| Press Contact: | Gloria Lieberman, Director | Catherine Riedel, Director |
| Fine Jewelry | Marketing & Public Relations | |
| Skinner, Inc | Skinner, Inc | |
|
617-350-5400 x305 |
978-779-6241 x231 |
SKINNER TO HOST FINE JEWELRY AUCTION MARCH 15TH
BOSTON, Mass. - February 22, 2005 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses, will host an auction of fine jewelry in Boston on Tuesday, March 15th. The sale, which features two major collections and a varied selection of nineteenth and twentieth century jewelry, will attract both beginning collectors and retail jewelry buyers, with offerings ranging from Hermès handbags and scarves to elegant diamond jewelry.
Diamonds and Colored Stones
Important lots in the auction include an unusual Art Deco ring. Centered by an oval-cut demantoid garnet weighing 5.27 cts. flanked by sapphires and diamonds, the ring will be sold accompanied by a GIA certificate identifying the stone as a demantoid garnet (lot 403, $30/40,000). Additional highlights include two platinum and diamond solitaires, one set with a full-cut diamond weighing approximately 3.10 cts. (lot 411, $10/15,000), and another with a transitional-cut diamond weighing 3.098 cts. (lot 391, $8/12,000). Also featured is an elegant sapphire and diamond brooch, with a white gold and rose-cut diamond bar suspending a detachable pear-shape cabochon sapphire bead-set with rose-cut diamonds (lot 405, $6,5/7,500). Signed jewelry includes a wonderful antique gold and diamond bangle by Fabergé (lot 363, $4/6,000), a Renaissance Revival gold, gem-set, and enamel pin by Carlo Giuliano (lot 362, $5/7,000), and an elegant Renaissance Revival gem-set pendant by Castellani (lot 360, $8/12,000).
Pearls
Skinner has traditionally offered a fine selection of pearls in its jewelry auctions. Highlights in the March 15th sale include an Art Deco natural pearl necklace of eighty ivory pearls by Cartier, accompanied by a receipt from Cartier Paris dated 1920 for a necklace of eighty-one pearls (lot 282, $12/15,000). Other offerings include a platinum, natural pearl, and diamond pendant (lot 280, $11/13,000), a South Sea pearl necklace composed of thirty-one graduating pearls (lot 276, $9/11,000), and a striking Baroque South Sea and Tahitian pearl necklace composed of a double strand of sixty-three graduating pearls (lot 279, $7/9,000).
Men's Jewelry
An interesting group of men's jewelry also will be offered. Included is a selection of watches from the 1940s and 1950s, led by a Patek Philippe 18kt rose gold wristwatch, c. 1940s (lot 225, $4/6,000). Other wristwatches include an Hermès white gold and mother-of-pearl "Dressage," created in 2004 to celebrate seventy-five years of watchmaking (lot 220, $4,5/5,500); a Patek Philippe "Calatrava," c. 1950s (lot 221, $3/4,000); and a Rolex "Oyster Perpetual Chronometer," c. 1940s (lot 222, $3/4,000). Also of interest in men's jewelry are a white gold, sapphire intaglio, and diamond ring (lot 204, $2/3,000), and an unusual pair of gold cuff links by Larter & Sons, each designed as a golf ball joining a club (lot 224, $2/300).
Collections
The auction closes with the collections of Corinne "Corky" Davidov and Selma Postar.
The Davidov Collection is one of the most remarkable collections of Bakelite anywhere. Corky Davidov literally wrote the book on Bakelite, co-authoring The Bakelite Jewelry Book with Ginny Redington Dawes in 1988. The collection itself began with a few pieces owned by her mother, and grew over a period of twenty years to well over one hundred pieces, several of which are illustrated in The Bakelite Jewelry Book. The Skinner auction will present the Davidov Collection in 124 lots. Especially rare pieces include a butterscotch carved bangle by Andy Warhol (lot 493, $3/5,000), a brooch designed as a cherry red frog with a movable arm playing a green stringed instrument (lot 421, $1,5/2,500), and a Nurse brooch (lot 541, $6/800). Other remarkable examples include a rare Polka Dot brooch (lot 491, $1,5/2,000), a brooch designed as a cigarette suspending three bunches of matches (lot 539, $6/800), and a jointed Soldier brooch (lot 542, $4/600).
The collection of Selma Postar (1927-2004), offered in 131 lots, closes the sale with a wonderful and varied selection of Art Deco, Victorian, and modern jewelry. A North Shore, Mass. native, Selma lived on Beacon Hill in Boston most of her adult life, and was known as a self-taught jewelry dealer with a keen eye for interesting and unusual items. “Over the years, Skinner has sold a number of Selma's great pieces,” notes department director, Gloria Lieberman. “This is what was found in the back of her drawers.”
Highlights from this collection include a dramatic Art Deco platinum, rock crystal, and gem-set pendant necklace (possibly Pickmann, Paris, lot 672, $2/3,000), and an Art Deco gold and lapis ring with French maker's mark (lot 665, $6/800). The interesting selection of Victorian jewelry includes a pair of gold and banded agate earpendants (lot 628, $3/500), a pair of Etruscan Revival gold earrings (lot 544, $2/300), and a pair of gold and amber earpendants (lot 547, $3/500). Modern pieces from Selma's collection include a gold and coral brooch designed as the stylized word "LOVE" by Aldo Cipullo (lot 573, $250/350), a pair of Bulgari earclips (lot 574, $4/600), and a signed gold ring designed as a stylized butterfly by Barry Kieselstein Cord (lot 575, $250/350). Additional offerings from the collection include bag lots of rings and other assorted items.
Special Event
In conjunction with the Sunday, March 13th preview, Skinner invites the public to participate in its Jewelry Clinic, hosted by Mr. Hagop Matossian from Bostonian Jewelers. Mr. Matossian, an antique and period jewelry restoration expert, is a pioneer in laser restoration techniques. He will be available for individual consultations concerning items in the auction from 12 noon to 4 p.m. As a complement to its lecture series, following the Sunday preview, Skinner also invites the public to a lecture by JoAnne Cooper, co-director of Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Mass. Ms. Cooper will speak on The Art of the Ring, discussing contemporary artist design. All preview attendees are invited to participate in both events.
Catalogue and Preview Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 13th, 12 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 14th, and 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 15th. Illustrated catalog #2270 is available by mail for $29 ($35 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $26. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 617-350-5400, or visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.
Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.
About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.