1
Art Nouveau Plique a Jour pin
Levinger & Bissinger
Circa 1900
900 silver plique a jour and pink stone pin signed HL Depose 900.
Heinrich Levinger, while not as well-known as Fahrner, was another Pforzheim, Germany firm of jewelers founded during the 19th century by Heinrich Levinger who dies in 1899). In 1903, the firm was renamed Levinger und Bissinger, but reverted to the name of Heinrich Levinger in 1909. They produced Jugendstil designs and are noted for stylized organic forms in plique a jour enamel and silver. They alos executed designs by the Viennese designer Otto Prutscher (1880-1949).
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2
Karl Karst
circa 1910
Art Nouveau necklace by Karl Karst, a jewelry designer at Pforzheim. Hammered silver "petals" each with a mother-of-pearl button and a large central stone of lapis lazuli. Marked Karst 800.
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3
Back of necklace.
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Karst signature plaque
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5
Elizabeth Bonte' horn and glass bead necklace of a bug all strung on multiple cord strands.
Circa early 1900s
Madame Bonte' was a French designer and maker who specialized in decorative horn jewelry, especially pendants. Her workshops were merged (exact date unknown) with those of her main rival, George Pierre (GIP), and they worked together in the Art Nouveau style until 1936.
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6
Bonte' signature.
Antique Collector 11/82.
Many of the skills involved in the production of horn jewellery have
been lost, but a rough outline of the techniques employed by the Bonté Studio is described below.
First, suitable pieces of bull horn were cut into sections, then heated & unrolled whilst still hot to form plaques about 15 by 30 cm by 2 cm thick. A design drawn on a piece of paper was then stuck to the horn, cut out with a saw, then drilled through, the saw being dismantled then reset many times. The cut & perforated horn was then immersed in hydrogen peroxide for a day, giving it the translucent quality desired. The edges were then smoothed by buffing wheels & polished with powder made of pumice & millstone.
The still pliable horn was then dipped in various chemical compounds to produce ...
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Horn letter opener of a cicada. Original leather case. Approximately 4 inches long.
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8
Horn necklace
Circa early 1900s
Huge carved horn necklace of a cicada or locust (?), hung on silk cord and with 3 art glass beads. Body of the bug is 2 1/2" long.
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9
Close-up of the bug!
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10
Carved horn necklace simulating monnaie du Pape, a plant with dry translucent leaves that lent itself to Art Nouveau translation in horn; on silk ribbon with glass beads.
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Horn necklace of a poppy with wood and glass beads on cord.
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Horn necklace of a flower on silk ribbon.
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13
Peacock-eye glass cab earrings set in plated brass metal. Wires are replacements. Length without the wires is 2 1/2". Circa early 1900s, most likely Czech.
From my favorite guy, Roger!
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14
Sterling pendant with turquoise stones
Murrle, Bennett and Co.
Circa early 1900s
This pendant has a strong likeness to jewelry produced by Fahrner, which makes sense as Ernst Murrle came from Pforzheim and had workshops in that city. According to Becker, about 80% of Murrle Bennett's jewelry came from Pforzheim.
Murrle, Bennett and Co. were a London-based firm of wholesale jewelers, specializing in Art Nouveau designs, often in the German style. They were established in 1884, and probably collaborated with Liberty and Co. including supplying them with jewels made in Pforzheim. They produced a vast and varied range of popular jewels, including some Archibald Knox designs identical to those made by Liberty and Co.
Murrle, Bennett and Co often collaborated with Theodor Fahrner on certain designs and their marks may often be found together on the same pieces.
During the First World War, Murrle was repatriated to Germany and the company was renamed White Redgrove and Whyte.
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15
Sterling and turquoise brooch
Theodor Fahrner
circa 1902-1903
Sterling with turquoise stones. Designed by Max Joseph Gradl. Similar brooch shown on page 96 in Theodor Fahrner Jewelry.
