Catalog (516)

Delicate, leafy openwork distinguishes the sterling silver frame of this 1950s pin. It is set with a chrysoprase disk that has a transluscent ‘cobblestone’ pattern when held to the light. The back is marked sterling, and has a secure rollover safety clasp. The stone is in lovely condition; the pin looks to have been hardly worn. Total diameter is 1 3/8 inches.

Composed of delicate vertical leaf fronds, this necklace looks to be of fine gold, but is really made of gold-plated metal. The bright surface shows very little wear, due to Krementz & Company’s rolled gold-plating process used on the Newark, NJ, firm’s best lines of costume jewelry. The leaves are textured with detailed lines produced by careful engine-turned engraving. The chain is composed of tiny cylindrical pieces secured to a fine wire so that they are stabilized. There is a spike and drum closure, and the script Krementz signature appears on the back of one leaf. It dates from the 1950s. Each leaf measures a little over 1 1/4 inches long; the necklace measures 15 1/4 inches long.

This necklace has a classic form and, in certain light, looks to be plated in two colors of gold. The beautiful surface condition is a result of a rolled gold-plating process used by the Newark, NJ, firm of Krementz & Company. The exotic design is reminiscent of ethnic jewelry, composed of graduated pointed vertical drops alternating with ovular beads. A braided chain with spike and drum closure completes the retro design. The Krementz signature in block letters is on the back of one drop. The longest drop measures 1 1/2 inches; the necklace is 15 inches long, including the clasp.

This graceful necklace was made by the California firm of Renoir, which specialized in copper jewelry. It has a secure hook clasp, with the Renoir signature on the hook. It measures 18 3/4 inches long, including the chain.

This bracelet is made of six linked stylized flowers alternating with bars decorated with incised circular elements. The flower 'petals' are actually formed as coffee beans. The box clasp is secure, as are the connections between each flower. There is an Iguala/Mexico/925diamond-shaped mark on the back of the clasp with the unidentified maker’s initials, which look like EHP but may actually be EMB according to the third edition of Bille Hougart's book of Mexican maker's marks. The center beads of each coffee-bean element show some wear; there is a nice, soft patina of some 50 years. The bracelet measures nearly 8 inches long and 5/8 inch wide. Weight: 20 grams

This Victorian revival sterling silver cuff is elaborately decorated with repousse flowers and leaves, with a scrolled reserve at each end. It was made by Kirk & Son of Baltimore, MD, as part of a line of 19th-century-inspired jewelry, some made of pewter. This is one of the larger and more elaborate designs. The sterling and maker’s marks are inside the bracelet. Circumference is about 8 inches, including the 1/2-inch opening; the bracelet is slightly over 1 1/4 inches wide. Weight: 41.8 grams (1.34 t oz.)

This copper bracelet features a double row of linked leaves attached at each end by copper-plated openwork panels, and connected by round copper-plated links. The surface is highly patinated, with only very minimal wear to the plating on the ends. The fold-over clasp is very secure; there is no mark. The bracelet measures 7 1/2 inches long by about 1 3/4 inches wide.

This bracelet was made as a souvenir for visitors to the Maria Laach Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in northwestern Germany. It has large, curved links of copper and white metal, from which drops a glazed ceramic disc mounted in white metal. The disc is decorated with a geometrical design in red on a yellow and green background, with a black diamond shape in the center. It is marked on the back of the mount with the abbey’s logo. The large spring ring clasp is very secure. There appears to be a flattened area visible on the back of the mount, probably from hand-setting the disc. The bracelet measures 8 1/2 inches long; the disc measures a little over 1 3/8 inches in diameter. The width of the chain is about 1 inch.

