Skinner’s December 11 Jewelry Auction Features Diamonds, Sapphires, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco Favorites

Top Lot is 19 Carat Diamond Solitaire estimated between $50,0000 - $60,000

BOSTON, Mass. - December 3, 2001 Skinner, Inc., a leading full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art, will hold an auction of Fine Jewelry on December 11, 2001 at 12:00 noon in its Boston gallery. With over 480 lots, Skinner’s December auction is the perfect venue for holiday shoppers looking for that one-of-a-kind jewelry item, and a unique shopping experience. Diamonds, sapphires, and South Sea pearls are the notable gems, while Edwardian, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco pieces feature prominently in the sale. Designers include Louis Comfort Tiffany and Margaret Rogers.

Several notable lots in the sale boast Massachusetts provenance. Lots 476 and 477 came from a prominent Massachusetts family and were owned by the first woman architect to graduate from Harvard. The jewelry was originally given as a gift from her father to her mother. Lot 477 is an 8.45-carat diamond solitaire, flanked by tapered baguettes weighing approximately 0.20 carats in a platinum mount ($15,000 - $20,000.) Lot 476 is a champagne-colored marquise-cut diamond ring/pendant weighing approximately 5.27 carats with a two-tiered frame of 56 marquise-cut diamonds in a platinum mount ($10,000 - $15,000.)

The top lot in the sale (Lot 456) is a diamond solitaire ring featuring a 19.63-carat emerald-cut diamond of light yellow hue, flanked by straight baguettes in a platinum mount ($50,000 - $60,000.) Other notable diamond jewelry in the sale includes Lots 337, 343, and 418. Lot 337 is a box-set Diamond Solitaire. The ring features a round brilliant-cut diamond weighing 2.26 carats, flanked by tapered baguettes in a platinum mount ($16,000 - $18,000.) Lot 343 is a platinum and diamond bracelet with 843 bezel and prong-set marquise, baguette, and circular-cut diamonds. The approximate total weight of the bracelet is 29.00 carats. ($7,000 - $9,000.) Lot 418 is an antique diamond necklace consisting of graduated foliate links set with cushion shape old mine and rose-cut diamonds. The necklace can be converted to become a bracelet and features French hallmarks and a silver and gold mount. Necklaces of this kind still intact are very rare, as most were broken up to make smaller pieces including brooches, earrings and bracelets. It is estimated $6,000 - $7,000.

One of the more interesting stories in the sale concerns Lot 200, an antique seed pearl necklace and brooch, once believed to be the suite sold to President Lincoln as a gift for Mary Todd Lincoln, who wore it to the 1861 inauguration. As a result, the suite traveled to California for a 1975 Tiffany exhibition of historic American jewelry. It was later discovered that Lincoln’s descendants had bequeathed the true inaugural suite to the Library of Congress. This suite is believed to be one of the copies made by M.W. Galt & Brothers at the turn of the century. The suite is composed of seed pearls set in concentric circles within crimped gold mountings with closed backs, in a fitted Tiffany box ($3,000 - $5,000.)

The sale also includes several classic examples of fine Art Deco jewelry. The best of these pieces feature both diamonds and sapphires. Lot 484 is an Art Deco Platinum and Diamond Riviere, composed of 73 old European and transitional-cut diamonds, graduating in size from approximately 0.15 to 1.50 carats ($25,000 - $35,000.) Lot 482 is an exquisite Art Deco platinum, sapphire, and diamond ring, signed Tiffany & Co. The Ring features a prong-set cushion-cut sapphire weighing 3.07 carats, flanked by diamond trillions ($18,000 - $22,000.)

Featured on the catalog cover, Lot 485, is an Art Deco Platinum and Diamond Bracelet. The bracelet’s flexible geometric plaques are set with three marquise and six triangular-cut diamonds flanked by calibre-cut sapphires. The piece is set throughout with single-cut diamonds, joined by hinges set with onyx button terminals, and millegrain accents. The bracelet, stamped BERT H. SATZ is considered a rare find. Bertram H. Satz opened his New York City Fifth Avenue Store in 1929, the year of the stock market crash. The business folded only two years later in 1931. The piece is estimated $15,000 - $20,000. Two other Art Deco bracelets include Lots 481 and 457. Lot 481 is a diamond and Sapphire bracelet, set with a line of circular-cut diamonds accented by four French-cut sapphires and single-cut diamonds bordered by calibre-cut sapphires. The piece is signed Tiffany & Co. and estimated $5,000 - $7,000. Lot 457 is an Art Deco Carved Citrine, Onyx, and Diamond Bracelet, set with four intaglio citrines carved with images of the four seasons, joined by flexible links set with onyx and single-cut and old European-cut diamonds in a platinum mount ($3,000 - $5,000.)

Lots 398 through 401 are some of the finest examples of Arts & Crafts jewelry in the sale. These pieces came from a single family, with most still in their original boxes, emblazoned with the Boston Arts & Crafts Society seal. Lot 400 is a stunning gold aquamarine and pearl pendant necklace featuring a large aquamarine framed by cabochon aquamarines and seed pearls, suspended from a triple curb link chain highlighted by bezel set rectangular aquamarines ($5,000 - $7,000.) Lots 398 and 401 are two unique Arts & Crafts brooches; both designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and signed Tiffany & Co. Lot 401 is 14kt gold and enamel, with a freeform mount decorated with polychrome enamel in a flower and berry motif. The reverse of the piece is engraved “B.M.W.” It is estimated $3,000 - $5,000. Lot 398 is a plique-a-jour and green sapphire brooch with an 18kt gold mount. This brooch dates circa 1910 and is estimated $2,500 - $3,500. Lot 399 is an Arts & Crafts Demantoid Garnet Ring, centering a circular-cut bezel-set demantoid stone flanked by seed pearls. It features a 14kt gold mount and the hallmark “MR” for Margaret Rogers ($1,500 - $2,000.)

The last lot in the sale, Lot 486, is the sentimental favorite. A gem-set American Flag Pin, it is designed as a rippling flag set with French cut sapphires, rubies, and circular-cut diamonds, millegrain accents, platinum flagpole and mount. It is estimated $3,000-$5,000.

Illustrated catalog #2120 is available for $26 ($35 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner/Bolton (978-779-6241 ext. 261). Prices realized at the auction will be available at www.skinnerinc.com following the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, fax 978-779-5144, or visit www.skinnerinc.com.

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