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16
Art Nouveau silver plated stamped brass enameled brooch with cell enamel flowers
Circa 1908-1910
Unsigned, but attributed to Hermann Haussler. Similar pieces are illustrated in the Fahrner book page 99.
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Art Nouveau silver plated stamped brass enameled brooch with cell enamel flowers
Circa 1908-1910
Unsigned, but attributed to Hermann Haussler. Similar pieces are illustrated in the Fahrner book, page 99.
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18
Ar Nouveau silver plated, cell enamel pin
Circa 1908-1910
Hermann Haussler, based on floral enamel. No marks.
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19
Art Nouveau silver plated cell enamel floral pin
Theodor Fahrner
Circa 1908-1910
Brooch with flowers. Design attributed to Hermann Haussler. Beaten silver, blue, green, white and violet cell enamel. Marked TF 935 Depose See Fahrner book page 98 for a larger brooch of the same design, but with dangles.
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20
Art Nouveau beaten silver pin with cell enamel flowers
Attributed to Hermann Haussler
Circa 1908-1910
Beaten silver octagon with enameled flowers in shades of blue, yellow and black. The flower motif with the fanlike leaves was used in a variety of colors and forms with various rim widths. This is a large size for these brooches at 1 7/8" x 1 7/8".
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21
Sterling bracelet with enameled shamrocks and mother-of-pearl buttons. One MOP link is missing.
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22
Sterling butterfly pendant with enamel.
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23
Art Nouveau period necklace in 14K yellow gold with 3 bezel-set opal drops accented with amethysts.
Opals were especially popular in Art Nouveau jewelry for its organic look.
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Late 1800s-early 1900s festoon, possible bridge between Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts. American turquoise and Mississippi pearls, gold gryphons and chains.
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25
This is a beautiful antique enameled sterling brooch. It is marked 925s and has the hallmark used by David Andersen from 1888-1930. It measures 2.5 inches by just under 1/2 inch.
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Some slight enamel loss. Flowers are amazingly similar to work done by Hermann Haussler.
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27
Back of pin.
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28
Hallmarks.
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29
Sterling brooch with pink quartz stone
Carence Crafters
Circa 1908-1911
Carence Crafters used acid-etched geometric and nature designs (and on rare occasions lifelike tableaus), on copper, brass, German silver, and silver. The most common forms are small trays, desk items, bookends, frames, and candleholders, but the firm did produce a fair amount of jewelry, often with stones, and almost always with trademark cutouts and intertwined (often asymmetric) versions of a Celtic knot. Generally, Carence Crafters did not employ heavy use of hammering at the edges the way Forest Craft did, or the lighter edge hammering used by Frost.
The firm was probably in business for just a few years, and seems to have closed in 1911.
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30
Signature -- Carence Crafters
The genuine Carence Crafters mark came in two forms. One was just two intertwined "C" letters in a small outlined box. The other used the words "Carence / Crafters / Chicago" next to this box. Lots of unsigned copper and brass items are attributed to Carence Crafters, but these were probably produced by other firms.
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31
Sterling pansy brooch by Lillian Pines. Approximately 3" x 3" and signed Lillian Pines / New York / Sterling
A contemporary and friend of Mary Gage was Lillian H. Rosenblum Pines, who was born in 1894 in Manchester, NH. According to one Internet source, Pines graduated from Radcliffe College in 1915 and had a retail store in the Westbury Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York City. She died at the age of 100. Gage and Pines clearly influenced each other.
Both Pines and Gage used wirework and beads. Pines's pieces are sometimes more naturalistic (in the form of fans or lifelike flower baskets, for instance), and she often used twisted wire and filigree details.
Found by Roger!
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Another view of the Lillian Pines pansy.
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33
Arts and Crafts necklace with a large sliced opal backed with stone and a dangling pearl. 9 ct setting and 18 ct trim. Newer 14K chain.
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Necklace in Suffragette colors -- circa 1915, amethysts, peridots and pearls in 18K gold.
