A Penobscot woman nicknamed Mary Molasses sits staring at the camera, a tall, pointed cap on her head and a large silver brooch adorning her neck. This 1860 photo is a relic of a time when the Penobscot Nation in Maine still spoke its own language and wore traditional clothing made almost entirely from European trade goods.

Imagine my surprise when the consignor of a wonderful Swiss enamel necklace walked in the door. We do see Swiss enamel jewelry from time to time, mostly in the form of brooches, but to have a necklace is quite unusual. Both pieces (pictured here) sold well in Skinner’s spring 2011 Fine Jewelry auction.

“Did you know there’s a tornado watch in effect?” my coworkers started alerting me on the afternoon of June 1, 2011. Reports of an enormous funnel cloud with 90 to 160 mile per hour winds began to trickle in as a massive twister began its deadly 40 mile path across south west and south central Massachusetts. Westfield, Springfield, Monson, Brimfield and Sturbridge were soon swept into the half mile wide path of destruction.

English violins of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are popular alternatives to Italian instruments for musicians seeking value. One of the best proponents of English violin making in the period of 1750-1800 was Benjamin Banks, who worked about 75 miles from London in the town of Salisbury. He trained as a musical instrument maker with his uncle, and eventually concentrated on the instruments of the string quartet: the violin, viola, and ‘cello.

First introduced in the latter half of the 19th century, Art Nouveau glass was a completely new kind of art form for its day. Modern, bold, original, innovative and flamboyant, the Art Nouveau style was a complete diversion from the art forms of the Victorian era. Art Nouveau artisans, such as Emile Gallé, drew on the free- flowing motifs of nature to create some of the finest examples of art glass ever made.

Now that it’s June and summer is just around the corner, we’d like to celebrate by sharing some of the most popular blog posts of March, April and May. If you missed these Fine Art & Antiques articles before, now is your chance to check them out and join the conversation.

#5 The Mantua School, New and Old

by David Bonsey, Director of Fine Musical Instruments at Skinner, Inc.

This two part series explores the Mantua school of violin makers, including Guarneri, Balestrieri, Dall’Aglio, Scarampella and Gadda.… Read More

With the price of gold so high, designers today are finding that they have to be exceedingly creative with their designs. They can no longer rely on selling a pair of plain gold earrings–the price to manufacture them is simply too high. Therefore, many designers are incorporating less expensive metals into their works such as silver, brass and steel, and using gold as an accent instead of the main focus. It is not as easy as it once was to buy new gold jewelry.

In the 1780s, the Gagliano family workshop was headed by Ferdinando Gagliano, the son of Nicola. Ferdinando’s younger brothers Joseph and Antonio frequently collaborated with each other on instruments and produced what was likely the largest output of instruments bearing the family’s name.