Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (46)

These beautiful sterling silver cufflinks are marked for Unger Bros and sterling. The flower-patterned ovals are linked by chain and are the epitome of Art Nouveau. One oval, darn it, is a plain replacement. Each oval is 7/8" x 3/4". Circa 1910.

Recycling isn't a new idea! This charming pin was made with an Art Nouveau era button. The detail of the lady, the flowers, and the bow is wonderful. The pin is 1" X 1/2"; the button is 1/2" in diameter. Circa 1900.

This beautiful pair of scarab design cufflinks is marked for Unger Bros, a well-known turn-of-the-century American jewelry maker. Each beetle or scarab is 1/2" by 13/16". They are made of sterling silver. Circa 1900-1905.

This serene lady is shown with lotuses or water lilies in her hair...

Here is an interesting portrait in silver, of a wind-swept young person clad in a cloak and hood. It’s very detailed and just lovely. We think it’s a boy (very unusual in jewelry), as the hair seems to be quite short under the hood. The hood itself looks like a cap made from a flower, as seen on fairies in Victorian children’s books. It measures 1-1/8” wide, is hollow, and is marked “STERLING TOP GERMAN SILVER BACK”. The sterling front is in very good condition...

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Victorian tastes and habits dominated, with subdued colors, mourning jewelry, and general strictness. The Arts & Crafts Movement reacted to this and gathered strength from a number of world events. Jewelry designers and crafters found inspiration in the Far East and the Victorian interest in mechanization gave them new techniques...

Here is a coral garland (also referred to as “festoon” or “swag”) necklace, consisting of 8 coral cabuchons of graduated lengths and sizes. The three longest drops are on rigid bars. The coral is a lovely dark ox-blood red. Coral was believed to prevent bad luck, and to be an aid to meditation. The length is 15-1/4” (but it would be easy to get an extender if needed – we can help with that; just ask), and the decorated portion is 4-1/4” x 2-1/8” at the longest point...

This is one of our very favorite pieces: a striking Jugendstil (Germany and Austria’s Arts & Crafts) pendant which is enameled in white and purple. It is made from 900 silver (a bit less fine than sterling), and centered by a lovely oval amethyst which is flanked above and below by tiny seed pearls. There is a pearl dangle (which we added, as the original was missing) below an arc of milgrained metal. It measures 1-1/2” x 7/8” and weighs 4.7g...

An antique pin with a modern vibe. This charming Arts & Crafts is made of sterling silver that has been enameled in artfully shaded blue to chartreuse to look like the wings of a stylized moth. A mother-of-pearl oval centers the body, and there is a small faceted green 'stone' (possibly glass) at the head. The pin is 1 ½ by 3/4 inches in size, not including the small spherical dropper which is enameled in a rich blue. The pin is circa 1900.

The Charles Horner company of Halifax was renowned for beautiful silver and enamel Arts & Crafts jewelry. This moth pin is sterling silver with blue and turquoise enamel and is 1 3/4" wide. It is fully hallmarked, for Chester, England, 1908, and carries the Charles Horner maker's mark.

This pretty lavalier or pendant is enameled on both sides - unusual for Arts & Crafts pieces. The front has a central panel in a beautiful peacock blue, and 2 outer panels in the shape of stylized hearts, in a darker blue. The back is sky-blue (a little worn at a few of the high points). There is a freshwater pearl drop. It weighs 2.1g and measures 1-5/8” from the top of the bail to the bottom of the pearl. It comes on a sterling chain (stamped “STERLING”) which is probably modern...

This unusual enameled sterling pendant comes out of the Arts & Crafts movement, roughly 1880-1920 (it can be argued that it still continues!) The enamel colors are associated with the women’s suffrage movement in the UK: green (Give), white (Women the), and violet (Vote) – or at least, that’s the story! The free-standing wire work (so unusual!) interlaces around the body of the piece, and holds an oval of mother-of-pearl in place. Also unusual is the use of some brown enamel...

Charles Horner was a major maker of Arts & Craft enamel pieces. This necklace is simple, with its shaded green and blue enamel and pleasingly elegant sterling silver frame. It is signed Charles Horner and is on a 14" chain. The hallmarks indicate it is sterling and was made in Chester in 1912-3. The enamel pendant is 3/4 X 1".

This pretty pin features an oval purple cabochon, possibly amethyst, possibly glass (it’s hard to get a reading on this stone), centered between two hammered silver leaves (very A&C in style), all in a very Art Nouveau framework. Marked “DEPOS” (probably meant to be “DEPOSE”, which translates roughly as “patented”), it is probably from Germany. There are two illegible marks, one on the C-clasp, and one on the back. It tests as silver, measures 1-3/4” x 3/4", and weighs 4.4 g...

This beautiful pendant is straight out of the Arts & Crafts movement; it’s very much in the style of Horner, but it’s unsigned. It is enameled in an intense blue with areas of a much lighter blue. The dropper shades from a pale green through a lighter blue into an intense blue, echoing the color of the main part of the pendant. The back is marked “sterling silver”, and the dropper is marked “silver”. It measures 1-3/8 x 1-3/16, and is on a modern 18” sterling chain...

This is one of our favorite pins! The colors are so pretty, and the leafy design is so very Arts & Crafts-y! It has a berry and leaf motif, highlighted by a central cushion-cut cabochon blue chalcedony (thought to bring good luck), with a round green aventurine cabochon on either side. Measuring 1-1/4” x 3/8", it is unmarked but tests as silver. It is in excellent condition, although the pin is a little bent (pretty typical for these old pieces)...

This beautiful unsigned ring has been attributed to Bernard Instone, one of the well-known Arts & Crafts era jewelers, who frequently didn’t sign his pieces. He often used leaves-as-prongs for setting stones, and as was often the way in the A&C movement, he didn’t use costly stones nor gold, so he could keep his prices affordable. This ring is made from sterling silver and set with a blue-green “Swiss lapis” (dyed quartz) which measures approximately 3/4” x 9/16”. It is about size 5...

This interesting fob is the setting for a sterling coin. It is a Prussian 2 Mark coin. On one side is the face of Friedrich (presumably) and his wife, a Maltese cross, and the words “FRIEDRICH * I * 1701 * WILHELM * II * 1901”; on the other side is an eagle with a crown above, and “DEUTSCHES REICH 1901 ZWEI MARK”. The rest is white metal. The swivel clasp has a mark, which looks like a plow. We haven’t been able to track it down. The coin and split ring weigh approximately .40oz, and ...