Lots to love in Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry sale!

There’s nothing like spring. New leaves on the trees, flowers blooming everywhere, and – of course – April jewelry auctions!

Leslie Hindman’s got some truly fabulous pieces heading to the auction block, and we’re going to take a look at them here today. This auction isn’t happening until April 23-24th, so you have plenty of time to reflect upon these beauties and decide to make them yours.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ jewelry specialist, Alex Eblen, was kind enough to chat with me about the April jewelry auction. Alex is a delight and I couldn’t resist sharing a few snippets of our conversation directly.

Alex describes the April jewelry sale as ” a wonderful cross between an elegant 12-course meal and a comfort-food buffet.”

An opulent 12-course meal by offering important snapshots of Tiffany (and its star designers) from over 100 years of its history; a great selection of Mid-Century signed jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Oscar Heyman, David Webb and others; and of course the necessary selection of exquisite diamonds and colored stones including a 5.79 ct Golconda-Type antique marquise cut diamond ring and a rather extraordinary 11.00 carat unheated Burmese sapphire ring from the Deco period.

A guilty-pleasure buffet by providing so many covetable, wearable jewels for tantalizing estimates.  Just look at the “contemporary” area towards the end of Day One.  We have a great archive of more obscure designers (Barry Brinker, K. Brunini) offered side-by-side with classics from Angela Cummings, Schlumberger, Cartier, and many more.  All at prices where, with luck, you can afford to chase more than just one.”

Doesn’t it sound scrumptious?? Don’t worry, we’re about to take a nice, long look at the goodies. And if you want to see these pretties in person, the April jewelry sale’s NYC preview is April 3-5 and the Chicago preview is April 19-23.

Lot 27: A Platinum Topped, Yellow Gold, Peridot and Diamond Demi Parure.

Holy moly. Peridot of this quality is noteworthy in any situation. To find this many stones cut so beautifully and combined in a gorgously designed antique parure that comes in its own fitted box(!!) is truly something to get excited about.

If you follow your Pantone trends, you’ll note that this parure perfectly captures the 2017 color of the year, Greenery.

Lot 29: A Yellow Gold, Polychrome Enamel and Multigem Butterfly Motif Pietra Dura Swag Necklace.

There is so much happening here and all of it’s magnificent. Pietra Dura! Enamel! Color! Festoons! The detail view on the right gives to an idea of how intricate this one is, down to the individual enameled links.

Lot 69: A Fine Platinum, Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Ring.

This ring is ridiculously beautiful. That perfect stone in that elegant Art Deco setting is a hard-to-resist combination.

Alex told me that this sapphire is his very favorite stone in the April jewelry sale. Why? Because this 11 carat no-heat Burmese sapphire “strikes a lovely balance between hue, tone and saturation.  Burmese stones can provide so much punch to their blue but can often go towards a darker tone when really strongly saturated.  This gem remains “open” and has stunning “crystal” (high clarity).”

Lot 2: A Pair of Victorian Yellow Gold and Enamel Pendant Earrings.
Lot 33: A Pair of Victorian Yellow Gold Pendant Earrings.

These earrings may be more than 100 years old, but I think their long, lean shape and rich yellow gold hue would be right at home in many contemporary wardrobes (I’d love to add either of them to mine!).

This kind of shape is often called “torpedo” earrings; especially when the piece is more streamlined, like the pair on the right.

Lot 13: A Green Gold, Emerald and Pearl Pendant/Brooch, Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co., Circa 1895.

This four leaf clover brooch is one of those pieces that’s cool right off the bat, but then becomes breathtaking once you learn more about it. Here’s some insight from Alex:

We studied this one carefully and are convinced it is an early work by Paulding Farnham for Tiffany.  For the scholars, it has an intriguing laminated gold construction of green gold on top to contrast the emeralds above a more typical rose gold base.  This mimics another work, an insect brooch, that is featured in the Farnham book.  I don’t have to explain anything about those emeralds, they speak for themselves.

Also interesting to note that it appears to have been in our consignor’s family since the original purchase, the first time since around 1893 it has left their hands.

Don’t you love it even more now?Lot 345: A Fine Platinum and Golconda-Type Diamond Ring.

This, of course, is the Golconda-Type antique marquise cut diamond ring that Alex mentioned up top. Holy diamonds, Batman.

The center stone is a 5.79 carat Type IIa diamond. This is a huge deal: fewer than 2% of gem quality diamonds meet that qualification. And if that weren’t enough, the center stone is flanked by two triangular step cut diamonds weighing approximately 2.30 carats total.

