Beautiful Edwardian Garland Style Suffragette Earrings
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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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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.
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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.
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c1900 Garland Style Gold Filigree & Amethyst Ring
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Edwardian:
Pre 1910 item# 558074
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Garland Style, a form of neo-classicism, developed in response to the excesses of Late Victorian Art Nouveau. Within a few years, it evolved into what we know as Edwardian design, losing color in the process. While most pieces from this last great era of hand-made jewelry feature white metals and pale gems, this ring is a remarkable early example. It combines characteristically fine Garland Style filigree in pink gold with a large amethyst (the favorite stone of Queen Alexandra, who may still have been the Princess of Wales when when it was made).
This domed setting of filigree openwork is among the most beautiful I've ever seen, both for its overall impression -- conveying both regal symmetry and delicate grace -- and for the artistry with which each vine leaf was engraved, no two of them exactly the same. The amethyst complements the gold especially well, because it also has a slightly rosy cast. Quite a large stone, it's of the old double rose cut (pointed at both top and bottom).
The ring's superb condition is largely due to the creator's choice of 10k gold (hallmarked) instead of a softer alloy more vulnerable to damage. Only under very high magnification can any wear be noticed on either the stone or the gold, except an almost imperceptible thinning at the back of the shank. Besides the hallmark, there's "A J" stamp most likely signifying the maker. I wish we could identify him or her, in order to give due credit.
Currently about a US size 7, the ring can be easily adjusted up or down, since the back of the shank isn't ornamented. Weight is 3.7 grams and provenance is a New York estate. It would have originated there or in a European capital. This is top-grade craftsmanship that must have come from a major city.
We'll be delighted to cover delivery costs 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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Exquisite Antique Edwardian Shell Cameo Earrings
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Edwardian:
Pre 1930 item# 499724
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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The cameos in many earrings don't match at all. In fact, they often weren't even made by the same carver or from the same shell. We can't say that of these, which feature gorgeous ladies who could be twins and sport identical upswept Edwardian hairdos! One artist's style is clearly evident in both highly dimensional portraits and the strong carnelian and luminous ivory colors indicate origin from a single shell. All these unusual likenesses make them a truly beautiful and special pair, which I feel confident were carved in Italy before World War I. At some point after the A Michallef Company formed in 1919, they landed in these fine frames hallmarked Amco 14k GF. Screw backs suggest dating before clips were popularized in the 1930s, so we're talking about an Art Deco timeframe. However, these cameos and frames are done in the neo-Classical Edwardian manner. Cameos actually carved in the 1920s typically show the short "bobbed" hair in vogue then.
Condition of these earrings is exceptional -- attesting to Amco's well-known quality, as well as great care by those who have enjoyed them over the past 80 years or so. The gold-fill process, as you probably know, is far superior to gold plating and results in a much more durable finish. Frames measure 7/8" by 5/8", a lovely size for making a fashion statement without overpowering. They'll be as appropriate for the office as for elegant evenings on the town. Provenance of these treasures is a Colorado estate.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Rare Edwardian Rose Gold Ruby & Pearl Kangaroo Brooch
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Edwardian:
Pre 1910 item# 365336
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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I was so charmed by an Art Nouveau kangaroo brooch we recently acquired (and sold in a twinkling) that I decided to see if it was possible to get anything like it without going to Australia. Well, a source in Scotland found this treasure! It not only features a wonderfully whimsical kanga, but is crafted from rose gold set with a genuine sea pearl and a nicely faceted ruby or red spinel.
No doubt this was a cherished memento of a visit Down Under about 100 years ago. It was sold to us as Edwardian, but could as easily be Late Victorian. Given its dainty size, about 1" x 3/4", it would have been crafted for a young lady. Large jewelry was considered vulgar on unmarried women in those days. All fittings are original and perfectly right for the dating - notice the open C clasp and elongated pinstem - and rose gold was the most fashionable of metals circa 1900. Condition, as you see, is absolutely brilliant.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photographs. Thanks for looking!
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Very Ornate Early BELAIS 14K Gold Cufflinks
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Archives:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Edwardian:
Pre 1920 item# 356575
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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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 one of the most elaborate I've ever seen from this company. It repeats four times, since the links are double-ended, and all details are as clear and crisp as on the day these were made. I expect that day was in 1920 or even earlier, based on the type of connectors used and the styling, which is more Edwardian in spirit than Art Deco. Each of the four heads bears the "Belais 14K White Gold Front" stamp and measures 1/2" X 5/8". Provenance is a New York estate. You'd have to look a long time to find another pair of antique cufflinks this stunning and in such lovely condition. There's even an unused space for a monogram on each link.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift wrap is always free when desired. Thanks for looking!
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1908 Edwardian Carved Onyx Diamond Gold Filigree Ring
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Estate Jewelry:
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Edwardian:
Pre 1910 item# 148712
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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A delightfully imaginative spin on a classic, this remarkable antique ring features a fancy shaped and carved onyx stone - not the plain oval or rectangle typically seen in Victorian and Edwardian rings of this type. Instead, a gorgeous starburst pattern radiates from its central diamond set in a rondel of white gold or platinum with a beaded edge. The yellow gold outer mounting is unusually elaborate, too: gorgeously filigreed and engraved.
As you know, a great deal of black jewelry was worn after Queen Victoria lost her husband, Prince Albert, and mourning rituals remained strict and elaborate into the 20th century, dictating all-black attire for at least the first year. Probably this was a mourning jewel, but my fancy is that it was crafted for a very merry widow, indeed (along the lines of Scarlett O'Hara, pretending to mourn Charles and Frank).
Stamped 10k and 08 for year of origin, the ring's shank is unadorned at the back, making it possible to resize without damaging anything. It's currently about a U.S. size 6. Approximate measurements are 3/4" x 3/8" for the onyx and 7/8" x 1/2" for the gold mount. Condition is superb, as you see, and provenance is a Maryland estate.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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BELAIS Antique 18k Filigree & Aquamarine Ring
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Archives:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Edwardian:
Pre 1920 item# 115964
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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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As you know if you love antique filigree, the Belais brothers were legendary for producing the finest white gold filigree mountings in the early 20th century. In fact, they owned a patent for their process that held in the U.S. through the 1920s. Very few Belais rings are available now (just three others I could find online, besides our small selection) and it's easy to see why; once you have one of these, you don't want to let it go!
This glorious Belais ring, of 18k white gold and in magnificent condition with crisp filigree, is the prettiest I've ever seen. Dating from around 1920, it has a graceful Edwardian delicacy that predates the bold geometry of Art Deco. Its stone, a beautifully emerald-cut aquamarine, is well worthy of the spectacular setting. Approximately 2 1/2 carats and completely natural (not even heat-treated as they do routinely now to intensify color), it's very bright, eye clean and with few inclusions even under a 10X loupe. Current size is 4 1/2, easy to alter since the back of the band isn't ornamented. Acquired at an estate sale, it came in a pretty presentation box marked The Davis Company, Chicago, which is likely original and certainly right for the period. The case will be included with the purchase.
Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more pictures. Thanks for looking!
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