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35
Three pins from the Heintz Art Metal Shop of Buffalo, NY. Made of patinated bronze with sterling overlay in cutout patterns. The studio was in business from 1906 to 1929. No marks are on their jewelry. The bottom pin is a patina called "lizard skin."
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Heintz Art Metal Shop
circa 1906-1929
Two lovely pins from the Heintz Art Metal Shop, Buffalo, NY. Heintz Art Metal made decorative objects and jewelry of patinated bronze with sterling overlay in decorative patterns. None of the jewelry was signed, but their style is so distinctive, it is readily identifiable.
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Heintz Art Metal Shop
Buffalo, NY
circa 1906-1929
Patinated bronze with sterling overlay in floral pattern.
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First one I've had with any markings.
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Heintz Art Metal Shop dish from Roger.... Signed 537A.
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40
Another view. Brass with sterling silver patterned overlays.
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41
Arts and Crafts pin on bronze.
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42
Arts and Crafts necklace and pin, both in copper with citrine-colored stones. Necklace has sterling floral designs on the pendant.
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43
Billiken brooch. Stamped twice with a Billiken symbol and signed Trademark Billiken. 2" across.
More information on Billiken can be found at http://www.jester.net/secure/Billiken.htm.
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From Warman's Jewery Identification and Price Guide 3rd edition, by Christie Romero, pg 101. A must-have book! A signed copy can be purchased directly from Christie by going to http://www.center4jewelrystudies.org/books.html The book is currently priced at $25 if you order it from the site.
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45
Whale's tooth ivory Billiken.
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Billiken with a green cab.
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Celluloid necklace of Billiken charms and glass beads.
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48
Ivory Billiken figural -- probably whale tooth. 3 3/4" tall.
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Side view of Billiken.
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50
Krementz pink enameled bar pin with pearls. Signed 14K and with the maker's mark for Krementz and Co.
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51
American gypsy pin in the shape of a five-pointed star, gold spheres at each point, engraved geometric motifs, 3 drops at the bottom. Center is a bezel-set U.S. gold coin dated 1917 with the central figure raised.
See similar piece in Romero, Warman's Jewelry 3rd edition pg 104.
Another Roger find!
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52
Arts & Crafts Holloware Sterling Knife
Peer Smed (1878-1943)
Peer Smed trained as a silversmith in Denmark, came to the US in 1904, having apprenticed with the well-known Danish firm A. Michelsen. He is known to have designed for Tiffany & Co. He set up his own shop in New York City and produced hand-made holloware and jewelry. His holloware is often dramatic, with much ornamentation in the Danish taste, while his jewelry is usually lifelike, simpler, and well-executed.
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Top of the knife handle showing wheat pattern. Smed is known for producing individual pieces made by hand from start to finish.
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Side view showing wheat pattern and spiral on the end.
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Peer Smed signature He marked his pieces with his name and the words "handwrought" or "handchased."
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56
Art Nouveau sash buckle with wonderful tendrils and a carved ivory [or is it celluloid?] face of a woman.
Makers mark for Piel Frères.
To quote Vivienne Becker in Art Nouveau Jewellery, pg 226:
"Piel Frères, Paris jewelry firm (at 31 Rue Mesley) which caused a sensation at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900 with its fashionable but inexpensive 'art' jewels. The head of the firm was Alexandre Piel, who worked with the sculptor Gabriel Stalin as artistic director. In their jewels, sculpted ivory was replaced by the new plastic material, celluloid, while copper and silver replaced gold. Critics approved of these substitutes, since the aim was to present art at an affordable price. Piel Frères' jewels were often gilt or enamelled, which they accomplished successfully on the difficult media of copper and silver. The designs were excellent, and they are known particularly for their range of buckles, and for ...
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Isn't she adorable?
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Maker's mark for Piel Frères
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59
Maker's mark -- P [sword] F
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60
Plique a jour enamel buckle
French Art Nouveau
c. 1890
Gold over silver, French maker's mark, French hallmark, in original leather box.
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61
Buckle held up to the light -- the leaves are plique as well as the portions connecting the center area to the outside of the buckle.
