Auctions Archives

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

March 28, 2017

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).”

My January Bidsquare wishlist.

January 26, 2017

Today we’re going to have an other edition of one of my favorite pastimes: looking at jewelry I want to buy through Bidsquare!

When I feature auctions, the temptation is always to show you the most spectacular, mind-blowing pieces. We’re still going to do a little of that today. But my main focus is going to be on highlighting the achievable Bidsquare pieces: the ones that a person like you or I could potentially afford and wear in real life.

Because that’s the real fun of auctions, isn’t it? The thrill of the hunt, the chance for an unexpected find or a spectacular deal.

I know you’re with me, because I also know that a few of you are the new owners of auction items I featured in December. Thank you for giving those pieces good homes! I can’t afford to adopt them all myself.

This is an incredibly cool Egyptian revival style enameled silver piece by renowned Mexican jewelry designer, Margot de Taxco. The silver keeps it affordable while its provenance guarantees quality. It’s awesomeness, I believe, is apparent; it’s so bright and interesting. The bidding for this beauty starts at just $250.

This necklace would fit right into any number of contemporary wardrobes. It’s funky and vibrant, with an obvious quality of craftsmanship that keeps it feeling luxe.

The coolest thing about Bidsquare – as we have discussed before – is the fact that it brings you lots from many different reputable auction houses, all in one place. The lots in this post come from a couple of different sales; click on the links below the pictures to go directly to each piece’s listing.

This is SUCH a cool ring. It’s antique and features luminous abalone in a lacy, filigreed 10K gold. The design is so interesting, and the bidding starts at just $100 so it’s wonderfully affordable as well.

This is a perfect buy for someone who’s new to auctions and wants an exciting piece to start with that won’t do toooooo much financial damage.

This ring is not low budget. But it’s so, so, so good that buying it could never be a bad idea. That’s a 5.23 ct no heat Ceylon sapphire framed by 12 full-cut diamonds and flanked on the shoulders by a pair of baguettes.

This piece is gorgeous and a 5.23 ct Ceylon sapphire is nothing to sneeze at. Even cooler: we know its history. This ring comes from the Estate of Jane Warren Jones, of Greenwich, CT, and Toronto, Canada. She was an accomplished artist with a passion for jewelry, and many of the items in her collection were either custom made for her or purchased from the top jewelers in Greenwich and Toronto in the 1940s-60s.

The auction estimate is $20,000 – $30,000. So as I said…not low budget. But extremely worth buying if possible.

Leslie Hindman’s December Important Jewelry Auction.

November 29, 2016

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers has another glorious jewelry auction coming up, and it’s right around the corner: the December Important Jewelry Auction. The Chicago preview starts on Wednesday, and the auction itself is next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

I’ve combed through the literally hundreds of auction lots and picked out my favorite pieces to give you a starting point to decide what you can’t let get away next week when the bidding starts.

I had a little help, actually: Alex, Meredith, and Jamie of Leslie Hindman’s jewelry department spent nearly an hour on the phone with me, giving me the inside scoop on the most noteworthy pieces coming up in the December Important Jewelry Auction. And oh my goodness, there are some good ones.

If you’ve never bid in a Leslie Hindman auction before, this is a great one to start with. They have a wonderful introductory page here to walk you through the particulars of getting started. There are some really great pieces spanning a variety of price points. It’s their second-biggest sale ever, which means there’s a whole lot to love.

Let’s dive in!

Lot 34: A Fine Renaissance Revival Gold, Silver, Multi Gem and Polychrome Enamel Pendant, Augusto Castellani, Circa 1860.

We’re starting out with this delicious jewel right here: a colorful, eye-catching specimen of Renaissance Revival jewelry crafted by a master of revival jewelry, Augusto Castellani. If that weren’t enough, this piece also bears a strong resemblance to a piece in the British Royal Collection that is also attributed to Augusto Castellani and is believed to have been acquired by Queen Mary.

Beautiful, historically significant, and dazzlingly well-preserved? Sign me up.

Lot 6: A Pair of Egyptian Revival Yellow Gold Micromosaic Hoop Earrings, French.

I’ve seen some cool micro-mosaic pieces in my jewelry adventures, but I’ve never, ever seen anything like these hoop earrings.

It’s even Egyptian revival micro-mosaic; look at those colorful scarabs near the top!! I love the rope detail edging on the sides, too. A fascinating, unique pair of treasures in exquisite condition. Also…the low auction estimate is $500, which blows my mind.

Lot 20: A Georgian Gold and Garnet Lover’s Eye Ring.
Lot 21: A Georgian Rose Gold and Seed Pearl Lover’s Eye Brooch.
Lot 23: A Georgian Yellow Gold Lover’s Eye Locket.
Lot 24: A Georgian Yellow Gold, Pink Gemstone and Seed Pearl Lover’s Eye Brooch.
Lot 25: A Georgian Glass and Seed Pearl Lover’s Eye Pendant.

One of the first things I noticed while perusing Leslie Hindman’s December Important Jewelry Auction is that there a whole lot of delicious little Georgian pieces in day 1. I know a some of my antique jewelry Instagram buddies are going to go gaga for these – and with good reason, since many of these little pretties have auction estimates that start below $1,000.

Lot 1: A Pair of Georgian Yellow Gold and Emerald Convertible Pendoloque Drop Earrings, Spain/Portugal.

Oh, hello, you magnificent beauties.

Look at those chased, bezel settings, those rich green emeralds, that perfect articulation. Even better: one of the pendants has a removable brooch fitting, so it can be worn in more than one way.

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