Rare Antique Victorian Bell Charm Stickpin, His or Hers
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Pre 1900 item# 835525
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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.
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Exquisite Antique Gilt and Celluloid Coral Bracelet
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Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 721540
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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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Antique Jeweled Gilt Mesh Suffragette Brooch c 1900
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Pre 1910 item# 702985
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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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.
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Antique Victorian Suffragette Necklace w/ Dangles c1900
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Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 682845
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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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Antique Victorian Taille d'Epargne Brooch Pendant
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Pre 1900 item# 599885
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This exquisitely detailed jewel is really a wonder, in several ways. For one thing, you seldom see a bar brooch that can also be worn as a necklace pendant on a chain or ribbon. Also rare are its size -- fully 2.5 inches wide -- and its findings indicative of very great age. The early safety pin-clasp is of a type introduced in the 1850s and the old T-hinge is the sort that was replaced by the tube style around 1870.
Thus, this piece is far older than most bar-shaped brooches, most likely dating from the 1860s, when the form was still being defined. It first came into vogue after the Prince of Wales married Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. She pinned her collars high (or wore choker necklaces) to hide a small scar on her throat and, since she was the trend-setting "Di" of her day, fashionable women rushed to emulate her style.
The popularity of black enamelwork was, of course, a nod to another royal: Queen Victoria, a widow in permanent mourning after 1861. Here its look is lively, not morose: highlighting a festive bunch of snowdrops, spring's first flowers, and an exceedingly elaborate tracery of vines and stylized leaves.
The condition of the jewel is lovely; I see no wear at all to the enamelwork and you have to search with a loupe to find any wear, except to the findings. The pin was crafted in two parts, with the beautifully ornamented top wrapped over the back, and most wear is at that seam. Even the edges are decorated; a very great deal of work went into this jewel.
In the absence of markings, I can't be sure whether the top is of gold or rolled gold (so thickly surfaced that it will essentially never wear out). Either way, it would probably test 9k, and applying files and acids to such a nice piece would be a sacrilege. The back seems to be heavily gilded. Provenance is a California 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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Rare Suffragette Bracelet of Gothic Revival Design
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Victorian:
Pre 1920 item# 588752
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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 is a remarkable antique bracelet, indeed. The Victorian "Gothick" design is stunning in its own right, but the fact that the graceful gilt metalwork is jeweled in Suffragette colors makes this a truly exceptional find. Suffragette bracelets are a great deal less common than brooches, lavalieres and earrings.
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. 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.
The wealthiest suffragettes mixed amethysts and pearls or diamonds with green stones such as emeralds or peridots, but faux gems were of course worn by gals of lesser means. Here two glass pearls and a glass emerald are featured, along with a large cabochon of early plastic marbled to mimic lavender jade. All the stones probably came from Bohemia, which became Czechoslovakia after World War I and for centuries had produced the best simulated gemstones. Most probable origin of the bracelet (based on style) is England.
Suffragette jewelry has been rapidly gaining value since the star-studded TV movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what those 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. This treasure reached us from a Pacific Northwest estate.
Thanks for looking!
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C.O. & R. Victorian Front-Closure Bookchain Locket
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Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 529489
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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If you collect Victorian jewelry, you know how scarce 19th century bookchain necklaces have become, so we're particularly glad of the chance to present this one at such an attractive price. It even has the front closure that makes an antique necklace more collectible (and wonderfully convenient to put on).
Signed inside the locket by a maker we haven't yet been able to identify, the jewel shows both Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts influences, combining curvy scrollwork with more angular stylized forms. The central element from which the locket drops is especially pretty and the locket, itself, bears a sweet floral landscape design with a lighthouse and mountains in the background. Most of the jewel's wear is on the locket's face, but perhaps you need the chain for a different pendant, anyway. It would be quite easy to attach any drop you like. Elsewhere, surface losses are minor, hard to notice without a loupe. So much brightness remains that I believe the necklace is gold-filled rather than merely gilded.