This substantial, silver link bracelet is reminiscent of ornate Renaissance jewelry. It is sharply molded with flowers, leaves, vines and beading in openwork panels linked with bars. The largest center panel features a securely prong-set amethyst. The bracelet has a fold-over clasp in good working order. It is a nice quality piece, probably European .800 silver. The bracelet measures a little over 7 inches long; the largest panel in the center measures 7/8 inch wide. Gross weight: 24.5 grams

Designed in the pre-Columbian style, this sterling silver bracelet is composed of curved openwork panels connected with small pins. It bears the mark of J.N. Jacopo, for the Jacopo brothers of Mexico City and Taxco; it also bears the eagle mark with the number 3. The bracelet has a nice, hefty feel and is of good quality. There is a minor area of metal stress at one link (see Photo #4). The tongue and groove clasp is in good working order, and the safety chain appears to be original to the bracelet. The bracelet measures 7 inches long and 5/8 inch wide. Weight: 39.8 grams

This stunning copper bracelet is well constructed with an unusual (for copper) heft when worn. The design features an alternating series of curled bands linked into hollow curved tubes. A secure fold-over clasp completes the look. The bracelet, which is unsigned, measures about 2 inches wide by nearly 8 inches long. There is some wear to the back of the bracelet; the front shows very little wear, with a nice patination between the curls for a dramatic effect.

This necklace is a nice example of Renoir’s early enameled copper line known as Matisse. The mottled red and white enamel is opaque, as opposed to the translucent, glassy work that characterized the firm’s later enameled jewelry. The overall design is reminiscent of the abstract expressionist art of the 1950s. There is some wear to the rounded copper elements alternating with the curved enameled panels, and a bit of loss to small areas of the panels where the copper comes through (the tiny black spots are embedded in the enamel, and are not damage). The back of the necklace shows serious wear to the copper. The necklace is unsigned and measures 15 inches long, including the unusual scored-link chain.

This smart bar pin features loops on either side of an oval cabochon chrysoprase. It has a nice heft, and the stone is securely bezel-mounted. The back shows a sterling mark, as well as an unidentified maker’s mark of T&B or K&B. The rollover clasp is in good working order, and the stone is very slightly scratched. A well-constructed lapel or shoulder pin of clean, simple design, it measures 2 1/4 inches long by just under 1 inch wide at the center.

Here is a stunning example of California maker Francisco Rebajes’ jewelry designs. The necklace is constructed of stylized leaves linked by folding the top of one over the next, to produce a sinuous movement. The silver-plated finish is brushed to soften the patina, and shows some tarnish. The tongue-and-groove clasp is in good working order, and bears the Rebajes mark. The necklace measures just under 16 inches long by 3/4 inch wide.

This sterling silver pin is formed as a Mexican peasant lugging a large basket of fruit on his back. It is deeply molded and enhanced with oxidation and of hollow construction. The sturdy clasp features a machine-age look, and the pin stem has a lever that causes it to spring open when released. The pin dates from 1950 through the 1930s and is marked Silver/Mexico on the reverse. It measures 2 inches long by 1 1/4 inches at its widest part. Weight: 12.6 grams

This 1960s-70s wide copper bangle bracelet is unsigned, but nicely designed with four applied discs around the exterior for a clean, modernist look. It is sturdily constructed, thick enough so the shape is intact, and with a quality spring hinge and a small tongue and groove type of feature at the terminals to keep the pieces in place when closed. There are minor areas of discoloration at the edge of two discs; wear to the finish is minimal. The bangle measures 1 5/8 inches wide, with an oval opening measuring a little over 2 1/4 inches across, and an internal circumference of 7 1/2 inches.

These handmade, two-sided cufflinks each feature a square piece with an incised geometrical design connected by a figure-8 to a dome-shaped piece. The links are very securely soldered to each side; there is a tiny ‘ding’ to one dome. The squares measure about 5/8 inch and are marked Sterling and Taxco. Weight: 8.1 grams total

These quirky figural sterling silver pins and earrings are formed as separate head. While the faces are similar in their prominent features, one head wears a tall, pointed headdress, while the other wears a turban-like headpiece. The pins show marks on the surface from being hammered into the mold; they are finished with applied backs. Each earring is formed to match the face of one of the pins. The pieces are all marked Made in Mexico/Sterling — even the earring screw backs — and are conservatively dated around 1950. The pins have very secure C-clasps. Measurements (all length by widest part): tall head, 3 3/4 inches by 1 inch, 15.9 grams; turban head, 1 7/8 inches by 1 3/8 inches, 13.3 grams; tall earring, 1 3/4 inches by 3/4 inch; turban earring, 1 inch by 1 1/8 inches; both earrings, 10.1 grams total.