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Antiques (76)
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Rare Pre-Columbian Tumbaga Gold Frog Pendant
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Gold:
Latin American:
Pre 1492 item# 1114513
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$700 SALE. Was $850.
(Free U.S. Priority Shipping
& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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This unusually large and ornate frog effigy, if not reconditioned as a pendant, would be a museum-piece. It was found circa 1950, with normal and natural wear, then cleaned and polished, fitted with a bale and probably gold-dipped to restore its original appearance.
Looking at the result, I find it hard to regret the changes, even though a lot of value was lost. Now we're free to enjoy it as a jewel, not just admire it in a public display case.
Tumbaga gold, if the term is unfamiliar, refers to a copper and gold alloy used in pre-Columbian Central America. Pieces cast of this material were treated with plant acids to leach out the copper and the remaining gold surface was then burnished. Sometimes they were also gilded with higher quality gold.
In the culture where it originated, the frog was the traditional symbol for power and fruitfulness. Similar pieces -- smaller and less intricate but left in as-found condition -- are selling online for $1500 to $2000.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount for our international customers) 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 Carved Onyx Bear Fetish Necklace Earrings Set
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Ethnic:
Native American:
Pre 1980 item# 1114503
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$185 SALE. Was $235.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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This is one of the most charming fetish jewelry sets I've ever seen -- and I've seen plenty of them, having lived in New Mexico off and on since the mid-1970s. These bear fetishes are absolutely adorable; they're also unusually large, ranging up to 2 inches long. Nine bears are present altogether, seven on the necklace and one on each earring. Carved from black onyx, they're very hard to photograph, but there's a lot of detail. Between bears are heishi beads carved from both onyx and turquoise.
The 28-inch necklace finishes with a sterling hook and eye closure and the earrings, 2.75 inches long, have sterling ball and post fasteners. Condition of the set is lovely; you have to search with high magnification to find any surface wear at all. Obviously treasured by their former owner and stored with great care, these pieces reached us from an estate in Kansas. We were told that the prior owner purchased them in the 1970s, so they could older than that but no younger.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free on request. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Superb Vintage Bergere Rose Quartz Necklace - Mint
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Jewels:
Pre 1980 item# 1114498
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$120. Was $150.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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Still with its original shop tags, this wonderfully giftable vintage necklace is of icy pink rose quartz, dripping with gilt laurel leaves in Greek Goddess style. It was designed by Karen Reed for Bergere. We haven't been able to determine when Ms. Reed worked for the company (L. Erbert & Pohls Inc. of New York City), but the Bergere brand was used only from the 1940s through the 1970s. Of extremely high quality, Bergere jewels were sold in such upscale stores as Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor and Marshall Fields.
About 17 inches long, the necklace has seven leaf pendants ranging from one to two inches long, gorgeously detailed even on their reverses. Each leaf is stamped Bergere and obviously surfaced with very high-carat gold. I have no doubt that these pale blush-colored rose quartz chunks are genuine; they're quite cold to the touch, unlike glass, and they're heavy. A few gold beads also feature on the strand and there's an elegant gold push clasp accompanied by a diamond-shaped drop stamped with Karen Reed's signature. Condition is like new and provenance is an East Coast estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free on request. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Lovely Victorian Pearl and Pyrite Pendeloque Earrings
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Silver:
Victorian:
Pre 1900 item# 1114301
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$525 SALE. Were $650.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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These spectacular antique pearl earrings from an English estate dangle almost 2 inches below the ear and are highly dimensional. Minor variations between the two attest to hand-craftsmanship -- most likely in Spain or Portugal, known for jewels of ornately worked silver, set with colorless gems. Pieces of this type were eagerly collected by British travelers to southern Europe. It's easy to imagine these earrings as a honeymoon gift for a young bride, whose husband delighted in how the gleaming drops swayed in the Mediterranean moonlight.
