Do you ever sell any of your actual jewelry? If you do, I would love to acquire one of your lover's eyes, especially in a pearl mounting. - Janine Gordon | http://www.jgordonassociates.com, Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:30PM
1 Victorian Circa 1840
Superb Victorian manor house, hand-painted on parchment and set in a 15 ct gold setting. The detail is fabulous and given depth as the edges are set higher than the middle of the picture. Heavy gold frame. Pin is 2 3/4" by 2".
2 French Circa 1800
Hand-painted miniature on ivory of a mother mourning at the tomb of her infant. The sepia tones of the paint were often derived using macerated hair as a pigment. The willow tree leaves are bits of the baby's hair. Inscription reads: "C'est tout ce qui m'en reste." loosely translated as "This is all I have left." There are intertwined initials at the top of the tomb.
Some damage to the bottom of the painting.
3 Back of mourning pendant (so sad!) of an adorable child with wings and a background of clouds indicating heaven.
4 Lover's eye handpainted on ivory of a beautiful woman with a hazel eye, surrounded by brown curls. Mounted in gold shell pendant. Note the direction the eye will hang when worn.
5 Back of lover's eye pendant. Enameled flower and "In Memory Of." Engraved on the bottom: "Edw.d Lantsbery died 12th Oct 1849 aged 4 years." Engraved on the top: "M Lantsbery died Dec 26th 1857." I assume M. Lantsbery is the woman in the picture.
6 Essex crystal 1915
Essex crystal of a bulldog wearing a spiked collar, mounted on a 14 K gold riding crop. Engraved on the back: "MW from MI Dec. 23 -15"
7 Essex crystal bluebird on a gold stickpin. Some damage to the crystal.
8 Takahashi wood birds Made from WWII to the 1980s
A group of hand-carved and hand-painted wood birds made by Yoneguma and Kiyoka Takahashi. I originally became interested in these based on a bird found by Judi Bollen, and bought my first bird, the pheasant at the top, from Rene Colon. I now have about 45 birds.
The Takahashi family was interned in the Poston Camp in Arizona during WWII. During their time at the camp, they participated in a craft class where they learned to carve and paint small birds. When they were released, they turned their skill into a family business. For 45 years they created these beautiful birds, though both died in the 1990s. Their legacy is carried on by their grand-daughter Carol.
9 Stunningly beautiful lover's eye pendant surrounded by pearls and with a pearl bail. Expressive brown eye with rare peek at lady's hair. Back compartment with braided hair.
10 This lover's eye brooch is a wonderful painting on ivory of a woman's eye. Gold and pearls. Dated 1845.
11 Georgian eye miniature enameled mourning ring. Neo-classical design with two urns poised horizontally on the shank. The face panel has an outer rim of black enamel with finely looped gold inlay in a continuous pattern. The center chamber features a beautiful painted eye miniature. Inscription on the inside of the ring is too faint to read, but you can make out the date of 1817.
12 Lover's eye ring circa 1800.
13 Lover's eye pendant--hand-painted on ivory and set in 18K gold. C early to mid 1800s. Back of pendant has a compartment for hair. Chain is not original. I believe it to be French from the design of the frame. The reverse side opens as a locket and may have contained a lock of hair at one time. The pendent measures 1 inch long by 7/8th inches wide.
14 Combination pin/pendant lover's eye surrounded by pearls and with removable pearl bale, circa 1820. Back compartment with blond hair and inscribed: Anne Dodsworth Died Jan 13, 1876 Aged 75.
15 Lover's eye ivory patchbox with painting on ivory framed by a band of rose gold. Box is 3/3/4" x 1 1/4" and the portrait (which is superb) is 1 3/4" x 3/4". Hinged box has a velvet lined interior with a mirror inset into the lid. c. 1790.
16 Lover's eye painted on ivory. I think this is a man's eye. Back has replacement pin catch.
17 Lover's eye pin painted on ivory dated 1785 set in 18K gold. Inscription on reverse "OB 6 Mar 1785 at 53."
18 A fine quality Georgian portrait miniature of a gentleman measuring 2 1/4 inches in height (actual portrait) and housed in the original gold frame with hairwork reverse. Hand-painted watercolor on ivory. Dates to about 1805. The photos have made it difficult to distinguish his jacket from the background, but in normal light he wears a dark blue jacket, and the background is of the dark 'stormy sky' variety.