This baby and the Art Deco sapphire up top are definitely the most baller potential engagement rings in Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry auction.

Lot 31: A Georgian Gilt Silver, Pearl and Polychrome Enamel Knot Motif Pendant/Brooch.

If you’re trying to wear more brooches, like I am, this little beauty is a great place to start. These creamy pearls offset by blue enamel would add a pop of pizzazz to any number of outfits.

Lot 344:  A Fine Art Deco Platinum and Diamond Bracelet, Gübelin.

I’m going to let Alex tell you about this one:

One of our great joys in this job is getting to see quite a few Art Deco bracelets.  One can become more persnickety over time, looking for examples with complex geometric patterns, a complete lack of damage, pristinely finished galleries and undersides, etc.  Lot 344 has all of this in spades due in no small part to its Swiss origins and their famous attention to detail. We seldom come across Gübelin jewelry and that is a shame.”

Sigggghhhh. You know it’s one of my jewelry life goals to own a classic Art Deco bracelet. This one would do nicely.

Lot 62: A Platinum, Morganite and Diamond Pendant.

Sometimes I feel like I need to explain what makes a piece of jewelry special in order for it to be fully appreciated. This one isn’t one of those pieces: if you have eyes, you can tell why this morganite pendant is wonderful. It’s so, so pretty.

Lot 99: A Pair of Platinum and Diamond Pendant Earclips.

I love these earrings so much I can barely stand it. Glamorous, interesting, and with maaaaaajor firepower from two antique marquise cut diamonds (1.40 carats, approx) six baguette cut diamonds (0.30 carats) and 91 round brilliant and single cut diamonds (1.92 carats, approx). That’s just under 10 carats total.

Lot 214: An 18 Karat Yellow Gold and Enamel Cigar Band Ring, Cartier.
Lot 387: An 18 Karat Yellow Gold, Silver and Rhodolite Garnet Ring, Federico Buccellati.
Lot 28: A Rose Gold, Amethyst and Diamond Ring.

Three very different, equally fabulous rings from Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry auction. Two signed, one anonymous, all gorgeous and featuring warm-toned hues.

Lot 90: A Platinum, Emerald, and Diamond Bracelet.

I love the Art Deco lines of this emerald and diamond bracelet in platinum. That’s almost 10 carats of diamonds, too! A major piece.

Lot 152: An Important Platinum, 18 Karat Yellow Gold and Diamond Articulated Flower Brooch, Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., France.

A gorgeous example of Schlumberger’s genius. Look at those dynamic lines, the sweeping, impossible-to-ignore silhouette. The petals are articulated, so it’s even more amazing than it appears in a photo.

Between this Schlumberger masterpiece and the Farnham four leaf clover, Leslie Hindman’s April sale really is a big moment for important, big-name statement brooches.

Lot 22A: A Victorian Yellow Gold and Coral Cameo Demi Parure.

Statement necklaces are a jewelry category that I just cannot get enough of. When one is adorning oneself, subtlety should be an option, not the default.

That said, I don’t know if I’d always wear the pieces of this demi parure all together…but it would certainly be spectacular if I did.

Lot 42: An Edwardian Platinum, Opal and Diamond Ring.
Lot 109: An 18 Karat Yellow Gold, Unheated Ceylon Yellow Sapphire and Diamond Ring.

There are few things as fun to buy for yourself as a good colored gemstone ring. It’s both completely frivolous and absolutely essential: anytime you wore either of these, it would be like an infusion of happiness through the finger.

Lot 29A: A Yellow Gold, Turquoise, Sapphire and Diamond Bangle Bracelet.

Speaking of vintage pieces that would blend seamlessly into a contemporary wardrobe…how gorgeous is this bangle? I love the rich blues of the turquoise and sapphires set in the yellow gold bangle, and the sparkle of the old mine cut diamonds are the cherry on top.

Lot 8: A Yellow Gold and Iridescent Glass Scarab Ring, Circa 1900.

This is a silly little ring compared to some of the world class showstoppers in the April jewelry sale, but I think it’s fantastic. An early 20th century Egyptian revival piece, this lot offers a lot of historical interest for a very achievable price (the auction estimate starts at $300).

This would be a great pick for young or beginning collectors looking to try out auction buying. And how cool is the iridescence of that scarab?

There you have it! There’s so much to love in Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry auction. I highly recommend heading over to the online catalog to see everything I didn’t have room to feature here.

And remember: April 2-5 for the NYC preview, April 19-23 for the Chicago preview, and April 23-24 for the auction itself.

This sponsored post is brought to you by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.