Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (346)

These delicate-looking, lacy links are actually form quite a substantial chain necklace. The links have a clever twist, but still lie nicely when worn. A jump ring at the end bears largely illegible marks, but one appears to have a European shape. The chain tests strongly for silver, with a content of at least .800. The spring-ring clasp may have been added later. The chain measures 24 inches long by ½ inch wide. Weight: 27.3 grams

These charming earrings have a delicate look but are sturdily made; they sit vertically on the ear. The screw backs are quite secure, and are marked sterling. The center of one bow shows a small manufacturing flaw. The earrings measure 1 inch long by 5/8 inch . Weight: 6.6 grams total

A beautifully executed pin that features a bezel-mounted oval dyed green chalcedony or chrysoprase, surrounded by a layer of leafy flowers and berries. This layer is composed of cast pieces individually applied to a serpentine wirework frame reminiscent of late arts and crafts design; dating would be 1930s or 1940s. The pin has a lovely patina from age and the stone retains its highly polished surface, exhibiting hardly any wear. The rollover clasp is very secure. The pin is probably American, and is marked sterling on the back; there is no discernible maker's mark. It measures 1 ¾ inches across; the stone measures ¾ inches long by just over ½ inch wide.

This elegant link bracelet has the look and feel of a much more expensive piece, but is made of silver gilt and set with faceted pieces of glass meant to imitate amandine garnets. The seven scrolled cast panels are highly detailed and are linked with connecting rings that are seamlessly fused closed. The spring ring is original to the bracelet and in good working order, and the attached end panel bears the mark 800 for silver content as well as what appear to be the maker’s initials of H.F.W. The bracelet measures 7 ½ inches long by 5/8 inch wide. It’s probably from the 1950s-1960s. Gross weight: 19.6 grams

A very delicate and colorful bracelet, featuring gilded silver filigreed panels enhanced with blue and green enamel. The enamel is in lovely condition, with only tiny areas of loss. The tongue-and-groove clasp is very secure and shows some wear due to use (the clasp is silverplated). There is also a gold-filled safety chain not original to the bracelet. The tongue is marked 800 for silver content, and the Italian silver registry mark indicates either CE for Caserta or GE for Genoa and a date range of 1944-1968. This piece is probably 1950s-1960s. The bracelet measures 6 ¼ inches long by 5/8 inch wide.

Features an openwork scrolled border surrounding a goatherd tableau, this pin features a strong C-clasp and a nice aged patina. It bears both the silver mark of 830S and the partially worn maker’s mark of Nils M. Elvik, a conjoined NE in a horseshoe; the company was later named Elvik and Co. AS in the 1940s. (There are online sources that indicate this mark is for Nils Erik Elvik.) The additional mark of mønsterb. on the back signifies a copyright. The oval pin measures 2 inches long by1 5/8 inches high. Weight: 14.1 grams

This triangular pin features a cabochon pink quartz set in a recessed bezel mount. It bears the mark of Danish maker N.E. From and the sterling mark. Deep patination on the front enhances the stone. The rollover clasp is very secure. The pin has a small nick to the edge on the back, shown in the detail photo; it is not viewable from the front. Each side of the pin measures 1 ½ inches long.

Set with nine square, faceted faux garnets mounted in closed-back settings. The pin features an openwork silver frame nicely detailed with molded flowers and beads. The silver retains a light layer of gilding; the glass pieces are in lovely condition with points substantially intact. On the reverse are some indentations that may be obscured marks and signs of a removed watch hook. The C-clasp is quite sturdy and secure. The brooch measures 1 ½ inches across. The dating is conservative.