19 Hand painted miniature on ivory pendant brooch with 14 cushion-cut diamonds, 15 K gold, c 1890. (Streaks on bottom are glare from scanner.)
20 Lovely portrait of a young girl hand-painted on ivory, rose-gold frame, marked JG and dated 1791 at the bottom right of the portrait.
21 Stunning portrait bracelet of a young woman painted on ivory. 18K engraved gold, hinged cuff. Portrait is 1 3/4" x 1 1/2". Inscribed M.T. to J.B. 16th Sept 1851. Back has woven silk inset where a hair lock could go.
22 Portrait miniature on ivory. Inscribed on the side of the frame: Lady Harriet D'Orsay 1740.
23 Veiled lady potrait painted on ivory, circa 1880. It is mounted in a 14k brooch with pearls, black enamel accents, and with garland surrounding it. The C clasp has been repaired and some of the dangles have been replaced.
24 Georgian 15ct gold naval memorial pendant on ivory with lock of hair
A very rare Georgian naval memorial pendant unmarked but tested as at least 15ct gold. Possibly a memorial pendant for Nelson after the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as the uniform is right as is the period and a very popular subject during this time. The pendant frame has a gold rope twist border and pendant loop to top with the reverse opening up to reveal a lock of brown and grey hair. The painting is on ivory with a naval officer in full uniform and a British man of war just in the background.
25 Portrait painted on ivory of a young girl, circa early 1800s.
the portrait is surrounded by braided hair and the back has sprays of the same hair glued onto alabaster glass with a small blue glass piece with seed pearls (at one time there were initials). Rose gold frame.
26 The best part is when you lift the heart shaped back and see the hand painted portrait miniature under convex crystal. It appears to be a young man, 25 to 30, wearing a wig and dressed in finery.
27 Essex crystal Male Yorkshire Terrier Circa 1860-1870
Essex crystals, as many labor intensive processes, existed in their purest form, for only a few decades. First seen around the mid 1800’s, they faded out toward the turn of the century, and then transformed into a lesser variety of pressed glass as the new century progressed. Rock crystal is painstakingly carved out from the back in an image and finely painted. The back is then sealed with gold, or mother of pearl and when viewed from the front are miniature paintings in three dimensions. Finer pieces entail deep carving and realistic carving as well as superb painting with multitudes of color. You can often judge their value not only but their lifelike qualities, colors but if you turn them to the side, their striking depth.
Depicting a male Yorkshire terrier or possibly a cairn or skye terrier (complete with his blue bow around his neck), we have a divine Essex Crystal pendant. Dogs were a frequent theme, as ot...
28 Essex crystal Female Yorkie Circa 1860s-1870s
Here we have an irresistible Yorkie or Yorkshire terrier dog. She is one of two purchased together and seem to have been a pair. The female is unadorned, but with a pert lively expression typical of the real animal’s character. Her ears are pointed and alert, and her fur and coat are rendered with charcoals, browns, whites and gold. She is even a snaggle tooth or biting her little pink tongue which stick out slightly from her mouth. Precision carving and painting demarcate individual hairs around the face and neck. Perfectly smooth, the cabochon rock crystal is in mint condition with no chips or scratches (other than very tiny surface wear expected with age). The crystal is set in 15k gold plain bezel and then within a twisted gold border. The pendant has an additional and possibly later oval ring to allow a chain to fit with more ease.
Measuring 7/8 inches across by 3/8 inches deep. Taking up the entire depth is the im...
29 Elzac--these are large face ladies.
30 Elzac African drummer.
31 Elzac squirrel.
32 Copa de Oro ceramic ladies. With paper label:
California Copa de Oro Hand Decorated Ceramics
33 Black bakelite bracelet with Elzac-style ladies heads.
34 Elzac ceramic monkey with twisted lucite tail. He is very cute!
35 Elzac twins -- two blondes. Handwritten in pencil on the back: Twins (top) Betty (right) Bill (left).