Adding extra sparkle, both upper and lower domed elements of the setting are accented with pyrites (often called marcasites, which are chemically the same but too soft to use as gems). The silverwork, also lavished with beaded detail, is thick and sculptural Above, it's fashioned into leaves and the drops form flower petals framing two sizeable, lustrous pearls. The stones were represented to me as natural sea pearls and I believe them to be, since pearls weren't cultured until around 1900. They seem to be full rounds, not halves, nestling into silver cups that protrude from the back.
Probable dating of the earrings is no later than 1880, yet their condition is superb. Even the lever-back fasteners appear original. If they aren't, the earrings would have hung from wires and are even older. Pendeloque (pear-shaped) drop earrings have been with us since the late 18th century, retaining popularity throughout Victorian times, and the fully closed backs and other details of construction here are more Georgian than Victorian. The Georgian traditions did hang on longer in Spain and Portugal than elsewhere, though, so it's really impossible to be certain whether these are early or late 19th century.
With apologies to the purists among us, I broke my usual hands-off rule and gave these a light cleaning before the photographs were taken. Tarnish is returning, so the silver content is clearly high. We can't be precise about that,in the absence of markings; it would be a pity to damage the surface with test chemicals.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount for our international customers) 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 Art Deco Carved Shell Cameo Pendant
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Unsigned:
Pre 1930 item# 1114226
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$95 SALE. Was $125.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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This cameo, most likely from Italy, offers a nicely carved portrait of a lovely lady -- whose bobbed hair provides the Art Deco dating. Size is about 1.25 inches tall and very dimensional; there's a lot of depth to the shell.
Because this setting isn't worthy of her beauty, the piece is priced to allow for framing properly as a pendant, brooch or both. If the current mount were of hallmarked gold or silver, you could add easily $100 to the cost, which is bargain basement for any pretty, hand-carved cameo that's from the 1920s or older -- thus antique by American 75-year standards.
So that she'll be wearable until you get around to finding a new frame, we've added a vintage chain that's 20 inches long and a good match for the current bright brass setting.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping -- with an equivalent discount on international delivery -- and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photographs. Thanks for looking!
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Fun Vintage 1970s Garden Charm Necklace Veg and Fruit
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Enamel:
Pre 1980 item# 1114157
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$110 SALE. Was $135.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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Need a gift for a gardener? Any gal with a green thumb will love this necklace dripping with healthy produce! Its bounty of fruit and vegetable charms includes carrots, pea pods, eggplant, cherries, mushrooms, peppers and more! The charms vary in size, up to an inch long. Some are made of glass, some are beautifully enameled and some are jeweled -- and vivid crystal drops add extra spice all around. The fancy-link chain is delicious, in itself.
This beauty is like new and definitely a high-quality piece. The prior owner recalls paying about $90 for it 30 years ago, when that was pretty serious money. Now that it qualifies as vintage, its value is bound to keep rising.
To complete a garden-fresh look, consider our vintage fruit tart and fruit basket earrings. Either pair would look fantastic with these beads, and we can work out special pricing if you want more than one item.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free on request. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Huge Glitzy Antique Art Nouveau Flower Brooch
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Rhinestone:
Pre 1910 item# 1114141
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$145 SALE. Was $195.
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& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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Big, bold brooches are popping up on the best shoulders this season. If you've been looking for one that will make all the rest pale by comparison, you've found it now!
This glittering monster is absolutely astounding: 3 1/2 inches tall, more than 2 inches wide, styled with so many swirls that the exotic flower seems to be dancing and paved all over with faceted pastes in vivid colors. Shades of green, citrine and cognac appear, as well as the red-orange dominant on the petals of what looks like a tiger lily or a parrot tulip.
It's quite a heavy jewel, given its size and the pot metal setting, so it benefits greatly from the presence of an early safety clasp. That may have been added later, probably when the elongated pinstem was snipped from even greater length. If the safety is original, dating can't be before this sort was invented in 1902. I think the brooch is somewhat older, though, based on the type of hinge and pinstem -- and, for the same reason, we can rule out its being a later Victorian Revival piece.