This bold studio piece is composed of a hand-wrought half-moon shaped pendant decorated with applied wires and impressed lines arranged randomly. It is suspended horizontally by a chain of forged wire bars connected by beaded rivets. The bib-like pendant is beautifully balanced to sit comfortably at the collarbone; the front hook closure makes for ease of fastening and removal. The reverse of the pendant bears the sterling mark on one end and a maker’s mark of sp on the other. The necklace measures roughly 19 inches long; the pendant drops about 1 3/4 inches. Weight: 70 grams

Composed of filigreed sterling silver panels, this bracelet is reminiscent of Chinese wirework, but it is American-made. The back of one panel is marked Jordan, for the R.M. Jordan Co. of Providence, RI, which produced a line of Russian- and Chinese-inspired jewelry during World War II, called its “United Nations” line. (A short write-up on p. 53 in the Sept. 18, 1943, issue of Billboard magazine announces the release of this production line.) The bracelet is marked 925 on the original spring-ring clasp, and the panels test definitively for sterling silver. The bracelet measures just under 8 inches long by 7/8 inch wide. Gross weight: 36.6 grams

A nicely designed and sturdily constructed studio piece made of cast pieces expertly joined and finished. The geometric banding and incised rays at each end suggest a Southwest origin, but the only mark is a roughly engraved signature, I-Paul, on the back of the setting. The band is composed of three strands that diverge at the shoulders. The carnelian is smooth and without flaws or damage; the entire ring appears to have been hardly worn. It tests definitively for sterling. The setting measures 1 1/8 inches long by about ¾ inch wide. It is a size 5 ½.

A graceful pendant of clean, spare design and lightly oxidized. The back bears the mark of modernist jeweler Bill Tendler. The pendant measures 1 ½ inches long by ½ inch at its widest part. Weight: 2.8 grams (A 24-inch chain is included; it did not originate with the pendant, but is of the same period.)

A bold bow pin enhanced with white chalcedony at the knot and in teardrops at the ribbon ends, with an unidentified maker’s mark of S within a C. The stones are securely mounted, exhibiting some wear -- tiny scratches and minor loss to the polished surface -- but no cracks or chips. The pin surface has a warm patina from age, with minor surface scratches. The clasp is very secure; the pin stem is slightly bent but in good working order. (The vertical lines in the photos are from reflected light.) The pin measures 3 inches wide by 2 ¾ inches long. Gross weight: 34.7 grams

A substantial sterling silver chain composed of doubled rings, bars and beads with connecting links; there is a central ring for attaching a pendant, or the chain can be worn as is. The secure box clasp bears what appears to be the maker’s mark of Beto, as pictured in Bille Hougart’s Mexican silver marks book, third edition, p. 27. The eagle 22 is the most legible mark; the others are not entirely clear. The chain measures 27 ½ inches long, unclasped. Weight: 38 grams

Formed as fish skeletons, they are nicely made, with working screw backs that are marked sterling. The backs of the fish are also marked sterling, along with a partial mark that ends with the word ‘Silversmith.’ Please note that some of the pictures show the surface with a yellow cast; the truest color of the silver is in the last two photos. Each earring measures 1 1/8 inches long. Weight: 6.6 grams total

Decorated with applied wirework rosettes, this hoop necklace has an Asian feel, but sports Austrian import marks (hard to see in the photo). It is continuous, and doesn’t appear to have ever had a clasp. The necklace has a nice weight and a dramatic, contemporary look. The Austrian mark for silver content is illegible, but the necklace is probably .800 or .835 fineness; the mark indicates a registration in Vienna. Doubled, it measures about 14 ½ inches long. Weight: 74.8 grams

This stunning bracelet is composed of an applied cast floral layer on a plain, hinged bangle bracelet, with a secure tongue-and-groove clasp and security chain. The tongue bears French import marks that guarantee a silver content of at least .800, and probably dates anywhere from the 1930s to the 1950s. The bangle measures about ½ inch wide with an internal circumference of just under 7 inches. Gross weight: 28.4 grams

Moonstone cabochons are bezel-mounted within oval onyx panels sitting in silver linked frames. All stones are very secure; one moonstone has a crack down the center that isn’t highly visible but can be felt by running a fingernail over it. The moonstones exhibit a milky quality with some blue highlights.The bracelet has a new sterling silver spring-ring clasp. The bracelet is unmarked, but the bezel mounts around the onyx panels test positively for silver. It measures about 7 ¾ inches long, including the clasps.