed by a wreath of 20 faceted emerald pastes and four creamy faux pearls set in swirling Prince of Wales Feathers. These are wonderful stones, almost certainly Bohemian (technically Czech, if made after World War I).
As you know if you collect Suffragette jewelry, it was worn from Victorian times until around 1920 in the U.S. and nearly 1930 in the U.K. Dating the jewels can be a puzzle, because of this and also because they usually show little wear. Most women wore them only occasionally and tucked them away after the vote was gained.
In the case of this brooch, which is in such lovely condition you could almost mistake it for new, we can rule out the Edwardian era based on size. Edwardian jewels tended to be delicate and airy, as you know, and they often featured white metals. Thus, it must be Victorian or post-World War I. Obviously it has a Victorian look and shows both Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts influences, but some Victorian styles were revived in the 1920s. Either way, it would be antique by American 75-year standards. I'm persuaded to a circa 1900 dating, based on the findings. The safety clasp is of the type introduced around 1890, with two levers instead of one; the hinge is the old 19th century type, which lets the pinstem wobble a bit from side to side; and the pinstem shows evidence of being snipped and filed down at some time -- not a bad idea since the extra-long ones could so easily draw blood, which is why they phased out during the earliest years of the 20th century and seldom appeared after World War I.
This is a very substantial brooch, weighing around 30 grams (on my inexact kitchen scale), so it's something you'd want to wear on a jacket or coat rather than delicate fabrics. The original idea must have been for it to appear on outerwear during women's marches and to be big enough for onlookers not to miss. It may well have been present at the historic female suffrage parades in New York City, being from a Connecticut estate.
Forgotten for decades, Suffragette jewelry has been rapidly gaining value since the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find. We try our best to maintain a good selection, but demand keeps growing. If this strikes your fancy, you'd better not delay.
Thanks for looking!
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Exceptional Edwardian BELAIS White Gold Cufflinks
Catalogue:
Archives:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Edwardian:
Pre 1910 item# 696818
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $175.
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Even if you already have a pair of wonderful white gold cufflinks by the legendary Belais Brothers, you may need these, too. Their design motif is especially interesting, in that it combines an anticipatory taste of Art Deco geometry with delicate Edwardian foliate and lattice details on an elegantly elongated shield form. And that sleek diamond-shaped panel at the center would be a great spot for a monogram.
This is a Belais design I've never seen before, most likely dating from around 1905. The type of connector used, a shank fixed at one side and hinged at the other, is also typically Edwardian. Another indication of great age is that the stamping isn't typical. Only two reverses are marked "Belais White Gold Front," whereas later examples from transitional and Art Deco times are normally marked on all four reverses and state whether they're 14k or 18k. Thus, this pair must've been made while the Belais brothers were still experimenting with formulae for white gold -- a process they began around 1887. We'll have to content ourselves with uncertainty about exact gold content. It would be a sacrilege to mess these beauties up with files and test acids. Their size is 5/8" by 1/2", provenance is a Deep South estate and condition is lovely, requiring high magnification to note any surface wear.
With fashion's return to the elegance of French cuffs, antique cufflinks are flying off our shelves as fast as we can find them, particularly those by Belais. When you possess a piece marked 'Belais,' quite simply you own the best of the best, because the Belais brothers were the *gods* of white gold jewelry in the early 20th century, until the Great Depression caused the company's closure by destroying the market for luxury goods.
Thanks for looking!
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Antique Victorian Suffragette Necklace w/ Dangles c1900
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 682845
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Dating from the late 19th or very early 20th century, this dramatic necklace not only makes a powerful feminist statement but is also poetry is motion. Its three dangling drops, each set with a diamond paste, will sway and glitter with your every sigh. The bold central element above is a sculptural triumph, gracefully curved with Art Nouveau flourishes and adorned with huge molded jewels that look like mounds of carved jade, both green and lavender, amid 13 more faux diamonds.
All the stones appear original and are in remarkably fine condition, as are the richly textured gilt setting and chain. Most likely the necklace was made in Bohemia, which for centuries produced the finest simulated gems, as well as ornate and rather fanciful settings. The area became Czechoslovakia after World War I, but was previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
As you know, the unusual combination of green, purple and white typically signifies that a jewel was first owned by a member of the Suffragette movement. For them, 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. The wealthiest suffragettes mixed amethysts and pearls or diamonds with green stones such as emeralds or peridots, but pretend gems were naturally favored by gals of lesser means and they could look just as opulent, as this necklace proves. It was certainly a jewel prized by its first owner and has been equally cherished by her heirs. Overall length is about 16 inches and provenance is a West Coast estate.
To the Suffragettes' efforts through many decades in the U.K. and U.S., we modern women owe our right to vote. That right was finally extended to all American women in 1920 and to all in Great Britain in 1928. Thus, although most of the jewelry is Victorian, Edwardian or transitional, some was crafted in the Art Deco era. Although forgotten for many years, these jewels have been rapidly gaining value since the star-studded TV movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find.
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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Lovely Antique Victorian Art Nouveau Roses Necklace
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Art Nouveau:
Pre 1900 item# 646441
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
Sold; thank you!
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(& Gift Wrap if Desired)
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Authentic Art Nouveau necklaces are getting very thin on the ground, as you've probably noticed. It's even harder to find one in original condition, complete with its chain, so this is quite a rarity. Of important scale, it features two big repousse roses linked together. Given the Victorian penchant for symbolism, it was almost surely an anniversary present or some other gift from a gentleman to his wife. All roses symbolized love to the Victorians, and the full-blown form also symbolized love's reward. Too, a jewel this large would have been considered unsuitable for an unmarried woman.
Hidden meanings aside, this is a spectacular example of Art Nouveau, given the curvy, swirling lines of these luscious flowers and the detailed edging around them. The medallions, each 1.75 inches round, are highly dimensional. The 20-inch chain is splendid, too: Worth a good deal in its own right, it alternates finely worked bookchain links with open ones and is undoubtedly original.
Certainly dating from the 1880s or 1890s, the necklace is in superb condition. I find no dents at all, just a little age-appropriate surface wear on close inspection. Despite the massive appearance, it's surprisingly lightweight and comfortable.
Very interestingly, we recently discovered - from a different source - a buckle that's indentical to this gilt brass necklace, except that it's surfaced with silver or a silver-colored metal. If you had them finished to match, you'd have an astounding set.
There's no charge for insured Priority U.S. shipping and gift wrap is alway free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos Thanks for looking!
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