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62
Art Nouveau or Arts & Crafts picture frame with red glass inserts.
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63
Bleeding hearts brooch
Krementz
C. 1900
Gorgeous realistic rendering of bleeding hearts, in matte enamel with each blossom ending in a seed pearl. The leaves are iridescent enamel and the pin is 14K gold.
Marked with the Krementz "collar button."
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64
Art Nouveau Tree of Life pendant
Murrle Bennett
C. 1900-1905
Sterling pendant designed as a tree of life, with leaves of blue and green iridescent enamel and a pearl drop. Marked MBCo and 950.
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65
Arts & Crafts peacock eye glass cabs necklace and two pins set in sterling.
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66
Arts & Crafts Egyptian Revival pin
Doris Cliff
Handwrought sterling pin by American Arts & Crafts silversmith, Doris Cliff. In an Egyptian Revival theme, it depicts a winged scarab with a scalloped bezel setting containing an opal stone. A ring by Doris Cliff is in Warman's Jewelry 2nd edition page 88.
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67
"Newark" enameled pansy watch pin
Circa 1890s
Not marked, but a lovely 14K enameled pansy watch pin with a pearl center. Probably made by one of the Newark manuafacturers. 7/8" x 7/8"
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68
"Newark" enamel tiger watch pin
Circa 1900
Tigers were popular subjects for some Newark jewelers, with all having a diamond set in the mouth. this is a fine example, enamel on gold with diamond eyes and in the mouth. 7/8" x 7/8"
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Aigrette headpiece with a diamond starburst in 14K, circa 1915. It is folded flat in this picture. The bottom of the tube holding the starburst allows the gold band to rotate. Came in its original box. Very rare.
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70
Headpiece unfolded. Aigrette feathers are a deep mahogany color, possibly dyed as egrets are white.
FYI, the fashionable ladies almost caused the egret to go extinct. Aigrette plumes only occur during mating season and huge numbers of egrets were killed for their feathers. ;-(
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Close-up of the starburst. Note the 3 diamonds on gold wires above the centerpiece. The starburst is also a pin and can be removed to wear separately.
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72
Celluloid and glass beads necklace and earrings.
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73
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74
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75
Powder box, cell enamel on stamped silver metal
Attributed to Hermann Haussler
Circa 1908-1911
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76
Arts & Crafts
2 small patinated bronze pins
Carence Crafters
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77
Arts & Crafts/Jugenstil style sterling muff chain. Entirely handwrought, with six hand cut panels set between gorgeous 1/2 inch long links. Sterling swivel at the bottom.
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Krementz enamel pansy pin.
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79
Art Nouveau peacock glass necklace
Fishel Nessler (F.N. Co.)
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80
Arts & Crafts
Sterling watch fob with quartz stone
Carence Crafters
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81
Sterling and enamel necklace with tassles
C. 1902-1903
Theodor Fahrner, designed by Georg Kleeman
A rare and amazing sterling silver chain necklace with tassles. The tops of the tassles are sterling in Art Nouveau designs with blue-green cell enamel. Reflecting the Arts & Crafts influence, at the bottom of the tassles are silver pearls and set in the chain are nine matrix opals.
The chain is 5 feet 6 inches and the tassles are 8.5 inches. The chain wraps around the neck several times with the decorative parts and tassels to the front.
Necklace is shown on page 111 of the Fahrner book.
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Close-up of the tops of the tassels and some of the matrix opals.
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Bottoms of the tassels showing the small silver pearls.
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84
A couple of the matrix opals and close-up of the chain links.
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85
Signature on the necklace. TF for Theodor Fahrner, and MBCo for Murrle Bennett and Co. The two firms worked quite closely together but this is the first piece I have seen with combined signatures.
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86
German Jugendstil
Sterling buckle with enamel
C. 1904-1905
Theodor Fahrner, designed by Franz Boeres
Sterling silver buckle with blue enamel, designed by Franz Boeres for Fahrner. See page 87 in Theodore Fahrner Jewelry for additional design examples.