The slightly rosy cast of the finish and relative daintiness of the chain lead me to date this to the 1890s. Length is a little more than 19 inches around, to which the locket and its surmount add almost two more inches of hanging length. The fastener is in fine working order and the locket also closes securely. Provenance is a Pennsylvania 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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Fine Early BELAIS White Gold Cufflinks, circa 1900
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Pre 1910 item# 523363
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Even if you already have a pair of wonderful antique white gold cufflinks by the legendary Belais Brothers, you may need these, too. Most Belais jewels are Art Deco, but these are earlier examples dating from before World War I. Certainly no later than Edwardian, they're more probably Victorian, based on the link connectors, as well as the design. Each octagonal face bears a profusion of intricate engraving that shows both Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau influences. Against a spiral background, the central motif is a stylized snowflake bordered by rows of tiny zigzags symbolizing thunderbolts -- and all this glory is set within an ornate border of curvy scrollwork! The remarkable design repeats four times as usual, since Belais links are double-ended.
In such lovely condition that they can't have been worn much, their reverses are clearly stamped "Belais 14k White Gold Front". Measuring 5/8 of an inch in each direction, they reached us from a Midwestern estate.
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 bearing that legendary name, 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 (circa 1900-1930). Onset of the Great Depression caused the New York company's closure by destroying the market for luxury goods. We're fortunate now to have a good many Belais items in stock - including several fine wedding bands and jeweled filigree rings, plus a spectacular jeweled wristwatch, but just one other pair of cufflinks at this writing. If you like these, you'd better not delay.
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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Fine Very Early BELAIS White Gold Cufflinks, 1890s
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Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 515408
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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It's always a red-letter day, when a pair of Belais cufflinks arrives, but these are exceptional. They're among the earliest examples we've seen, being of "cuff button" type -- that is, the four faces are formed with rounded shanks on the back and joined by links. This form had been worn by the wealthy for almost a century, when the Belais Brother began their experiments with white gold in the 1880s. Later cufflinks from Edwardian and Art Deco times typically have swivel fasteners or snap together.
Also attesting to great age is the fact that both major style trends of the Late Victorian era come together beautifully in this design. The swirling central motif of a stylized flower evokes Art Nouveau, while the sleek octagonal shapes and restrained edging show Arts & Crafts influence. The four faces are identical and measure 5/8 of an inch in each direction. Condition is lovely and provenance is a Wisconsin estate.
With fashion's return to the elegance of French cuffs, antique cufflinks are flying off our shelves as fast as we can get them, especially this superlative brand. As more people have discovered them, Belais links have gotten hard to find. When you possess a piece bearing that legendary name, 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. We're fortunate now to have a good many Belais items in stock - including several fine wedding bands and jeweled filigree rings, plus a spectacular jeweled wristwatch, but only one other pair of cufflinks at this writing. If you like these, you'd better not delay.
Thanks for looking!
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Superb Very Early BELAIS White Gold Cufflinks, 1890s
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Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Victorian:
Pre 1920 item# 511012
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
Phone: 505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $175.
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It's always a red-letter day, when a pair of Belais cufflinks arrives, but these are particularly remarkable. They're among the earliest examples we've ever seen, because the stamping isn't typical. Only one of the reverses is marked "Belais White Gold Front," whereas later examples from Edwardian and Art Deco times are marked on at least two reverses and state whether they're 14k or 18k. There's no doubt, based on their artistry, that these are true Belais jewels, so they must've been made while the company was experimenting with formulae for white gold -- a process they began around 1887.
Also attesting to great age is the fact that both major style trends of the Late Victorian era come together beautifully in this design. The swirling central motif of a stylized tree is pure Art Nouveau, while the geometrically engraved edges and sleek swivel connectors show Arts & Crafts influence. Each of the four faces is identical and measures 3/4 of an inch by 1/2 inch. We'll have to content ourselves with uncertainty about exact gold content. It would be a sacrilege to mess these up with files and test acids. Provenance is a Pennsylvania estate.
With fashion's return to the elegance of French cuffs, antique cufflinks are flying off our shelves as fast as we can get them, especially this superlative brand. As more people have discovered them, Belais links have gotten hard to find. When you possess a piece bearing that legendary name, 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. We're fortunate now to have a good many Belais items in stock - including several fine wedding bands and jeweled filigree rings, plus a spectacular jeweled wristwatch, but only one other pair of cufflinks at this writing. If you like these, you'd better not delay.
Thanks for looking!
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