The brooch reached us from a Minnesota estate and in lovely condition, relative to age. There are a few areas of discoloration at the back and the pin is a bit wavy, but all the many stones are intact and it takes high magnification to notice even light surface wear anywhere on the side that shows.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping -- with an equivalent discount on international delivery -- and gift wrap is also free if desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Superb Art Nouveau Gilt and Pink Art Glass Buckle Set
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Unsigned:
Pre 1930 item# 1114126
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$115. (Free U.S. Shipping
& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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The opulence of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire is captured in this stunning buckle dating from Czechoslovakia's earliest years of independence, just after World War I. Because it's marked CZECHOSLOV on the fastener, it can't be older than 1918, but it’s unlikely to be much younger.
This is the lavish sort of jewel we'd expect to see on one of the beauties Klimt painted in Victorian and Edwardian times: It's ornately patterned with scrollwork, rope twists and millegrain details, richly gilded and wonderfully colorful, thanks to two radiant faux-moonstones of rosy pink art glass. To judge the quality of this piece, note the gilding on its reverses, untouched by time's patina. A good jeweler could restore the same brilliance to the front surfaces, although they're lovely as they are, and brighten the tiny areas on the collets where gold has worn away. Alternatively, for a quick at-home fix, you could just dab those little spots with gilding paste and seal them with clear nail lacquer. This is a minor flaw, hard to notice amid all the dazzle, but our price naturally reflects it.
Fastened, the buckle measures 3 inches by 1 1/4, and its brackets will hold a belt or sash up to 3/4 of an inch wide, or wider if gathered.
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 Nouveau Enameled Rose Gilt Leprechaun Brooch
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Enamel:
Pre 1900 item# 1114122
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$135 SALE. Was $165.
(Free U.S. Priority Shipping
& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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This enchanting Celtic Art Nouveau brooch is an extraordinary find from one of our best sources in the British Isles. The wee fellow in the foreground -- a leprechaun, elf, sprite or whatever sort of "fairy down the garden" -- is exquisitely detailed. He's applied atop a repoussé toadstool, overlooking a green loch and golden hills with pretty engraving, beneath a blue sky accented by puffy white clouds.
The enamelwork on this jewel is a tour-de-force and it's in lovely condition. So, too, is the rose gold gilding, which shows only minor losses on the pin. The front is slightly concave and the domed back is beautifully surfaced, either hammered or cast in a dimpled pattern and fitted with the tube hinge and open C clasp indicative of great age. Its pinstem was snipped at some point -- not a bad idea since the elongated ones of the 19th century could so easily draw blood. The jewel measures about 1 1/4 inches round with scalloped and beaded edges. It dates most likely from the 1890s, but could be a little earlier or later.
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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Big Antique Art Deco Enameled Egyptian Revival Earrings
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Costume:
Unsigned:
Pre 1930 item# 1114038
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$135 SALE. Were $185.
(Free U.S. Priority Shipping
& Gift-Wrap, if Desired)
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Most of us know the discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920s led to a craze for Egyptian-styled jewelry. Fewer are aware there were earlier Egyptian crazes: circa 1800, inspired by Napoleon's campaign in North Africa, and again in Victorian times, beginning with the 1860s opening of the Suez Canal. Furthermore, when Tut's treasures toured the world once more in the 1970s, it was "deja vu all over again." Because of this, you always have to look very carefully at jewels with an Egyptian motif, to determine when they were made.
These stunning gilt brass earrings are most likely from the 1920s, based on the depth of the patina, the extent of surface wear, the punchy Deco colors and of course the portrait of King Tut. The ear wires are obviously newish and the drops would have hung from screw fasteners originally. Very little wear is apparent to the naked eye -- they look absolutely fantastic -- but, under high magnification, minute losses of enamel and gilding can be found, more than you'd expect if they were recent.
Crafted on a very grand scale, these beauties measure a whopping two inches round and are highly dimensional. I've never seen a pair at all like them, so they're really quite special. Provenance is an East Coast estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) 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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