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87
Signature stamp for buckle -- TF 935 and Depose.
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88
Two acid-etched and patinated brass pins
Carence Crafters
Circa 1900-1915
Marked with interlocking CC.
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89
Peacock glass hat pin
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90
Peacock eye glass and MOP clips
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91
George W. Shiebler sterling teapot, creamer and sugar bowl with repousee chrysanthemums.
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George W. Shiebler sterling teapot with repousee chrysanthemums.
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George W. Shiebler sterling sugar bowl with repousee chrysanthemums.
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George W. Shiebler sterling creamer with repousee chrysanthemums.
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95
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96
Wendell August Forge Arts & Crafts pin
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97
Bronze and sterling Arts & Crafts pin.
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98
Peacock glass lavaliere necklace
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99
Sterling brooch with classic profiles. Similar to pieces by Schiebler.
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100
Sterling Arts & Crafts pin with enamel and amethyst
Charles Horner
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101
Charles Horner hallmark
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102
Homeric Sterling Medallion Brooch
George Shiebler
Circa 1880-1900
Sterling silver brooch with 5 graduated circular portrait medallions with a hanging sword engraved with "XAPIE."
Marked with the winged Shiebler hallmark Sterling and 874.
From Romero, 3rd edition "A quote from an 1892 article about the firm in Jeweler's Circular says that the pieces were designed to look like they had been "unearthed at Pompeii and Herculaneum." pg 78.
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103
Enamel pansy pin with pearl center in 14K
Krementz
C. 1900
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104
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105
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106
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107
Hermann Haussler hammered metal and enameled powder box
C. 1903-1908
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108
Enameled shamrock set in half-moon shaped pin in 14K gold
Krementz
C. 1900
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109
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110
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111
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112
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113
Sterling Arts & Crafts period serving fork
Hammersmith & Co., San Francisco Circa 1910.
Hand hammered marks are pronounced over the entire piece. The top and back of the handle have applied strap work with rivets.
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114
Czech peacock glass earrings
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115
Arts & Crafts enamel pendant
Large enameled pendant with a bird and its prey. Sterling filigree with inset citrines and amethysts. Handwrought sterling chain.
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116
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117
Close-up of enameled bird
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118
Enamel and pearl necklace
Arts & Crafts (Art Nouveau?)
Necklace with blue and green enamel, seed pearls and blister pearls set in silver.
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119
Italian "tourist" chain with charms
C. 1900
800 silver
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120
Close up of some of the charms
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121
Boulder opal earrings
Arts & Crafts
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122
Art Nouveau 14K chain
Chain has mixed oval and round links interspersed at regular intervals with 10 intricately crafted spacers.
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123
Enameled dragonfly brooch
Arts & Crafts
Large enameled dragonfly set in sterling and with amazonite cabachon, opal eyes and small river pearls.
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124
Back of dragonfly. It is a large pin measuring 4 inches long and with a 3 1/4 inch wingspan.
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125
Sterling sugar shovel
Levi & Salaman
Birmingham Mark "d" 1903-04
Also marked Pd (or Rd) No. 371432. May be a 1900 Archibald Knox pattern.
History in brief:
* 1870-1910 - known as Levi & Salaman
* 1910-1920 - were Levi & Salaman Ltd. & proprietors of the Potosi Silver Co. from 1828)
* 1921 - Amalgamated with Barker Brothers (Silversmiths) Ltd. on 1st of January 1921
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126
Enameled bracelet and pin in a swastika pattern.
Circa 1910
The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word svastik (in Devanagari, स्वस्तिक), meaning any lucky or auspicious object and has been used for centuries as a sacred symbol. It fell into ill repute through its use by the Nazis.
The sterling and enamel bracelet has Birmingham marks and a maker mark JF (cannot find any references to this). No marks on the hammered brooch.
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127
Moonstone Festoon Necklace
C. early 1900s
14k moonstone necklace with moonstone drops.
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